Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Summers in New Rome are actually cooler than Venice. Year-round, the weather fluctuates on a ten-degree scale that messes with Nico no matter the month or day. He likens his sensitivity to the weather to his father, which is normally combatted with a rightful catnap under the Jupiter Optimus Maximus—the Gaudiest and Most Obnoxious—until Percy or someone else from the Fifth Cohort fetches him so they can fulfill camp duties.

This summer’s a little different. Percy has gone home every summer that Nico’s known him, but now he has Camp Halfblood to default to. The Coliseum has been quiet for months since the war with Gaea—since Thalia decided to go on a road trip with her little brother instead of holding screamo concerts. Nico has Reyna all to himself.

There’s far less property damage. Reyna and he can get through all of the paperwork without forgery or listening to Percy and Thalia arguing over what color a water fountain should be in the barracks. Nico can technically do what he wants as praetor—but that’s also how nothing ever really got done before Thalia stepped down.

They have a little routine. Nico wakes up, knocks on the bathroom door until he’s annoyed Bianca into finish up, and they meet Reyna outside of the neighboring praetorhouse. Nico sips on his morning coffee—Thalia’s favorite nuclear bomb on the days he misses her the most—while listening to Bianca and Reyna work their way around appropriate topics. Usually, they settle on hunting. Nico’s banned himself as a topic of interest.

(He’s going to have to reiterate this when Percy comes back.)

It’s all mundane, like the end of the last war.

And—much better than traipsing across the world in a set of Bermuda shorts while dragging a twenty-foot-tall statue behind him. For the most part.

It gets a little less mundane, the closer they get to the end of June.

On a Saturday of all days, Nico’s forced to wake up to the sound of vacuum cleaner rather than the hot gossip of birds outside his bedroom window. Just a loud VROOOOOOM and the clatter of the cord as it flops about the wooden floor. It’s so loud that Nico’s inclined to believe that the vacuum cleaner is older than they are, and smoke and dust billows at the crack beneath his door.

There’s a loud rattle—then a swear—as Bianca evidently kicks the vacuum cleaner. “Confounded…stupid…”

VROOOOOOOOOM

Then the century old vacuum cleaner cyclones yet again, leaving Nico with a sleepless morning. He peels himself unwillingly out of bed, pulls his bedroom door open—“BIANCA—!”

—and finds his sister happily vacuuming in the hallway, headphones lodged well into her ears as she floats across the hall. The vacuum continues to holler like an old man in a coughing fit, dust and smoke wafting into the air as it pretends to clean their already tidy household. Bianca flounces, head dutifully in the sky like it normally is.

Nico dutifully yanks the cord out of the outlet before he has to hear any more of Bianca’s ugly rendition of Hilary Duff.

“What—hey!” Bianca turns around, her demeanor twisting in offense. “Nico, I’m cleaning!”

“You’re making a mess,” Nico chides. He gestures to the crumpled rug behind him, lips contorted into a tired frown. “It’s Saturday. Can’t you do this later?”

They’ve argued over less. Cleaning isn’t usually one of those issues—but Bianca stares at her brother now, confused. “Why would I do this later?”

“Because I’m trying to sleep.”

“But Thalia and Jace are coming home today,” Bianca protests. She hops over the vacuum cleaner—and engages, still puzzled. “Aren’t you excited?”

“I can be excited and sleep at the same time,” Nico retorts—and he rubs the sleep out of his own eyes. Bianca, on the other hand, is already dressed for the day at whatever ungodly hour it is. “They’re not coming until this afternoon. Plus, they need to unpack—”

“And they probably won’t go grocery shopping yet,” Bianca reasons. She gestures to their overall home. “Ergo, we could a dinner here. I just need to clean—”

“The only mess in this house is your room,” Nico retorts. “Why don’t you focus on that disaster before bringing it out to the rest of the house?”

Bianca makes a sound, her cheeks flushing pink. “It’s not my fault this place is a mess!”

Nico sighs with exasperation and gesticulates wildly. “I cleaned yesterday.”

“Badly,” she retorts.

“Excuse you—”

For as tiring as this part of their morning routine is, Bianca decides to punctuate their argument by snatching the plug. She pouts at her brother, looking seven rather than the sixteen that they celebrated two months ago, and a ribbon of electricity courses through her wrist to the tip of the metal prongs.

The vacuum comes to life, spewing a dust cloud from its brushes as retched and pitiful as Jupiter trying to speak over his siblings.

“Bianca,” Nico warns. “That vacuum’s older than the Trojan War.”

“Sorry,” she says—loudly, with her music running in her ears. “I can’t hear you over my mess.”

“Stop being a brat!” Nico snaps grumpily.

“I’m being a brat?” Bianca whirls around, and in that moment, her expression mimics his. “Who in this house has been sulking for months because Thalia and Jace are gone—”

Her hands billow with electricity as she waves the plug around.

“—and spends every drachma and denarii just to get a call with them—”

“Bianca,” Nico warns. “That vacuum—”

“—and calls Percy in the middle of the night just to play video games?” Bianca goes on. “You know Jace is confused why you called him last week and suddenly hung up? Talk about rude—!”

“BIANCA!” Nico shouts—

BOOOOOM!

—and the vacuum bag explodes, amassing the house in a cloud of dirt, dust, and forgotten uncooked elbow macaroni that fell to the floor instead of being devoured with last night’s dinner.

Which is how Nico spends another Saturday morning grabbing his pillow and walking next door to Reyna’s house. He’s tired, covered in a mixture of soot and dust as she opens the door. Reyna doesn’t question it anymore. She waves her hand in greeting and welcomes Nico to her couch before she showers.

Aurum and Argentum hop onto the small love seat and settle happily besides Nico as he slumbers.

He’s half asleep by the time their own returns from the bathroom, dressed for the day much like Bianca. Instead of an ancient vacuum cleaner, Reyna wakes him by waving a warm cup of coffee in his face, and Nico decides best not to argue a second time about waking up.

“So she decided to clean the house today,” Reyna summarizes while Nico grumbles into his coffee mug, “without forewarning?”

Nico rubs the sleep out of his eyes, then pushes hair out of his face. “I already cleaned yesterday. Is there something wrong with the way I clean?”

“You’re the only reason we could see the floor in the Fifth Cohort barracks,” Reyna says—and she shakes her head in disbelief. “I can only imagine how Percy’s doing at Camp Halfblood. The cleaning harpies eat you if your cabin isn’t spotless.”

He snorts, but he knows better than to ask if she’s joking.

Still, Reyna lets out a soft chuckle and nudges him on the couch. “That old vacuum was going to give out eventually. There’s a reason why Thalia never used it.”

“That’s not the reason why Thalia never used it,” Nico mutters.

“You said Bianca’s mess is primarily in her room, didn’t you?”

“Only between sunset and sunrise,” Nico says. “Then the mess joins us for breakfast at Fabiano’s.”

Reyna shoots him a light, but stern look. “You don’t mean that.”

“I don’t,” Nico agrees—and the tiniest pang of guilt hits him in the chest. “She apologized and agreed the new mess was her fault. I just wanted to get some sleep this morning.”

“You and your sleep,” Reyna muses. She strokes Argentum over the head and smiles happily as the metallic pup stretches across her lap. “You’ve been tentative about this arrangement since you announced it. Are you really surprised?”

“No,” Nico agrees. He’s known since day one how easily the two of them rile each other up. Bickering with Bianca is just an expectation that he has—but he had far more energy to deal with it when he was nine than fifteen. “She’s just excited that Jason is coming back in town today. She’s doing this thing that Mammina taught us—an immaculate home is a perfect home.”

Reyna makes a face. She arches an eyebrow in the air. “Didn’t you have a housemaid?”

“Nonna Laura wasn’t impressed with how slowly she folded our towels,” Nico admits—to which Reyna laughs.

“Well, aren’t you excited?”

Nico pauses. He bites the inside of his mouth, his hands curling softly around his coffee cup, and he absently stares at the remains of his beverage. “I—mean. I guess.”

He fiddles with the cords of his pajama pants, and from the corner of his eye, he catches sight of the new tattoo he’d received when they made it back to New Rome a few months ago.

The eagle still stretches its wings over his forearm, but it shares the space on his arm with the outline of a peacock. One of Juno’s symbols.

They sit as a reminder of his place as the son of the King and Queen of the gods. Years ago, he winced as an eagle and SPQR was burned into his skin. Nico had hoped any association with Jupiter would just disappear entirely from his person, instead of stacking like a merit badge. A scar rests through his father’s eagle—an example of how he’s honored his godly mother without realizing it—but Nico’s be happy all the same if Jupiter had never lain claim to him.

Getting the peacock tattoo had come with a sigh of relief, alongside the new stripe that recorded his quest to take the Athena Parthenos home.

It wasn’t just…his quest though. It was Nico’s quest—and the person he had to thank for even knowing his bloodline. His true parentage. The person Nico seems to think about daily now, since they’re no longer traveling together.

This time, Reyna’s other eyebrow arches in the air. “Thalia has been gone for two months and you’re telling me you’re not excited that today’s the day?”

Suddenly, Nico’s cheeks bloom red, and he shuffles awkwardly on the couch cushion. Hopes it doesn’t show that his mind is elsewhere. “Well, yeah.”

“Yeah,” Reyna repeats—and Nico feels even more self-conscious under her presence.

“You’re seeing your girlfriend for the first time in two months,” Nico says, happy to change the subject. “How does that feel?”

Reyna breaks into a warm smile that she truly only saves for family. There’s a glint to her eye at the mention of Thalia Grace, her girlfriend, and she takes a longer sip of her coffee. “We were Iris Messaging last night. Honestly, this is the happiest that I’ve seen her since we’ve met. Being with her brother, I mean.”

“And with you,” Nico reminds her—and Reyna’s lips seem to stretch into a wider smile behind her coffee. He pauses, and frowns. “You two were IM-ing and didn’t invite me?”

“That’s more like it,” Reyna teases—and Nico’s cheeks flush. She raises her hand dismissively. “Just girlfriend things. Jason’s excited to see you.”

Nico stares at the daughter of Bellona, wondering if he heard her correctly. He straightens in his seat and thumbs the brim of his cup. “Did he say that?”  

“He…said something about playing video games and Legend of Zelda.”

Again, Nico’s cheeks bloom red. He rubs his tattoo almost instinctively and finds himself a little more awake. “He remembered that?”

“He’s looking forward to it,” Reyna confirms—then she shakes her head in disbelief. “Thalia says he’s pretty much restless every day. Like he needs something to do. Honestly, if you and Jason can talk about video games, then you can stop letting Percy win at Smash Bros.”

“I don’t let him win,” Nico protests. “Percy loses on his own merit.”

Again—Reyna laughs, and Nico’s chest warms at the sight of it. Before he became praetor, he was just worried he’d never see her again. That he’d lose yet another sister without saying goodbye. Now, he’s enjoying her as his next-door neighbor and confidante, and watching as she smiles more freely at the thought of both the Legion and her girlfriend.

In some ways, Nico wishes he became praetor years ago. He owes a lot to an organization that made sure he grew up among family rather than a prince.

“Any plans for the night?” Nico asks. He places his coffee mug on his coaster.

“Try to keep up with Thalia’s surprises,” Reyna admits—and she sounds tired for the day, as she did when she signed paperwork for Thalia’s concerts when a No would’ve been much shorter on her tongue. Then she smiles, still far more in love with Thalia than she is tired. Some days, Nico’s envious of it. “We’ll probably sneak away after dinner. Jason insisted we spend some alone time together.”

“Thoughtful guy,” Nico comments. He does a bad job hiding his smile, but Reyna finds herself prattling on about something else anyway.

“Thoughtful indeed. I swear, they look nothing alike—”

“But they’re both very…”

“Thoughtful,” Reyna echoes for him. The edge of her lips lifts with amusement. “Of course, Thalia’s probably more than excited to see you. You’re welcome to—”

“No.” Nico shakes his head. “The last thing I want to be this summer is a third wheel. Time usually finds Thalia and I before we find it. I’m not worried.”

Reyna smiles happily at him—which is all Nico really needs to be satisfied with his own answer. A year ago, he was scared to be more than arm’s length away from three of his people. It stemmed from Bianca—of losing her in a hallway of the Lotus Casino and having his life change in the eye.

Nico went west, and Bianca went east. For how angry Nico was to lose his sister—angry at Thalia—he knew he never wanted to relive that pain. Watching Thalia, Percy, Reyna, and Hazel climb atop the Argo II was one of the most painful things he ever endured.

Now, Thalia was traveling with a little brother she never thought she’d see again. Percy could visit his mom and attend camp duties within an hour’s drive without the fear of monster attacks. Reyna and he leaned on each other to make the Legion better, and Hazel was having her second chance at life after wasted years running away from Hera’s rage, and found a sense of purpose.

(The last part Nico would have to talk to Mammina about, but he’s not sure if the cool-down period of demanding things from Olympus has ended yet.)

Nico has Thalia, Percy, Reyna, Hazel, and Bianca all in an IM’s reach—and that’s more than enough. Even if most mornings with Bianca feels like their own personal War Game with no Mural Crown at the end.

“What do you think you, Bianca, and Jason will be doing tonight?”

He makes a face. “Why would we be doing anything?”

“Well—because Thalia and I will be spending time together tonight. And as of right now, I think you and Bianca are his only friends in New Rome.”

“I’m sure whatever Bianca has planned for tonight will be more than enough.”

“And what about you?”

“What about me?” Nico asks.

Reyna arches an eyebrow and looks at him more curiously. “Am I wrong to assume that you’re excited to see him, too? You two traveled together for a sum number of weeks, and all he does on my IMs with Thalia is praise you—”

“I can’t imagine why,” Nico interrupts. His cheeks flourish pink and he folds his arms over his chest. Still, the daughter of Bellona flashes a studious look in his direction, evidently analyzing Nico like a war tactician trying to understand her opponent’s moves. “Yes, Reyna?”

“All I know is, you left Epirus with the full intention of giving your title to Frank, then accepted the position with open arms by the time we saw you again in Camp Halfblood,” she says—and she shakes her head.

“That’s not true,” Nico rebuts. “I still hate the cape.”

“I personally have to praise Jason Grace for however he convinced you to become praetor.” Reyna blows a strand out of her eyes. “You’re very selective about what you’re willing to tell me about your quest.”

“That’s because I spent a good chunk of it unconscious,” Nico retorts—and his cheek blaze pink. He brushes the inside of his thigh without meaning to—and thinks of their time in France. What little of it he was awake for. “There’s really not much to tell.”

“That’s not what Hylla says.”

“What does Hylla say?” Nico cocks his head—and this time he catches Reyna’s innocent look.

“We talk,” Reyna says simply, “because someone here decided to withhold the fact his powers were turning him into a cloud.”

Nico rolls his eyes as the age-old lecture spikes up again. “You’re worse than Bianca.”

“Worrying about you as much as your sister?” Reyna snorts—and they set aside all things Hylla. She ruffles his hair. “I see no problem with that.”

Nico echoes her sound with a snort of his own, and nudges back. He studies how light she looks in her weekend civvies, dressed for the light summer heat. Reyna’s hair is still short from her time at Camp Halfblood. She’s relaxed in her demeanor—though still very much poised.

“Of course you’re worried,” Nico replies. “You’re basically my sister, too.”

At that compliment, Reyna smiles and finishes off the rest of her coffee.

Then she ends their morning with the same question. “You’re really not that excited about Jason moving here?”

Jason Grace, son of Hades. As Bianca liked to put it, one of the most mild-mannered demigods Nico’s ever met—especially compared to the rowdy sister that resembled Jason best in heart. Nico thinks about the last time they actually saw each other at Camp Halfblood—beneath the stars, catching a moment’s breath after weeks of agony on a quest. Months ago, Jason’s excitement of moving to New Rome was infectious.

“Of course I am,” Nico admits. “Jason’s really good to talk to.”

If he thinks about it long enough, he can just feel how tightly Jason hugged him, with a soft whisper of gratitude.

And—just like every other instance the thought has lingered, Nico grows flustered once again.

*

Nico ends up buying a vacuum cleaner for a number of reasons. For one—the one the Legion provided was probably older than some of the Lares that pranced about New Rome. While not the first order of business, he decides it was long overdue to introduce the house to a new generation of cleaning technology.

Second, it gives him more than enough excuse to spend time away from home while Bianca conducts her (wrong) version of cleaning their home. He stops by the electronics store first, in order to choose a more acceptable vacuum cleaner, then stops by Fabiano’s to grab both his sister’s favorite drink and some pastries as a peace offering.

Third—and absolutely the least important, he decides that if Jason is going to end up hanging out with them (Bianca) tonight, then an immaculate house feels sounder than the hurricane of Bianca’s wardrobe and his video games left out in the living room. For the first time ever, Jason is living elsewhere from Camp Halfblood, and Nico is compelled to show there’s far more out there in the world than a fickle, dramatic God of Whine and an absentee bumbling centaur.

(There’s a minute of mental somersaults at QuestBuy when Nico reminds himself that Jason’s seen more of the world with Thalia in the last two months, but he decides that replacing the dusty old vacuum takes precedence, anyway.)

Taking care of a house is far more exhausting than tucking the blanket over his bunkbed in the barracks. Nico would gladly take the simplicity of separating his clean pants from Percy’s sweaty socks over spending an hour looking at aesthetically pleasing salt and pepper shakers with Bianca.

(There’s no hesitation on Reyna’s part when she points out Nico is missing Percy. She knows, because Nico wouldn’t miss Percy’s stinky socks otherwise.)

It's not that Nico doesn’t like living with Bianca. He’s spent too many years longing for her presence and finding comfort in three of his favorite people during his lows not to miss her.

There are days where they seem to fall into a rhythm, completing each other’s routine while juggling a conversation that completes yet another puzzling piece of Nico’s childhood. He enjoys those days—the ones that feel like they never separated.

Then there are the days that remind him that they’ve lived different lives. Where Nico grew up past the age of ten, and Bianca is still trying to lecture him like he’s going to eat a booger. They aren’t in sync. Sometimes, they recount things to each other like strangers, who struggle to build the cadence that truly made them feel like siblings. It’s harder to navigate those days.

Nico’s learned that Bianca has a knack for photography the same way he enjoys reading comics. They’re things that existed when they were little—and time has only carried on with more incarnations of the hobbies they both loved. Bianca likes to take pictures and make things look nice, even for a second—to remember one tide in an ocean. It’s sweet.

(It also took three days to convince her to stop taking pictures of them in every inch of the house.)

Thus—Praetor di Angelo, son of Juno reminds himself that the good parts of his sister outweigh the bad on most days and comes home with a vacuum cleaner and bribery. Scones, specifically.

“Bianca,” he calls lightly as he enters through the front door, “I brought a peace offering.”

Their house is silent for once. The aftermath of dust bunnies and stale macaroni is nowhere to be seen, swept away by a broom. It’s clean. The last time Nico’s ever made a mess was when he littered his old bedroom with toys, but there wasn’t nearly as much space in his trunk in his barracks. Bianca has put away his controllers and folded their throw blanket nicely over their couch.

The novelty of how normal their home life is strange since Nico’s weekdays are spent wrangling legionnaires and weighing on Senate meetings—but he’s willing to admit that Bianca has cleaned in a way that their godly mother would approve.

He finds her sitting in their tiny backyard beneath an oak tree.

It’s his favorite part about living with his big sister—reliving the moments at the di Angelo Estate, where he sat in his mother’s lap and ate a nice picnic. This time, they’re much older. Bianca takes photos of the shadows of the leaves against the dull green grass—and still manages to look as lady-like as she wanted when they were little.

Nico announces his presence by clearing his throat. Bianca looks up, and by glance alone, he knows their argument is a thing of the past.

“Peace offering,” he says, and he pushes the box of scones in her direction. Bianca brightens at the coffee passed her way. “I bought a new vacuum cleaner, too.”

“Want me to pay you back?”

A duh rests on Nico’s tongue, but he shrugs and shakes his head instead.

Bianca is sheepish as she takes a test sip of her drink. “Sorry. I might have been a little compulsive this morning.”

“A little?” Nico asks—and she pouts. “Go on.”

Bianca looks hesitant. The California sun warms her skin, as it does for Nico every summer. Each day, he’s more startled by their similarities than their differences—including the self-doubt that seems to linger across her features.

“So Jace is coming back today,” she reminds him.

“First I’ve heard of it today,” Nico muses wryly—and she nudges him playfully.

“I…wasn’t the best to him before I left. I was really focused on myself.”

“I’m familiar with your big head, yeah.”

“Nico!” Bianca admonishes—but she sighs this time instead of threatening him with a waggled finger. Again, her demeanor shrinks—and despite all of the fun and frustrations they’ve had in the last few months, she grows as somber as she did when they reunited. “Jace was my first friend at Camp Halfblood. My best friend. I…just want to get back there with him, you know? I don’t want to screw it up.”

“Being back there is part of the reason why you didn’t work, Sis.”

Bianca withers, biting the inside of her mouth—but she doesn’t refute his claim. Nico feels a small pang of guilt. He breaks off half a scone and offer it to her.

“Just be better,” he advises. “Jason is trying to be better. Meet him there.”

She smiles at his advice—just a weak little thing. “Noted.”

“Good.”

“So…why did you hang up on Jace last week?”

Nico makes a face. His cheeks flush red, and he eyes his sister carefully before plucking his drink out of his cupholder. He shoves a full scone in his mouth, and bites back a grimace as Bianca just looks at him curiously.

“No reason,” he offers. Crumbs go flying from his lips.

“Ew.” Bianca gags and scoots away before she can end up in his line of fire. “You’re being gross.”

“And you’re mulling over nothing,” Nico reassures. He swallows hard and takes a long gulp of his drink. “I buttdialed him. I was between meetings all week. We’re shorthanded while people are trying to figure out which camp they prefer, like Percy. I’m a couple centurions short after Octavian tried to tear the Legion apart, and we’re still trying to catch up on permits and paperwork after all three of us were called to action.”

Bianca stares at him doubtfully. “Sounds like you’ve been busy.”

“On the weekdays,” Nico agrees. Wryly, he adds, “that’s why I value my sleep on the weekends.”

She smiles sheepishly but doesn’t argue. “Well, the house is clean now. You’re welcome to sleep the day away until Thalia and Jason get here.”

“Thank you,” Nico says. He’s hesitant, but then he adds, “You…don’t have to hang out around here all day with just me, you know. You’re welcome to travel.”

He still feels guilty, being chosen over Calypso.

Yet Bianca stares at him, puzzled by the words.

“No need to pour your restless energy into over-cleaning the house,” Nico continues. “Or playing some happy homemaker. You’re my sister, Bianca. Not my wife.”

“Gross,” Bianca mutters.

“Super gross,” Nico agrees—but he’d be lying if he didn’t notice some of Mammina’s tendencies coming out of his sister. Maybe they were innate, like when he accidentally helped deliver a baby a few months ago.

She tried to keep a tidy home and feed him every waking hour of the day. Nico’s had to insist more than once now for her to leave his games alone. It reminds him of days where his grandmother and Juno would compete to keep an immaculate home, with the Mother Goddess never quite meeting the di Angelo matriarch’s standards.

In a way, he pities his godly mother. Stuck in an unhappy marriage to an arrogant god and unable to show her radiance as the Goddess of Family to the parents of the only mortal lover she’s ever taken.

Nico thinks Bianca may be trying her best, too, to keep them together. With all the strokes that Nonna Laura would probably criticize.

Whether she realizes it or not, Bianca shrugs. She pulls a lock of hair against her ear and leans into him in a way they would settle after playing as children. “Things will get better when Jace gets here. I’ll be out of your hair for a while.”

“You’re never in my hair,” Nico dismisses.

She gives him a pointed look.

“You could stand to make your showers shorter,” Nico revises. “California is in a never-ending draught.”

At that admission, Bianca flushes. She laughs and kisses him on the cheek before splitting another scone for the two of them. “Look at my little brother—all grown up and offering sound advice.”

Red flutters in Nico’s cheeks. “And yet you only listen to half of it.”

Bianca shoots him another look, lips stretching into a pout.

“Kidding,” Nico dismisses once again. “I’m…glad that you’re thinking about working hard with Jason, Bianca. I know that’ll mean a lot to him.”

She smiles at him meaningfully, and Nico deduces it’s the best thing he’s said all day.

“We’re…getting there,” she asks gently. “Right?”

Nico lifts his gaze at his sister—at her hopeful expression and calm stature—and nods his head in agreement. “I’d say getting there would be the perfect place to describe us.”

Again, Bianca beams—and Nico relishes in the moment of reprieve with his big sister.

*

Nico’s day off gets interrupted eventually. It’s the downside of being a leader—for all the time that Nico invested during his week, he’s always on call if a situation escalates. That typically included challenges waged by different soldiers, fights between Greek and Roman demigods, or a faun antic gone wrong.

Not officiating a wedding.

He makes it to Temple Hill—dressed in his praetor robes—as instructed by Dakota, and halts at the number of chairs strewn across from his mother’s statue. He sees the son of Bacchus, dressed in his best robes, and another boy with a similar build dressed in a tux. They both perk when they see him.

“Nico! You made it!” Dakota waves around a questionable flask and gestures for Nico to come close. The boy next to him looks nervous. “This is my brother, Pollux—we’re glad we could get you so short-noticed.”

There’s an arch of lotuses that decorates the Juno Moneta. It softens her features in the background as she stares down upon them. He’s inclined to inspect them, but his confusion wins over.

“I,” Nico says slowly, “would’ve dressed better had I known I was attending a wedding.”

“Really?” mutters Pollux. He sighs in relief. “Thank gods.”

Nico makes a face—but Dakota takes it all in stride.

“Your robes are official enough,” he says. “That’s good enough for everything.”

“For what?” Nico asks.

“Officiating!”

“What?”

“Yeah!” Dakota slaps his brother’s shoulder blithely and holds his head high with the same gusto that Nico misses so much in Percy. “Pollux and Gwen were gonna have their wedding in front of Dad’s shrine, but I told them they should save it for the reception. I mentioned you were a son of Juno and all now, and Gwen was all for it.”

Nico stares at the son of Bacchus, wondering if he heard correctly. “All for what?”

“Blessing the wedding, of course!” Dakota says. “You have experience in that.”

“Yeah, with blessing swords,” Nico protests. He recalls times before this last summer where Vulcan children came to him with newly made imperial gold weapons. His cheeks grow hot and he looks up to Pollux, who suddenly looks more doubtful. “When I said you could call me for emergencies, Dakota, I didn’t mean for this! This isn’t part of my job description.”

Of course, Mammina’s statue suddenly leers at him, as if saying Take That Back.

Pollux suddenly looks distressed, the husband-to-be looking at his brother worriedly, but Dakota’s own brazen attitude seems to balance him out.

“You’re a son of Juno though,” Dakota protests. “Doesn’t that mean you’re meant for this?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Plus, you’re the highest ranked government official,” Dakota continues, and he makes tick marks with his hands.

“Okay, yeah—”

“And you’re a son of Jupiter,” Dakota finishes. “Also—Gwen’s known you since you were like, yay big, and she’s family. She’d be crushed if you couldn’t do this, man!”

Nico flashes Dakota an exasperated look. “I see you’ve been brushing up on your diplomacy skills with Percy.”

Dakota takes a healthy swig of his flask and vibrates in his normal sugar high. “It’s that girl he’s been dating, man. I swear Percy thinks in, like, 5-D now.”

“A scary thought,” Nico says wryly. He fiddles with the badge at his chest and smooths out the cloak over his shoulders, if only to look more presentable under his mother. “And they’re not dating. Otherwise I’d be blessing their union right now.”

Pollux perks, his eyes flashing pleadingly. “So you’ll marry us?”

“Gwen helped raise me in the Fifth Cohort. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her,” Nico says. He hesitates—before adding, “With how tense things were after the war ended, I’m glad there are people out there who have genuinely found peace between our camps. It means a lot.”

At those sound words, Pollux looks less panicked than before. He holds a hand to his chest in relief, while Dakota relishes in his victory.

“Told you Nico was awesome,” Dakota says.

Nico can’t help but blush.

Mike Kahale shows up not too long after that, actually dressed for the occasion. There’s a moment’s greeting, where Mike and Dakota greet each other amicably. Then, Mike and Nico are ushered off to make Nico look more presentable and sooth Pollux’s nerves.

The son of Venus takes out a portable jewelry box, decked out with necklaces, earrings, bangles—and so on. The level of daintiness seems to vary—and Mike Kahale is not the type of demigod anyone would ever describe as dainty.

“And here I thought Thalia was the walking jewelry box,” Nico mutters, as Mike looks through headpieces. Headpieces!

“Fashion’s for everyone,” Mike dismisses.  

 It’s not often that they talk to each other. Maybe more after the war. Despite how close Mike Kahale was to Octavian, the entire First Cohort insisted their old augur was just that persuasive. Mike isn’t nearly as loud as his sponsor was. He’s thoughtful, quiet, and strategic— in all of the ways that Piper wanted to prove that children of Aphrodite could also be.

Watching Mike pluck jewelry and arrange his robes reminds Nico of Jason. All the quickness and the nimbleness of his fingers, working with something other than a sword and a knife. Nico imagines paler hands, curling around his own fingers to inspect them, and the sweet smile that had followed for most of spring.

“So when are you going to have one of these?” Mike asks abruptly.

Nico makes a face, his cheeks flourishing pink. “Why?”

“Your mom’s the goddess of marriage,” Mike points out. “I’m assuming it’s a lifelong goal or something.”

“You’re right. You’re assuming,” Nico retorts. He shrugs as Mike clasps a gold band on his arm. “My mom’s not even happy with her own marriage.”

Mike lifts an eyebrow, though he clearly doesn’t have a word for it. If Jason were here, he’d probably laugh. “I hope you’re not planning on putting that in your speech.”

“I’m happy for anyone who finds love like that,” Nico reassures. He crosses his arms over his chest and shifts uncomfortably. “But as of right now, I can’t say I’m the wedding type.”

He decides to avoid Mammina’s gaze at that declaration.

“That’s a shame,” Mike continues. “Considering wedding season’s just started.”

Nico pauses. “There’s a season?”

“Early June through September,” Mike explains. “Usually, I get the invite because of my mom. And because of your mom…well. We’re probably going to be seeing a lot of each other.”

Nico stares at Mike in disbelief. As he opens his mouth to speak, Mike clasps a band on his other arm and then whips out a compact mirror. Nico stares at himself and tries his best not to grimace.

His praetor badge hangs neatly over his robes, while his purple cloak seems to look more regal under Mike’s touch.

There’s a headpiece at the crown of his head—a golden laurel that outshines the one on their camp shirt. An actual mural crown. In the olden days, it was given to someone who watched over the city. The protector. That alone feels like too much for him to wear at a wedding, but with the bangles on his wrists, the chains around his neck, and his blue eyes and hair…

“I look like my dad,” Nico complains.

Mike shrugs. “Just channel your mom.”

*

The ceremony is quaint. There’s a mix of Greek and Roman faces in the audience that Nico doesn’t see too often. Gwendolyn walks down the aisle, dressed in a beautiful trumpet gown that compliments her narrow frame, and she’s so giddy with happiness that she waves at Nico.

Everyone rises to their feet, and there’s a soft wave of adoration for the blushing, eloquent bride. Nico’s not sure how long Gwen and Pollux have been dating. He knows in Roman times, brides have been given away in less time, and with less love.

With the lives they live, it’s hard to cement whether they have another year, or another day—so he’s happy for someone from his own family who can find that instance of love, and the spark of adoration that comes in both small and heavy doses—but always grows with heart and conversation.

“Dearly Beloved,” Nico starts, unsure of how else to really officiate a wedding. “We are gathered here today to…celebrate the love between Pollux and Gwen.”

Speeches for a whole army can already be intimidating enough. A speech for two people who love each other enough to devote their lives to one another is something else.

Nico tries his best, hoping a speech about commitment and love can roll off the tongue as easily as Percy spouting nautical miles, or Thalia guessing the value of jewels and gemstones.

He can’t recall a time where he’s been to a wedding. Maybe when he was really young, and he and mortal mother strategized on how to get the biggest slice of cake. His own moms never married.

It’s the norm for demigods—for love or lust to happen in one stroke between mortal and god, and a baby after some time. Some were unlucky to ever see their beloved again—like Sally Jackson, who had a brief summer romance with the King of the Sea, and wistfully awaited Neptune’s return for twelve years.

Nico, though—has vivid memories of the Queen of the Gods in his childhood, holding his hand as he hopped along cobblestone steps and chattered back at birds. Love wasn’t something that Nico learned, but something he grew up with, between his adoring grandparents, his two mothers, and (sometimes) his big sister. He never had to question if it was there. Thalia, Percy, Reyna filled that hole when he thought he lost everything. They never let him fall.

And—with Hazel’s wake and Bianca’s return, that love only grew.

The other love—the one that Mike Kahale’s mother represents—is complicated. So complicated that not one, but two gods represent its intricacies. Love and marriage have two different goddesses because there’s power in both—good and bad. The disastrous strokes of passion that made Psyche see a monster in the middle of the night, and the commitment bound by trickery and malevolence between the King and Queen of the Gods.

Nico remembers very well what Eros said about his own love life.

Nico di Angelo—so insecure that he’ll never find love so long as he lives. No one who’ll ever understand him, no one who’ll ever see him past his father’s title.

He thinks he’s gotten better with his words. Or—whatever’s coming out of his mouth right now while Gwen and Pollux eye each other adoringly. Percy, Thalia, and Reyna have always loved him enough to shield him from the ogling eyes to his father’s name. Hazel and he are connected in spite of the King of the Gods, and Bianca is from a life before.

The older he gets, the further away the men in the alley of Venice feels. That different type of love that Nico learned came with good and bad and made him say, I want that.

After this past spring, he’s not the biggest fan of Eros, God of Love—or whatever that may entail. Dreams of starry nights and moonlit conversations are far from what Nico expects in his love life—and not something he’s ever really expected, after this century.

And he’s okay with that.

Nico gets to live in a world where Thalia, the daughter of Pluto who saved him all those years ago, is happily in love with her best friend. Where his hero, Percy, gets to go home and spend time with his mother. Reyna and he can map out a better future for the Legion, and he can go home and enjoy time with his resurrected big sister as they catch up with Hazel over IM together.

Nico’s happy.

So, because he doesn’t like to think of the bad that’s happened in the name of love and commitment—at a wedding of all places—he focuses on the good. Sweet conversations in the evening. Stars that filled the evening sky for love’s first meeting and love’s devotion.

Something about his speech must not suck. By the end of it, Gwendolyn is fanning herself, trying her best not to cry. Pollux arches an eyebrow, his wedding vows fisted in his hand, and Mike Kahale, son of Venus, is staring from the first row in amusement.

The first of many weddings of the season, Nico thinks tiredly.

Dakota gives him a thumbs up.

“I…believe the bride would like to say a few words,” Nico says next. He turns and faces the misty-eyed audience.

Then he listens to two people in love, gushing about how they can’t wait to share a life together.

*

Nico gets rewarded with cake.

Before he can sit down at his mother’s steps and eat it, he gets committed to two more weddings in the upcoming week and is asked to kiss a few baby heads. He’s still not sure how his time ended up here of all places. Kissing babies is definitely nothing like blessing imperial gold—but Nico trades accidentally cutting his mouth with getting his hair yanked.  

Gwendolyn is overjoyed about her wedding day. And Pollux, son of the God of Parties, is ecstatic that the reception is a hit. As far as praetor responsibilities and duties in the name of his godly parent go, weddings aren’t that bad.

“You seriously attend every single one of these?” Nico asks, after his third attempt to sit down is met with failure.

Mike shrugs. “Everyone wants love at their wedding. And you can’t beat free food.”

Given Mike’s other job is a quarterback for his high school team, Nico decides it makes sense that the son of Venus is a bottomless pit.

Between fun music, questionable (yet age-appropriate) drinks, and happy people, weddings are much less awkward than breaking up make out sessions behind the barracks. If Nico can find a civil ground with the First Cohort’s centurion, too, then it’s better for the Legion.

(He can already imagine Reyna ruffling his hair at that thought.)

It ends up being a pretty good time.  Nico crosses officiate a wedding off his list of things to do to honor Mammina, right under Deliver a Kid.

A tap on the shoulder makes him turn around, and Nico’s already open armed to kiss another baby.

“Give her here,” Nico instructs.

“Give who here?” Thalia’s grin is wily when he looks up. She looks completely out of place in her steel-toed combat boots, tattered jeans, and spiked leather jacket. Her hair somehow looks spikier than before—and in the middle of a wedding, she looks like Death. “Hey, Neeks.”

Nico matches her grin. He throws his arms around the daughter of Pluto.

She hugs him back in a bone-crushing embrace, evidently making up for all of the weeks Jason and she were gone. “Do I get one of those blessed baby kisses too?”

He laughs. “When did you even get back?”

“A couple hours ago,” Thalia replies. She gestures to the sky—which looks more orange than blue, and Nico realizes where his time has gone.

The edge of his lips lifts into the briefest smile—and then it diminishes. “I was supposed to be there when you got back.”

With all the ease that came with Thalia Grace, she waves a hand dismissively. Her smile incites reassurance. “Rey mentioned you got called away for praetor stuff. Didn’t know you were officiating weddings now.”

Nico wrinkles his nose and pulls away. He makes a face. “I don’t recall you ever having to do this.”

“That’s because no one ever wants to wish the Kiss of Death on their baby,” Thalia muses. “Pretty disappointing, honestly. I’ve been told I’m a great kisser.”

The edge of Nico’s lips twitch into a smile, his heart a little fuller in her presence. “What I wouldn’t give to see what you would say on stage.”

She snickers, a loving arm around his shoulders.

“I’m sorry,” Nico repeats. For how much he put off Thalia’s reappearance, he’s suddenly reinvigorated by her presence. And regretting ever downplaying it in front of both Bianca and Reyna. “I really wanted to be there.”

“You didn’t miss much. A couple of heavy boxes full of my boots and my Bullet for My Valentine album collection.” Thalia shakes her head dismissively. “Praetor duties, Nico. You never know when they’re going to hit—you’re just supposed to expect the unexpected.”

Marrying a couple was definitely on the list of things Nico didn’t expect.

“It’s different this year,” he says. “With Camp Halfblood and all.”

Between Camp Halfblood and Camp Jupiter, and the number of campers who wanted to shuffle in between—or wanted to enjoy New Rome’s amenities without enlisting for ten years. It’s certainly not for everyone. But—the last that Nico’s heard, Hazel has been a great camp leader at Camp Halfblood. He just wishes they could spend more time together.

“I didn’t even realize I signed up for this,” Nico mentions irately. He pushes a hand through his hair. “Dakota just said hurry.”

Thalia laughs. “You should’ve let Reyna prescreen. That’s what I used to make her do.”

“I think you mean pawn things off on her and commit forgery.”  

“Pawn. Now that’s a word that’s in my vocabulary.” She smirks, and the gems in her ears seem to glimmer.

Nico sighs and rolls his eyes. “Where is Reyna, anyway? I thought you were with her.”

Thalia points in another direction, where Reyna is busy discussing things with Hank from the Third Cohort. There’s a camper standing beside him, dressed in orange rather than purple. Reyna has her recruiter demeanor on, clearly spouting the benefits of Camp Jupiter. There’s a pamphlet in her hand.

“Praetor’s job never stops,” Thalia muses. “That’s why she was the best.”

“You’re selling yourself short.”

“I know a diamond when I see one.” Thalia looks over to Nico, amused. Her smile is brighter than Nico’s ever seen, with a love in her eyes after two months. She catches Reyna in a glance, and their smiles broaden.

After months of contact through IM, Nico knows Reyna is ecstatic to have her girlfriend back in town. Every inch of Reyna’s smile is mirrored in Thalia’s own.

“Were you inquiring about my services?” Nico muses. “I charge in cake.”

Thalia grins, one eyebrow arched in the air. “Nico, we’re at a wedding on Temple Hill. We just happened to pass by on our way to Dad’s crypt.”

Nico shrugs—but his mind happens to latch onto her words. He cocks his head back to the daughter of Pluto. “We?”

He doesn’t have to wait long. A new song blasts from whatever stereo, and the precisive glee of his sister reaches him. “Jace, come dance with me!”

Nico zeroes in on Jason immediately.

At first, Jason stands there, dressed in a simple shirt and jeans in the summer heat. His hair is short and neat, like their first meeting. Fourteen beads rest across his neck—the time he’s poured into Camp Halfblood evident against his clavicle. Then, when Bianca squeals and yanks him to the dance floor, Jason’s smile stands out like a beacon.

His laugh is warm and contagious, drowning out whatever is blasting over the stereo. Nico sees dimpled cheeks and joyous glee, and his heart somersaults to the downbeat of the song.

“Ew,” is all Thalia says. “Jonas Brothers.”

As though Jason can hear them, he turns his head—and his eyes light up at the sight of them.

“Nico! Hey!”

Nico’s so busy relishing in that thought that he doesn’t notice Jason walking up. He’s lost in the way Jason’s smile dimples, and how white his teeth are. How bright his eyes are against the evening sky, and how honey sweet the tenor of his voice is.

“Uh…Nico?”

“Hi,” Nico replies, when he finds his voice. His cheeks flourish pink, and his first reaction is to extend a hand, like he’s recruiting a new camper or sponsor for Camp Jupiter. He wasn’t prepared for anything today—Bianca’s vacuum cleaner, officiating a wedding—and least of all Jason’s presence.

Still, Jason’s expression is light—much brighter than the crazy day that Nico’s having. His eyes flicker with a momentary confusion—and his smile spreads as he shakes Nico’s hand.

“You look nice,” he comments.  

Oh. Nico’s cheeks flush pink. He fiddles with the bracelet Mike clasped on his wrist.

“I’ve…” Nico hesitates. He clears his throat. “I…I’m flattered. Thanks.”

Jason smiles at him fully, and Nico’s pretty sure he exhausted his ability to speak earlier, after some emotional speech in the name of his mother.

“I’m gonna have some fighting words with the DJ. No one needs to suffer through pop music,” Thalia announces. She claps a hand on both their shoulders, her lips stretched into a warm smile. Thalia looks between the both of them. “So glad to have both my baby brothers in one room again.”

Nico’s chest swells. Two months is the longest he’s been without her since they’ve met.

As though she has the same sentiment, Thalia gives his shoulder one more gratifying squeeze. “We’ll catch up, Neeks. When you’re not drowning because of work.”

“So, never,” Nico corrects for her—and she grins.

Then, she’s off to find her girlfriend in the cluster of people surrounding the Juno Moneta. It’s strange to celebrate a joyous day beneath the One Who Warns—but maybe that’s why the Romans called her that. Don’t marry a chump of a god. Find someone who’s actually worthy of commitment.

“Been busy?” Jason asks, finding Nico through dumb thoughts. He looks better, after Tartarus and carrying the Athena Parthenos.

Nico sighs with exhaustion. Off in the distance he watches Dakota and Thalia trade bar tricks over a glass full of questionable Kool-Aid. The new Fifth Cohort centurion catches his eye and gives him a happy wave.

“Being praetor keeps me on my toes more days than not,” he admits wryly. He folds his arms over his chest, and the bangles chatter at his wrist.

Jason smiles at him, unabashed, and gestures upwards, towards his father’s crypt. “Want to get out of here?”

Nico’s heart skips a beat. There’s a way that Jason says it, as though no time has passed at all, while Nico is stumbling to find even footing. “Weren’t you hanging out with Bianca tonight?”

“I don’t think I can keep up with Bianca.” Jason’s smile widens with mirth, and he gestures over to a gaggle of women who are flocking towards Gwendolyn for the bouquet toss. Bianca is in the mix—but she’s acting more like a referee.

Of course she’d be more in her element at a wedding. More than he feels himself, anyway.

“Besides,” Jason continues in good nature, “I hear praetors make the best tour guides.”

Jason’s enthusiasm for him is unmatched by others. Nico feels his chest flutter. He looks to the scene in front of him and bites back a smile.

“I’d be a bad host if I didn’t show you around,” he agrees. “And we can’t have that.”

“Certainly,” Jason agrees. “Hera would never allow it.”

“Juno,” Nico corrects lightly. “You’re in new waters now, Ambassador Grace. It’d do well for you to learn the culture.”

Jason’s eyes seem to glitter beneath the moonlight. His lips spill into a smile—and as he laughs, Nico feels less unsettled.

*

The music begins to fade as they climb the hilltop towards Pluto’s crypt. They keep the topic light—how Nico managed to find himself in the middle of a wedding when he thought it was for some huge Senate meeting. How Mike Kahale conveniently showed up with jewelry and spruced him up.

Jason laughs as they make it up the hilltop. He crouches to the ground and gathers a bouquet of poppies. “Aphrodite kids. You never know what they’re going to bring to the table.”

“Percy’s a bit confused by them. Something about being too busy washing their hair and painting each other’s nails.” Nico wrinkles his nose—then adds, “His words. Not mine. Percy’s idea of a bath is dunking his head in the Little Tiber.”

Again, Jason laughs—and Nico’s chest grows warm. The son of Hades stands to his feet and hands the bouquet off. “The Aphrodite Kids are a different bunch from the Venus kids. No one really expects them to fight.”

“Nothing wrong with not fighting,” Nico says—and he swears Jason’s smile grows. He watches as Jason tidies the plate at the foot of Pluto’s statue. There’s care there, in the way Jason looks up to the Roman incarnation of his father. In just statue alone, Nico can match the kindness of Jason’s eyes to the King of the Dead. “Percy says that the Hades Cabin is like no other. Have…you had the chance to see it?”

“Not yet,” Jason admits. And he shakes his head. “Hades Cabin was the first one Annabeth wanted to build. She wanted my input before Thal and I left for our trip and kept that up. We talk just about every day now.”

Nico can’t help but feel a surge pride for Jason. He knows what a hard road it was for both Jason and Annabeth to get there. “That’s great, Jason. I’m happy for you.”

He hands the flowers back to Jason wordlessly, with little to be said about the exchange. Instead, Jason smiles, even happier than before. He sets the flowers at his father’s brazier and murmurs soft words—some in the name of the fallen. There’s a different energy to him.

Months ago, Nico remembers loathing Jason when they first met. Ambassador Grace, son of Pluto, who threatened to take Thalia away from him. He was formal in introduction, offering a handshake and a careful smile. Now, though—Nico didn’t think he would ever see Jason Grace on his knees, in a silent prayer to the King of the Dead. The father Jason had a love-hate relationship with when all Nico had for Jupiter was absolute exasperation.

“Was it a good trip?” Nico asks, as Jason dusts off his knees. When it comes to Thalia, Jason lights up.

“I haven’t seen that much of the world, in…well. Ever.” Jason rubs his forehead, and he grows sheepish. “Not since you, me, and Uncle Gleeson.”

“I’m sure your trip with Thalia was a lot more fun than the time crunch we were on.”

Jason chuckles softly. “You and I had our fun. I showed Thalia that varenyky place we went to in Odesa.”

Nico perks at that—the memory of the scent of the sea and older architecture coming to the front of his mind. “What about the museum?”

“No museum,” Jason reports. “She said learning was for nerds.”

 Nico snorts. “That sounds like Thalia.”

After two months with her, Jason’s expression is firm. Eight full weeks of nothing but getting to know his big sister. “Yeah, it certainly does.”

The corners of Nico’s lips etch into a smile of its own. He doesn’t know how he could be so against Jason and Thalia getting to know each other months ago. Thalia seems more at peace in retirement—with a brother and girlfriend in either hand, and Nico’s kindled a friendship that he’s grown to enjoy.

A lot.

“How’s praetorship suiting you?”

Nico settles in the slot beside the other demigod and sighs. “A lot of duties. Drills, in the morning. Mediation sessions between the Legionnaires who were loyal to Octavian and the ones who were loyal to Reyna and Thalia. Drills, in the afternoon. Moderating War Games—kissing baby heads. A lot of baby heads.”

“Deliver anymore newborns?” Jason asks, and Nico’s face grows hot.

“No,” Nico admits. “But we’ve tweaked the budget for parental leave. The moment anyone announces they’re pregnant, they go through the right facets to make sure their role within the Legion is all covered. Parents can stay with their children for as long as they need to and rejoin the Legion to finish out their ten years at their own pace. The gods already neglect to visit their children enough. There’s no reason to wish that upon their mortal children trying to start families, too.”

“That’s amazing, Nico,” Jason says. There’s a sense of awe in Jason’s voice that makes Nico’s cheeks flush pink.

His hand curls against his new tattoo—the one that appeared when he earned his last tick mark for bringing the Athena Parthenos to Camp Halfblood.

“I…wouldn’t have a family without the Legion,” Nico admits. “I like helping make it better for everyone. Not just for war.”

“And you’re doing a great job,” Jason continues. He smiles warmly—proudly—at Nico.

Nico thinks back to the words Reyna uttered just this morning. How it only took a trip with Jason Grace for him to consider praetorship a good idea. It’s…hard to describe that trip. How much changed between Jason and him, and how much had changed for himself.

When he described his lineage to the three people who he grew up with—his true lineage, they’d stared at him in confusion. Percy was close to taking it as another sleight against Jason, but Nico knocked that down before it could become an issue. There was no reason to dislike Jason. There never should have been.

“I have some big shoes to fill,” Nico says, and he rubs his tattoo again. “Thalia’s, I mean. She shielded me from this for as long as she could.”

“Thalia wouldn’t have chosen you as her successor if she didn’t think you were already a good leader,” Jason protests. “She’s a good judge of character. And I’ve seen you in action firsthand.”

With each word, Nico feels the heat creep up his cheeks. “I hope you’re not talking about delivering babies.”

“I’m…talking about all of you, Nico,” Jason says—and he stares at Nico oddly. With amazement, that Nico isn’t lifting with each word of praise.

Instead, Nico’s face burns scarlet—at all of him—and he resists the urge to hide his face under his cape.

“I know you’ve been working on expressing yourself,” Nico says slowly, “but I’m hearing a lot about me right now.”

Jason’s chuckle is effervescent. He’s so earnest to Nico’s words, shoulders light, that it’d be exasperating on anyone else. But on Jason, it’s fitting. A smile lifts across his face, and his cheeks dust pink.

“Sorry,” he says sincerely. “I’ve…just missed you. A lot.”

Oh. Nico bites the inside of his mouth, if only to prevent himself from saying something stupid. He shuffles in his seat, hands crossed over his lap, and feels both his face burn and chest swell at the same time. Reyna’s told Nico how excited Jason was to see him, but. It’s still hard to believe.

“I…” Nico stumbles over his words. “I’m. Yeah. It’s going to be nice seeing each other again. I’m glad you moved here. For you, I mean.”

It’s a lot more words than I missed you too. Still, Jason stares at them as though a moment hasn’t passed since their last meeting. There’s warmth and fondness in Jason’s eyes—far more than Nico expects—but he understands. After spending so much time together on their quest, Nico’s spent plenty of days aching for Jason’s company, too.

“Is that the new tattoo?” Jason asks suddenly—and he lights up. Again, for Nico’s sake.

Nico stares down at his mother’s symbol and extends his arm. He pulls up his sleeve, so Jason can get a full look at all of it. “Sometimes I forget it’s changed.”

That he’s not just Nico di Angelo, son of Jupiter, anymore. He upholds Juno’s lineage over Jupiter’s ichor—and has felt more comfortable with himself in the months since the realization.

“Wow,” Jason says—and he’s careful as he wraps a hand around Nico’s wrist. Then—slowly, he traces the curve of the peacock’s neck to the ends of its feathers, his thumb at Nico’s wrist bone.

Nico unintentionally recoils.

“Sorry—” And this time, Jason is the one to blush. “Um—too much?”

“No,” Nico says—and he extends his arm again, flustered. “I. Forgot how cold your hand were.”

Jason joins him in embarrassment, looking as self-conscious as he did months ago about his powers. About himself. “Oh.”

“It’s fine,” Nico says quickly. “I was startled. It’s…been a long day. Go ahead.”

This time, when Jason inspects his arm, he hovers at best. No touching. He looks at the simplistic design of the eagle and the peacock—and he smiles, as though the new ink is on himself. Jason hooks a finger beneath the glass beads of his necklace.

“Getting a tattoo marking all of your triumphs makes these feel a little less cool,” he admits.

“Considering you went to a camp that prioritizes basket weaving and camp singalongs, I’d say that a pretty homemade necklace is fitting, Jason,” Nico retorts—and Jason doesn’t even refute the claim. Nico hesitates—before adding, “But between the two of us, I…think we both know who actually got to have a childhood.”

“You did lose your sister,” Jason reminds him.

“I don’t think I get to say that anymore since she cheated death. Both of them now, actually,” Nico says with a wry amusement. “You…don’t have to downplay what happened at Camp Halfblood, Jason.”

With how rambunctious camp is, the parts where Camp Halfblood groomed Jason will forever leave a bad taste in Nico’s mouth. He’s seen the effects of Jason’s upbringing up close and knows what affect it’s had on Jason. No one needs their childhood stripped away, for the sake of a prophecy or in the name of their father, or whatever.

Yet, Jason’s dimples reappear as he smiles, touched by Nico’s words.

“I’m not,” Jason promises. He curls his hand around the necklace again. “This thing has my whole life on it, but…this summer’s gonna be the first year I don’t add a bead to this.”

“You’ve got more life to live, Jason.”

“I know,” Jason agrees—and his expression is tender. “Thank you for caring, Nico.”

“I’m—” Always going to care. “—just glad that you’re caring for yourself.”

“I should’ve figured out this whole self-care thing out a while ago. It comes with some nice benefits,” Jason jokes—and Nico snorts. Jason’s smile melts into a quiet laugh, and Nico doesn’t hide his next smile. Not when there’s ease between the two of them. “This is nice, Nico. We didn’t get to do this much while we were on the road.”

“Because we were busy fighting for our lives while Coach Hedge was buying Disney World memorabilia,” Nico grumbles. He rubs his knuckles in memory, after so many weeks of straining himself.

For all of the music that plays at the bottom of the hill, Jason’s laughter is a sound Nico enjoys more. Jason does just that with his small rant. There’s no tenseness to it, or a guarded air of someone who is focused on others rather than himself. On getting Hazel a teacher, on meeting Thalia, on making sure Nico’s okay. It’s just an honest Jason Grace, son of Hades, beneath the stars near one of Nico’s favorite places in New Rome.

The stars still look the same, he’d uttered once. When Jason wondered why Nico spent so much time outside.

Stars remained when monuments fell and people have died—but he thinks Jason Grace glows, now that he’s happy with himself. It’s a constellation that Nico’s proud to be a part of.

“We’ll have more time for this now that you’re here,” Nico says—and his chest bubbles. “Bianca’s already discovered the mall. There’s a movie theater in town, and some nice places to eat—”

“An Italian restaurant?” Jason perks. “For gnocchi?”

Nico stares at the son of Hades, amused. Jason only grows sheepish.

“Sorry,” he says. “We…tried to find a good Italian restaurant while we were in Venice. I mentioned your nonna to Thalia.”

“Did you find good gnocchi?”

“I think I need to know what great gnocchi tastes like to know if I had bad gnocchi,” Jason admits—and he flushes pink as Nico actually laughs. “I…don’t get out much.”

“I’ve noticed,” Nico teases. “But yes. If you want good Italian food, then I can take you.”

“Tomorrow for lunch?”

Nico’s brain hiccups in the middle of their conversation. He looks back at Jason, who stares back. There’s a gentle excitement to his expression as he smiles in Nico’s way, and Nico can’t help but feel his heart skip a beat. Then—

“No,” Nico says, and he presses a hand to his face. “There’s a new education facility open in town. I promised to attend. They’re feeding us.”

“What about for dinner?” Jason asks, which just makes Nico flush.

“War Games are tomorrow evening,” Nico says. “And…two weddings back-to-back the day after that.”

“Oh,” is all Jason can say. He’s disarmed by the answer, while Nico grows self-conscious.

“Sorry,” Nico offers. “You’re right. I’ve been busy. I…might’ve offered to take the load off of Reyna so she and Thalia can spend time together.”

Once he says that, he feels his own disappointment setting in. He’d pushed off Thalia and Jason’s return for a reason—but being here now, falling into the steps he is with Jason, makes him wonder if it was a good decision.

Judging from the look on Jason’s face, that sentiment is shared—which makes the rejection feel even worse. But, Jason nudges him in the shoulder.

“You’re free now,” Jason says—and Nico’s chest tingles.

“You missed the part where I gorged myself on wedding cake,” Nico grumbles, and his face flushes.

Jason laughs again. “I’m perfectly fine where we are, Nico.”

“Really,” Nico remarks with deadpan. “Here, on top of a hill, next to the King of the Dead, on your first day in New Rome, when your best friend and sister are nowhere to be seen, and I’m dressed in the gaudiest—”

“Nico,” Jason interrupts—and he drops a hand on Nico’s shoulder, amused. Then he drops it, regarding Nico’s comment of cold hands earlier. Still, the smile doesn’t wane. “Allow me to express how much I’ve missed your company.”

Nico stares back—at the cheeky flicker in Jason’s eyes, and the cute dimples at his cheeks. He coughs—if only to hide his own fluster—and smiles. “Look at you, using your words.”

The grateful look over Jason’s face means everything.  

“We could go back down to the Juno Moneta if you want,” Jason says gently. “It wouldn’t be the first time you and I crashed a wedding chapel.”

Gods. Nico ducks his head in a quiet titter and pushes a lock of hair behind his ear. “No…I’m. I’m good with here. If you are.”

He doesn’t think he’ll ever understand why, but that confirmation is good enough for Jason. Charcoal eyes flicker brighter than the constellations above them, and Jason happily obliges. “Me too.”

They talk for a long time. Nico doubts he’ll get any sleep before he goes to the event tomorrow—but he finds himself not caring.

Jason explores the details of all the places they went to—Pripyat (“You seriously went to the Nuclear Plant.” “I…wasn’t joking about that, Nico.”), Odesa, Moscow (“How’s our friend Ivan?” “He’s really enjoying pedicures now.”) and so on.

When Jason talks about the other places he’s been—where Thalia insisted that they go, now that she was an adult—he lights up. There’s a childlike gleam that wasn’t there in their first meeting, now that he has a big sister to fall back on.

And—of all the sisters that Nico’s had in his life, he’s first to admit that Thalia is one of the best.

Eventually, the music fades below them. Bianca finds them seated where they are, with her clothes tattered and askew, hair sticking in odd directions.

“You know what’s worse than people fighting over a bouquet?” she asks wryly—while Nico bites back a laugh. “Demigods who have combat experience.”

“You okay?” Jason stands to his feet immediately to inspect her—but Nico suspects a friendly gust helped separate everyone in Bianca’s immediate proximity. Still—the nerves have evidently eased for Bianca as she and Jason address each other.

“Weddings are violent as war zones,” Bianca mutters—in a fashion that’s too reminiscent to Nico himself. “Don’t forget that, Jace.”

“I…don’t think I’ll have to worry about that anytime soon,” Jason muses—and he flashes Nico an odd look. Nico can’t help but echo the sentiment. For all the battles he’s been a part of, Disney World’s wedding chapel is high on the list.

“It’s getting late,” Bianca says. She smooths out her hair until it looks presentable and flashes a look to Jason. “Looks like my brother stole you away for the evening, Jace. I didn’t even notice.”

There’s a rebuttal on Nico’s tongue—but Jason laughs.

“I don’t think I could keep up with you if I tried, Bee,” Jason says—and he gestures to Nico. “Nico’s more my speed.”

He smiles warmly—evidently deciding to cut off an infamous di Angelo argument. Nico’s had enough of those today. Still—he blushes.

“It’ll be an eventful day tomorrow,” Nico agrees—and he flashes a pointed look in Bianca’s direction. “And I’d actually like to sleep in tonight, Sis.”

Bianca flushes without argument—and shrugs. “The house is clean.”

Before anything else is said, Jason extends a hand out to both of them. His lips lift into a smile. “Allow me.”

The touch tingles as Nico curls his hand around Jason’s own. Whether it’s intended or not, Jason grazes the tips of Nico’s fingers like ages ago, and the smile on his face broadens.

For the first time in months, Nico drops into the shadows with Jason Grace.

*

He doesn’t realize how much he misses the tendrils of Jason’s darkness until he’s in it. It’s a sudden, incomparable rush—almost like a blast of cold air or a bucket of ice water. Once it happens, it suddenly stops happening—and they appear right in front of the praetor house.

Bianca sighs blissfully at the sight of her home, while Nico reorients himself.

“Welcome home,” Jason says. He points down the street and gestures to an apartment building, for Nico’s sake. “Thalia and I are over there.”

“Too far,” Bianca admonishes—but then she smiles. She hovers above the ground and pulls the son of Hades in an embrace. There are softer words murmured—words that Nico doesn’t get to hear himself—with the reaffirmation that both Jason and she both want to be close again. Then, “Good night, Jace.”

“Night,” Jason says—and his smile seems fuller.

Nico pushes away a needling thought. That despite the hectic battle Bianca saw at the wedding she and Jason look good together.

Then Jason turns to Nico, and his eyes light up like they did at the crypt. He opens his arms—

And Nico offers a hand, like their first reunion, before he can stop himself.

Jason blinks—and stare at the outreached hand in confusion.

Heat flushes over Nico’s face—and he feels the back of his throat dry. He opens his mouth to speak. Closes it.

“I smell awful,” Nico says finally. He gestures to Bianca behind him. “This one assaulted me with a vacuum cleaner this morning.”

Bianca makes a sound. “I did not—”

“Oh,” Jason says—and he blinks again. He smiles softly and meets Nico’s hand with his own. It’s…much like earlier, where his thumb brushed against Nico’s knuckles. “Good night, Nico.”

“Good night, Jason.” Nico decides not to think about how much his hand tingles at the contact.

Jason gives them both one last wave before he melts into the shadows again—presumably straight to his new room. Jason Grace, son of Hades. New Rome’s newest residence, with a benevolent smile and kind eyes.

 A yawn escapes Bianca’s lips, and she nudges him. “Time to turn in for the night, Nico.”

It takes a moment. Two.

“Yeah,” Nico agrees, after he gathers his bearings. Still, he finds it hard to peel his gaze away.

Bianca hooks an arm into his with an exhausted sigh, and he leans into her warmth. Then, for the second time in his life, his big sister pulls him, with the same three words from the alley way back in Venice at the front of his mind.  

*

Chapter Text

It takes a couple of weeks in New Rome, but Jason finally hammers out a routine. He wakes up early for his morning runs. Then, with the three-hour time difference, he calls Annabeth to catch up as he waits for Thalia to rise.

Most of the time, Annabeth’s ramblings about architecture are white noise while Jason prepares for the day—but he gets to witness the hiccup in conversation, when Percy Jackson, more often than not, appears and calls her for Ancient Greek or Swordfighting classes. It's the happiest he’s seen Annabeth—being able to commit an entire summer designing new cabins for gods outside the court of Olympus.

“I can’t tell if Cabin Thirteen looks better or worse than the others,” Annabeth admits some days—critical of her own work and blueprints.

At first, Jason fell into a role of reassuring Annabeth that her designs were great. But the longer the summer has gone, that slot has been filled by someone else. Before Jason can even open his mouth—

“What if you installed one of those reinforced beams or whatever you were talking about?” Percy asks, before Jason can say a word.

The first time that happened, Annabeth raised her head, surprised, and the son of Neptune shrugged.

“Did I say it wrong?” he’d asked—which is when Jason knew Percy Jackson had a much easier time picking Annabeth’s brain than he did. Jason could offer design ideas from years of research as much as he wanted, but Percy apparently liked to hear her talk—including all the technical stuff.

It makes Jason feel less guilty for spending the summer (his first summer) away from Camp Halfblood—no matter everyone’s insistence that he can do what he wants.  

“Hades Cabin is ready for you whenever you’re here,” Annabeth promises him. Not a when you come back or, once you’re done with New Rome. Just—whenever, with a quiet countdown of when Annabeth will finally start college in the fall.  

(Admittedly she’s probably more excited about NRU. Jason would be hard-pressed to get between Annabeth Chase an architecture book.)

Percy and he keep conversation civil. There’s always a lifted eyebrow, or a calculated demeanor—which is how Jason knows that Percy Jackson, son of Neptune, is smarter than people give him credit for. Jason’s seen firsthand how much Nico values his relationship with his old co-centurion. And for all of the teasing Thalia gives the Fifth Cohort centurion, it’s always laced with a profound respect.

The first time he catches Reyna leaving the apartment in the morning, Jason has a fresh pot of coffee ready for her. She stares at him with tired eyes, while he greets her cheerily at the edge of dawn—and they have a strange conversation.

“You’re done with your run already?” she asks, while he cleans dishes in the sink. “Normally you’re still out by the time I leave.”

Jason arches an eyebrow at her straightforward comment. Normally they tiptoe around their current living arrangements (or therelackof.) “Sometimes I have to change it up. You…don’t have to sneak around me. You’re my sister’s girlfriend.”

Reyna stares at him oddly, in a way she did when they both lived in Camp Halfblood. She sets her mug down.

“We…never really discussed arrangements,” she says—and in another life, Jason wonders if they ever worked together. Reyna strokes her mug tentatively, evidently gauging his reaction.

“Oh,” is all Jason says, and he stares at her, puzzled. “I mean, is that something we have to discuss?”

“I play mediator for a lot of conflicts at camp, Jason,” Reyna says. “You’d be surprised how many feuds are started over someone claiming the wrong bunkbed. I…would like to avoid any potential drama over living arrangements. So, if at any point my presence is uncomfortable—”

“—you have your own house, where I’m sure you and Thalia go when you want more alone time,” Jason finishes for her. The corner of his lips lifts, and he offers her more creamer from the fridge. “I’ve had to stop a fight or two over a stolen teddy bear or blanket in Cabin Eleven, Reyna. I don’t think we’ll ever get that ugly.”

She flashes her own look of amusement as she stirs her coffee. “So long as you don’t feel like a stranger in your own home, Jason.”

Home, in New Rome with his big sister. With Bianca and Nico only a few doors down, and a university where his childhood friend would be attending in two more months. Jason’s chest swells at the mention of the word each time it’s used.

And he smiles, giving Reyna’s mug a gentle clink.

“I’ve got no complaints so long as my sister’s happy,” he reassures her. “And believe me—I’ve only ever seen her happy with you.”

Reyna blushes. She gives him another onceover. Whatever she notices, she doesn’t mention—but Jason can tell she’s in a better mood after that talk. Every now and then, they enjoy a quaint sunrise together while Thalia remains a night owl.

Breakfast usually follows at a bakery in town on the mornings Thalia insists Jason doesn’t need to cook. He’s not sure when the habit started. Jason’s used to enchanted plates from Camp Halfblood’s Dining Pavilion and Camp Jupiter had its own Mess Hall—but there’s something nice about having his own kitchen and his own pots and pans. Even if his skills don’t extend further than scrambled eggs in the morning.

On the mornings where he isn’t trying to busy himself, he gets to see Nico.

A sleepy, tired Nico who hardly seems awake with weddings and Reyna’s chores on his docket. Jason manages to swipe a slice of cherry pie out of Nico’s range more than once before the son of Juno can faceplant.

Even after Thalia and he get settled in, and Reyna takes back some of her own duties, both praetors both seem to have their hands full with integrating both camps. Weddings are apparently Nico-specific—and while he doesn’t seem to mind them, the weeks where they’re back-to-back leaves his voice raspy.

They usually get a word or two in over breakfast—before Reyna and Nico are swept away to the praetor’s office. Jason spends days with Thalia exploring San Francisco or New Rome—or with Bianca, trying to find the same cadence as easily as he did with Nico.

Two months without each other is different from a whole year and a half—with all of the tension of unsaid words in between. Maybe Bianca is trying to please him in the way Jason used to fall in line with her.

It's…all a work in progress. Even if Annabeth and he are still tentative in some of their conversations, it’s a life Jason wouldn’t trade back after last year.  

Life, with his big sister and his two best friends. With a new friend, in both Nico and Reyna. A new home away from Camp Halfblood—and all of the bad things that outweighed the good. The degree of free time he has is a change of pace from working at the med bay or helping out with classes or younger campers—but it’s time for himself.

At the end of the day, Jason’s happy that he moved.

Until the nightmares start up again.

*

Jason wakes up, gasping.

The ceiling fan spins above his head, and ambient light creeps through the window from the streetlamps. He feels around, hands outstretched with the expectation to reach the edge of his tiny twin bed at Camp Halfblood—but it reaches further, on his new full mattress. On his new bed, in his apartment in New Rome—with a nightstand holding his glass of water, and the journal he’s dutifully filled out every day on his desk.

It takes a moment for his pulse to settle. For the quiet to overcome the chaos of his bad dream. Jason curls a hand over his wrist, to ease the trembling between his fingers—and with steady breaths, eventually calms himself down.

He sees his bookshelf off in the distance, rather than the crowded array of twin beds and trunks. A poster on the wall, instead of a mural of winged shoes painted in the name of the Messenger God.

His own glass of water beside him, rather than…

Jason shakes his head. He rubs his forehead first, then curls his hand against the back of his neck. Two nightmares this week. Back-to-back.

It’s…not ideal. Jason reaches out for his journal, his fingers struggling to curl around his pencil. He scribbles his thoughts, as instructed by Mr. D. They don’t really make sense—not between exhaustion and confusion. When he can’t seem to make sense of his own thoughts, he shuts the notebook and lays back down.

Waits.

A second. Two.

A minute. Five.

And then eventually, Jason pushes himself out of bed and gets dressed instead. He pulls his tennis shoes out of the closet, double knots his laces, and goes for an evening run.

*

*

“Oh, you’re still in bed.”

Jason rubs the sleep out of his eyes and meets his sister’s gaze. Thalia looks at him from at the door of his bedroom, the surprise evident across her features. She’s dressed in her usual attire—some assortment of leather and fishnet—and most importantly, all things spiky, edgy, and black. She’s also more awake than most mornings. Jason had grown used to leaving her brunch in the microwave.

The edge of Thalia’s lips quirk into a smile. “You finally getting used to the time zone change, baby brother?”

“Which one?” Jason asks—and he smiles back sleepily. After traversing the world for the last two months, they’d learned to sleep on their own schedule. Thalia’s nocturnal clock seemed to adjust immediately when they got back to New Rome, while Jason’s was…well. A work in progress.

“It’s Friday,” Thalia reminds him.  

“Oh—sorry.” Jason stretches, a yawn at his lips. “I’ll get dressed.”

Fridays were breakfast days at Fabiano’s, where the Legion had an extra hour to themselves. In other words—neither Praetor Ramirez-Arellano nor Praetor di Angelo had to work right away. Thalia and her girlfriend’s schedule met a middle ground for waking at a reasonable hour.

He brushes his teeth and dresses quickly. Bianca, Reyna, and Nico are already in the living room, evidently waiting for his wake. Bianca perks first at his appearance, shifting enough weight on the couch that Nico rouses from his little nap, annoyed.

“Can you not?” Nico grumbles groggily—and he rubs his forehead.

“Morning, Nico,” Jason greets. Before he realizes it, the edge of his lips curl into a smile.

Nico stirs after a moment’s more, his blue eyes disillusioned by his sister, and he glances in Jason’s direction. Eventually he replies. “Morning, Jason.”

Thalia claps a hand on Jason’s back, a pertinent grin to her face, and they’re all ushered out the door.

Fridays were nice. The schedule seems to set itself up, rather than the other way around, as Jason tries to find things to fill his day. Watching Thalia’s eyes light up at the sight of her girlfriend—in a time of peace, rather than impending war—is always a better alternative. New Rome welcomes a normal to it that Camp Halfblood often lacked for Bianca—and Jason is finding that he really enjoys the change of pace from Long Island. The long, extended hills and the grassy valleys.

“You been running in the evenings now, Jason?” Thalia asks, when they finally settle into Fabiano’s.

“This past week, yeah.” Jason takes his rich brownie with a glass of milk.

Thalia shakes her head. “You know—for a retiree, you are way too active.”

Jason laughs awkwardly, arms crossed over his chest, and sips his milk. “I’m still trying to get into the swing of things. New Rome’s not really as…familiar to me as Long Island was.”

“The weather is much nicer,” Bianca interjects—and her eyes glimmer. “Like Venice.”

“I dunno—I don’t think he’s doing this senior citizen thing right,” Thalia jokes. She looks across the table, her lips curled in amusement. “What does the Senate say?”

One-half of the Senate is half asleep near the maple syrup. Jason gives Nico a gentle nudge, and the son of Juno is quick to wake.

“What?” Nico asks blearily.

Reyna arches an eyebrow—and reaches over to smooth Nico’s hair. “This senior praetor thinks you’re going to bed too late after you’re done with all of these weddings.”

Nico wipes the sleep out of his eyes once more and huffs. “Your co-praetor would like to remind you that his predecessor would have you sign off on city permits for screamo concerts that would make the whole city go to bed late.”

“Oh,” Thalia muses, “we haven’t had one of those in a while.”

“You won’t this week,” Nico says. “Someone booked the Coliseum for their wedding tomorrow evening. There’s going to be a duel to the death. I’m flying down on a chariot.”

Jason coughs and hides a laugh behind his fist. He watches as Nico’s eyes dart back to him momentarily, a flicker of amusement in his own eyes, while Reyna wrinkles her nose.

“Why do the Romans insist on a Duel to the Death?” Bianca asks, with a fraction of exasperation her tone.

“Why do the Romans do anything?” Nico rolls his eyes—and in one of the rare instances, the di Angelo siblings almost look like the same person in their bemusement.

“Honest to gods, who has so much money that they’re willing to rent out the entire Coliseum?” Reyna asks in disbelief.

“Babe,” Thalia replies. A grin spreads across her cheeks as she points to herself—and Reyna rolls her eyes.

“I know it’s not you,” Reyna retorts—but it gets a lively snicker anyway.

“People spend as much or as little as they think they should on a wedding. Kind of a scam,” Nico comments wryly. “At the end of the day, they all want the same thing for their relationship. A commitment.”

“Must be nice,” Jason says, “falling in love with someone and wanting to spend the rest of your life with them, I mean.”

And not having it completely blow up in your face, he decides not to say. Nico studies him carefully, a hand brushed up against his new tattoo, and he shrugs.

“Sometimes love isn’t even involved. Sometimes it’s a business transaction—or in Mammina’s case, blackmail,” Nico says—and Jason bites back another smile. “How’d we even get on this subject?”

“We were talking about how my brother spends his entire retirement just working on his eight-pack,” Thalia teases—and Jason feels the red blooming in his cheeks. “Seriously, I think the longest I’ve seen you sit still is to eat.”

Jason grows redder at his sister’s assessment, but Nico blinks.

“Your eight-pack?” he repeats, evidently still exhausted from his eventful days.

“I’ve been running in the evenings,” Jason translates—and he rubs his own bicep self-consciously. “Um. On top of my runs in the morning.”

“Jason gets his morning exercise before the cadets are even awake,” Reyna comments—which is something she can only say after a few weeks of staying at their apartment. “It’s a habit he hasn’t shaken from Camp Halfblood.”

It’s then that Nico frowns, slowly turning back to Jason. “Why?”

With Nico asking, Jason can’t help feeling self-conscious. He shrugs and rubs the back of his neck. “Just because, I guess.”  

To his surprise, Nico looks a little more awake. He stares for a moment, then opens his mouth to speak. Bianca beats him to the punch.

“You’ve been like this long before we met,” Bianca chastises—and she shakes her head. “You should slow down, Jace.”

“Hard to do that when the year’s almost halfway over,” Jason says—and his lips lift into a tired smile. He looks between their little group, with the realization that he’s the center of attention. Then, Jason sits a little straighter in his seat. “I’m fine, really. I’m just…used to doing things around Camp Halfblood. Basket-weaving. Candle blowing. Ancient Greek.”

Fighting, he doesn’t say. Training and planning.

“Which you don’t do anymore,” Nico says slowly, “because you’re retired.”

“Now he’s caught up,” Thalia says—and she laughs affectionately as Nico glows pink. “You’re welcome to come and go as you please, baby brother. Annabeth promised me Hades Cabin would look nothing less than badass.”

Something tells him that Annabeth and his sister may have different definitions of the word badass. Jason shakes his head, biting back the queasiness at the pit of his stomach. “Maybe another weekend.”

“You could attend the War Game tonight,” Reyna suggests. “Not participate—but they’re similar to Capture the Flag. You might enjoy yourself.”

“Another night,” Jason promises. “I…might have to, though. I’m feeling like the odd-one out for skipping out on those.”

To his surprise, Nico nudges him in the shoulder, with a careful look in his eye. His lips press into a flat line. “War Games aren’t for everyone. There’s plenty of other things to do in New Rome.”

In his head, Jason can almost hear their conversation from when he first came back. Fighting isn’t for everyone. He takes in Nico’s empathetic look and settles a little more in his seat.

Thalia gives him a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. “You okay without me tonight?”

“I’ll find something to occupy my time,” Jason says—and he gives her a reassuring squeeze.

Still—finding something to preoccupy his time may take the longest of all.

*

Thalia ends up parting ways to walk Reyna and Nico to the principia. As always, it leaves Jason and Bianca together.

They’ve talked occasionally since the end of spring. The more Jason sees her in New Rome, the happier Bianca seems—in a content, normal life without the fear of a quest or unavoidable destiny looming over their heads. Which—works out best for the both of them. Bianca gets what she wants, and Jason has one of his best friends again.

Most days are spent enjoying the ambiance. Bianca takes pictures around all of the buildings of New Rome, or they wander around San Francisco. There’s a year missing between them, where Bianca was a huntress before death, and Jason mourned everyone who died. They don’t approach that subject often.

In a way, they’re both still trying to get used to what New Rome has to offer compared to what Camp Halfblood lacked—a life within a safe haven, rather than a safe haven from life. There’s a relief in Jason, when Terminus strictly tells them that weapons aren’t allowed past the boundaries of the city.

Bianca is partial to the mall, where demigods can safely gather and go in and out of a store without the fear of monsters looming over them. She has a nervous energy that followed her in rebirth—all related to her new life and making things perfect with Nico. Making things right.

“Is Nico okay?” Jason asks—when Nico’s disgruntled demeanor lingers in his mind. “He sounds like he’s shouldering a lot this summer.”

Bianca shrugs as she rifles through clothes. “It’s the combination of wedding season and integrating both camps. If he’s not busy with one thing, then he and Reyna are busy with the other.”

“Integrating both camps is…a lot,” Jason says, and his lips press into a worried frown. “That’s basically twice as many people.”

“I volunteered to help him with the wedding stuff,” Bianca admits—and she lets out a tired sigh, “but he told me not to worry about it. I…think he still feels bad over the whole Calypso thing. Me deciding to stay rather than travel the world with her.”

Jason thinks of the Titan daughter that graced their presence at the edge of spring. He remembers how firm Bianca was about staying in Ogygia, until Zeus forced her against it. “Have you guys talked about it?”

“No,” Bianca replies blithely—and she pulls out a dress to look at. “That would involve talking about my love life, and neither of us want that.”

She’s pointed in her statement, her nose wrinkling, and Jason holds back a smile. Still—he notices her eyes dim with a quiet frustration. One that isn’t too far from what he’s seen in the past.

“If,” Jason starts slowly, “that’s something that worries you, maybe it’d be worth talking about.”

“Jace, my love life?” Bianca asks, and she looks at him with grimace. “When’s the last time you wanted to talk about yours?”

“Well,” Jason starts—and he stops soon after. He shifts uncomfortably. “Um.”

The last time he had to talk about his love life was with Eros—and he’s not keen on reliving those memories again.

As Bianca flashes him a guilty look, Jason’s not sure if it makes him feel better or worse. She hangs the dress back up. “Sorry. We can go back to my pathetic love life.”

“I hardly call having a goddess for a girlfriend pathetic.”

She smiles at him more tentatively than he expects. Then she pushes a lock of long hair behind her ear and guides him to another rack of clothes. “She and I were never going to last in the long run.”

“You’re so sure about that?”

“We didn’t want the same things.” Bianca glances back at Jason. “I mean—we both wanted a life where the gods didn’t have control over us. She was stuck on an island for thousands of years and I lost my brother because of something stupid I did when I was twelve. I got my brother back, and she got a life again. If…I was stuck on an island, where someone would leave every time they fell in love with me, I’d want to focus on myself, too. Because I want to. Not because I’m forced to.”

Jason thinks back to the vision he saw of Bianca in Ogygia. The one with her bare feet in the sand and dressed in a Grecian gown. Bianca looked as in her element in an island paradise as she did wielding a bow and electric arrows. She’d held onto Calypso’s hand like a lifeline, but…Bianca also changed lives like the clouds changed weather—so the atmosphere would fit her, rather than the other way around.

Still—he thinks of how hopeful she was on Olympus when she begged for Calypso’s freedom. How excited she was, her hands laced together with the goddess and a smile to her face. One moment, Jason saw his best friend in love—and the next, she was telling him how they’d broken up, with nothing but a sad smile to her face as she and Hazel got to know each other. It’s just…hard to imagine.  

“So,” Jason replies, “you’re really over it.”

Bianca looks at him—almost studying him in a way he’s grown used to with Nico—and nods in return. “I mean…it took a while, but yeah. I really don’t want to be with someone who doesn’t want to be with me. I deserve that much, don’t I?”

“You do,” Jason agrees. The corner of his lip curls into a smile. “When you put it that way, it doesn’t sound nearly as pathetic as you think it does.”

Her laughter is quaint. “The mindset’s half the battle, Jace. Actually finding someone who wants my company is another mission entirely.”

“I like your company,” Jason says—and she rolls her eyes.

“You’re a good friend,” Bianca replies. She folds a hand over a clothing rack and shakes her head. “Maybe I’ll just die alone. At least this way I can’t get roped into some loveless marriage.”

It’s an interesting thing, listening to Bianca joke about her previous life. She’s happier now. Truly, compared to her life before the Huntresses, when she pretended the prophecy didn’t exist. Jason used to enjoy those moments where they weren’t son of Hades and daughter of Zeus—but two teenagers, sneaking out and living.

Now they got to blend the two.

“I’m a son of Hades, Bee,” he reminds her. “I’ll enjoy your company in death, too.”

Bianca looks up to him, the corner of her lips lifting into another a smile. She puts away a dress and kisses him on the cheek.

“You’re going to make some lucky girl’s heart explode someday, Jace,” she declares. Bianca hooks their arms together. “Or boy.”

“I…doubt it,” Jason replies—and he decide against commenting on his own love life.

They check out of the first store with a few new outfits for Bianca. She has fun talking up the cashier—a pretty nymph that lives in the ficus behind the counter. Bianca’s eager to have conversations that blend the mortal world with the mythological one—and ends up getting an extra discount on top of her clothes.

“Do you even have room in your closet?” Jason asks.

“Let me worry about that,” Bianca promises—and Jason bites back another smile.

On their way out of the store, Jason spots two familiar faces. “Oh—I think that’s Leo and Piper.”

Sure enough, the son of Vulcan and daughter of Aphrodite are chatting with a satyr—a faun—that is waving around a mysterious mug. Jason’s not sure what to think of it.

“Oh?” Bianca perks. “Oh.”

And then she shrinks behind Jason, nearly taking his weight with her as she hides.

“Whoa—” Jason blinks, feeling one daughter of Hera sidle under his silhouette. “Um. Bianca?”

“I’m not here,” Bianca hisses hastily.

“What? Why?” Jason turns to face her—but she’s quick to shove his face frontwards. “Bianca, I’m confused.”

“Just pretend I’m not here,” Bianca repeats, “and shield me when they walk by.”

She uses the same tone of voice from when they would play Capture the Flag together, with an impromptu rescue mission for their comrades. Jason blinks and follows Bianca’s line of sight. “Is this because of Piper? I thought the two of you got along.”

“We—” Bianca glows, and she tugs at the back of Jason’s shirt. “—don’t hate each other.”

“That clears things up, Bee.”

“Your sarcasm isn’t appreciated,” Bianca retorts.

Jason turns his head again. “I just don’t understand—”

“Hey, it’s the Ghost Boy.”  Leo comes into their line of sight, a nefarious grin to his face as they come close. “And…friend?”

Bianca would’ve hid better if she hadn’t squeaked. When she does, Piper looks over, one eyebrow lifted into the air.

“Hi Leo,” Jason greets. “Hi, Piper.”

“Jason,” Piper replies—her tone courteous. She’s dressed in a tie-dye Powerpuff Girls tank top, a pair of loose-fitted jeans, and a dirty pair of chucks that look like they don’t belong with the outfit.

But—being the daughter of Aphrodite that she is, it comes together. It’s a far cry from the dainty image that Jason’s grown used to from Bianca.

“Bianca,” Piper says, as though sensing the contrast herself. “Hi.”

Jason finds himself at an impasse, with Bianca’s hands fisting the back of his shirt and both Leo and Piper staring awkwardly. Eventually, Bianca unfurls her hands from Jason’s back and peeks over his shoulder.

“Hi,” she offers—and Piper doesn’t look any less amused.

“You buy a new dress?” Piper asks.

Bianca stares back at her blankly—until Piper gestures to the bag in her hand. “Oh. Oh! Yes. I bought a dress. For me.”

The edge of Piper’s lips curl into a smile. “Cool.”

“Cool,” Bianca repeats. “Yeah. Cool.”

Jason stares at his best friend quizzically—at her nervous demeanor, and the way she curls her hand over the handle of her shopping bag. Then he looks over to Leo—who seems to be darting back and forth between both girls, demeanor filled with amusement.

“So,” Jason says eventually, to fill in the awkwardness. “How’s the weaponry shop doing?”

At the mention of his shop, Leo splits into a grin. He crosses his arms over his chest. “Pretty well, man! Business is booming this summer. You’d be surprised how well a souvenir double-edged sword goes for first-time visitors in Camp Jupiter.”

“I think you have a pretty good reputation after building a boat out of a dragon, Leo.” Jason smiles amicably, while Leo shrugs.

“Whatever pays for Festus’s parts,” Leo says. “My boy’s almost up and operational again. I’ll have enough money by the end of the summer to get all of the sheet metal I need to fix him up.”

“I…thought Festus was at Camp Halfblood,” Bianca says. She stares at Leo curiously.

“He is,” Leo reassures. Then he rolls his eyes and nudges Piper in the shoulder. “But this one is all the way out on the west coast. Hard to say no to a first-class ticket.”

Piper smiles back and nudges Leo affectionately. “First class means you complains less. That’s the only way I’ll have you, Valdez.”

“Beauty Queen, I will gladly fill in the gaps with something else to annoy you.” Leo snickers and ribs Piper back just as warmly. For two Roman and Greek demigods, they get along swimmingly—long before they had to worry about ballistae firing across New Rome. Jason can’t help but relish in their friendship.

Bianca looks over to Piper. “You’re…not at Camp Halfblood, either?”

Piper makes a face and shakes her head. “I think I’ve had enough demigod time being stuck in the Labyrinth for all of spring semester. I’d rather have some me time.”

“Here,” Bianca replies, “in New Rome.”

“Piper’s dad lives in Malibu,” Leo explains. “Not the quickest trip, but—”

“Much closer than going coast-to-coast,” Piper finishes for him. “After everything that happened this past spring, I just want to be close to family. You know?”

Bianca studies her carefully, a look of surprise passing over her features. Then she gives a reaffirming nod. “I know.”

“Hey—I’ve seen you with a bow and arrow. I’ve got some trick arrows I’ve been working on if you’re interested. Maybe some doggie armor for that ferocious hellhound of yours.” Leo grins and pulls out a business card from nowhere. “Hit me up, Bee.”

Bianca is reluctant, but takes the card anyway. “Jace is the only one that calls me Bee.”

“Ignore him,” Piper says—and she rolls her eyes. “Leo goes for girls out of his league to get a rise out of them.”

At that comment, Bianca’s cheeks flourish pink. And she repeats, “Out of his league.”

“Guilty,” Leo replies. “Though—you’re less out of my league and in the absolutely no fly zone.”

At that comment, Bianca’s lips contort into a frown.  

“Ignore him,” Piper says again—to which Leo laughs.

“Yeah, ignore me,” Leo agrees. “So, you guys eat yet?”

Jason blinks as Leo’s eyes suddenly land on him expectantly, despite speaking with Bianca only moments before. Leo’s lips curl into a crooked smile, and he looks like a devilish Santa’s elf.

Bianca’s stomach erupts in a growl—garnering all of their attention. She flushes, red dusting across her cheeks as she looks back to Jason—equal parts hopeful and mortified.

“Sorry,” Jason says, and he pats his stomach. “Guess I could eat.”

*

The last time Jason talked to Leo was aboard the Argo II, when the son of Vulcan admitted how much he missed his family—the one he gained after coming to New Rome.

The stress of war had made Leo chary. For all of the ways both wars had affected Jason, he felt awful for putting Leo in a similar position. Still—they never got to revisit that subject after Gaea exploded. Jason spent a week in Camp Halfblood’s med bay alongside Will Solace and the rest of Cabin Six, but once he announced his departure, the expectation was to faze him out of a lot of the responsibilities at camp.

Leo and he saw each other in passing before he left. For the most part, Leo and the rest of his siblings from Cabin Nine seemed to enjoy hiding out in the bunker and fixing up their mechanical dragon. Hazel, Frank, and Annabeth knew Leo much better after months on the Argo II together. Jason’s time was split between the med bay, Annabeth, and Bianca’s sides before they all saw him off with Thalia.

It was…hard to let go. But also one of the most relieving decisions Jason was allowed to make.

War weathered everyone. The stress that came from a second civil war and the rise of Gaea made it more important to look out for each other—and harder to like each other. So Jason understands how Leo could grow antsy on a boat while away from his weapons shop and the blacksmiths that trained him.

With war aside, talking to Leo feels like their first few meetings before things grew tense between the Greeks and Romans. It’s light and easy—which is probably why Jason enjoyed the company so much to begin with. Now, though, Leo seems even more at ease with family on both coasts, and his best friend at his side.

Jason picks a chicken strip off his plate, while Leo and Piper recount a story of Capture the Flag from this past weekend.

“Man,” Leo says, and he claps his hands to the food court table. “What I wouldn’t give to break apart Clarisse’s spear.”

“And see what it’s made of?” Jason asks, the edge of his lips curling with amusement.

“No,” Leo dismisses, and he shakes his head. He leaves it at that.

On the other hand, Bianca laughs at her words and nabs a French fry from Jason’s tray. “Annabeth, Jace, and I used to team up for Capture the Flag. You put the three of us together and the Red Team basically had no choice but to handover their banner.”

At that claim, Piper’s expression flickers in surprise. Jason recognizes it from months ago, when Bianca called him a swordsman when Piper expected a healer. “Really?”  

“You should have seen it,” Bianca gushes—and she relishes their glory days with a sense of awe. “Jason was amazing. He shouldered all of camp back then—there wasn’t anything that he couldn’t do, but—”

She pauses, and glances over to Jason, who smiles tentatively in his seat, hand curled at his bicep.

“—but he’s retired now,” Bianca finishes, her vibrato lowering. She smiles at him, the vigor of her voice changing into something calmer. Jason can’t help but smile back.  “And he’s become one of the best healers that I know.”

“Oh—no, I believe that much. You can’t walk two feet in Camp Halfblood without hearing how Jason used to do this or that,” Piper says—though no exasperation lingers in her voice. She turns to Jason, and they share a glance that’s nothing more than neutral. “Cabin Thirteen looks badass. Annabeth did a good job with it.”

“So I’ve heard,” Jason replies—and he smiles tentatively.

“I was surprised to hear you played Capture the Flag,” Piper explains—and she turns back to Bianca more pointedly.

Bianca stares back, surprised. “Why?”

“You…just don’t seem like the fighting type. Not like Hazel, I mean,” Piper explains—and Bianca looks back, offended.

“You were literally holding onto me while we rode across camp and slayed monsters,” Bianca reminds her. She arches her eyebrow.  

“Sounds romantic,” Leo comments—and Jason holds back a laugh.

“I recall the dog doing most of the work,” Piper says—her voice much more even than Bianca’s own.

“You think hellhounds are easy to train?” Bianca asks. She looks more like her godly mother, her intonation sweet, but eyes daring Piper to say something rotten. “Jason, tell her how hard they are to train.”

Jason decides he’s better off not biting. He startles at the sound of his name and coughs. “I—uh. I don’t think I have a dog in this fight.”

“Jace, you literally own Mrs. O’Leary,” Bianca points out, and she uses a shrewder tone. He shrugs. “I was a huntress, too. I swore my life to Lady Artemis. I can fight.”  

“Didn’t you die?” Leo asks—and Bianca whips a frown in his direction. Immediately, he brings his hands in front of him. “Whoa, girlie—I mean that as least offensively as possible.”

He turns to Jason.

“Is that considered offensive?” he asks. “Asking someone who came back to life about their death?”

“I…can’t say it’s something you see very often,” Jason replies, as he gauges his best friend’s reaction. “So…circumstantial?”

“I didn’t mean any offense,” Piper says quickly—and she eases back into her seat. “To be fair, I didn’t exactly see much of you between Disney World and now. I just figured you were like most girls.”

“Most girls how?” Bianca asks, her voice wry and disapproving. She smooths out her hair over her shoulder.

“You know, most girls,” Piper replies, and she places her vegan burger back on her plate.

“What’s wrong with most girls?” Bianca frowns, while Piper looks uncomfortable to continue.

“Girls who just care about their looks and being with the alpha crowd.” Piper waves a French fry in Jason’s direction.

“Does Jason look like an alpha to you?” Bianca makes a face and shakes his shoulder.

“Again,” Jason reminds her, uncomfortable while Leo laughs. “No dog in this fight.”

“We were literally just talking about what a legend Jason Grace, Son of Hades is,” Piper protests. She shakes her head and spares Jason another glance before going back to her food. “Look, it’s a compliment. It just means you’re not like other girls. You shouldn’t be underestimated.”

Bianca studies the daughter of Aphrodite with an eerie silence. Then, “You think most girls are underestimated?”

“Well—I don’t think any girls should be underestimated.” Piper shakes her head. “But—you have to admit that there are a lot of girls out there who make it harder for the rest of us.”

“Us other girls,” Bianca supplies, her tone speculative.

“Like us, Reyna, Hazel, Thalia, and Annabeth, yeah,” Piper agrees—and she looks back at Bianca expectantly. “I mean—just because you like to get your hair done and look pretty doesn’t mean you’re any less intelligent. But the other girls who like that stuff—like my sister Drew—she makes it harder for the rest of us. People laugh at my cabin because all they care about is being popular and looking pretty.”

At the mention of Drew, Jason’s lips twist into a grimace. “That’s…kind of—”

“I’m a girl,” Bianca replies, her tone of voice steady. “And I like to dress up in cute clothes and get my hair done because it makes me feel good. Just like shooting arrows, and hunting, and winning Capture the Flag makes me feel good. Neither one makes me more or less of a girl. I’m all girl.”

Piper stares at her, confused.

“Just like how you wielded a knife, charmspoke the Labyrinth, and you care about your looks because they make you feel good,” Bianca finishes.

“I don’t care about my—”

“You’re dressed like that because you like the way you look.”  Bianca gestures to the daughter of Aphrodite’s ensemble—then to her hair. “And you did your own hair because you like how that looks. And Leo’s literally one of the Seven—so he’s every bit as popular as Jace is.”

“Care to tell my agent that?” Leo muses—and his grin spreads with Bianca’s charm.

Bianca sits a little straighter in her seat. “You’re pretty and powerful. Just like Drew. I sincerely mean that as a compliment—she’s a fun one to go shopping with.”

Piper stares back at Bianca, evidently not expecting the rebuttal. For a daughter of Aphrodite known for her charmspeak, she’s evidently speechless. Red flushes across her cheeks, embarrassed by her own words.

“Hey, Ghost Boy—” Leo leans across the table and nudges Jason with his own foot. “Who’s winning here? Because all I hear is Beauty Queen and Stargirl over there calling each other pretty.”

Bianca suddenly flushes as pink as Piper, and the daughter of Aphrodite shoots Leo a dirty look. Leo grins anyway, much more amused by the exchange than Jason.

“My mother is the goddess of family and women,” Bianca reminds Piper. She lifts a hand. “So from one demigod with a power goddess mom to another—how about we just agree that girls are awesome?”

Piper doesn’t look happy about being chastised. She stares down at Bianca’s hand and eventually reaches out with her own.

“Girls are awesome,” Piper agrees—and the corner of her lip curls into a steady smirk. “But you’re gonna have to put your money where your mouth is about Capture the Flag.”

Bianca takes in the taunt and grins. “It’s a date.”

They shake hands much more amicably than before—and Jason can’t help exhaling a sigh of relief. It’s rare he sees Bianca riled up—but she looks far less nervous now than she did when they exited that clothing boutique.

Then, Piper asks, “Is it now?”

Red flushes in Bianca’s cheeks once more. She’s quick to pull her hand away and go back to the food at her plate.

There’s a daft silence at their table, where no one speaks. Not until Leo gets fed up and asks, “So—do you like ketchup or barbecue sauce with your chicken strips, D.P.?”

*

“So why exactly do you not like Piper?” Jason asks much later, after a long day at the mall. They take the lengthy way back, after perusing few more shops. While Bianca’s arms are full of bags of new clothes, the surplus spills over to Jason.

Bianca flushes as they make it to the edge of New Rome, where Terminus gives them the slightest onceover before dismissing himself to ridicule another New Roman or camper not up to code. “I don’t dislike Piper, I just don’t know how to talk to Piper.”

“That’s a whole lot of not talking you did with her today.”

“I don’t remember you being this sassy before I died,” Bianca retorts—and Jason smiles sheepishly. “Piper’s nice. I get why Nico gets along with her, I just—don’t know how you’re supposed to talk to someone that pretty.”

“Like every other person from the sounds of it,” Jason says helpfully—and this time, Bianca rolls her eyes. “Sorry—I couldn’t really follow half the conversation. I think Leo and I were just trying to make sure it wasn’t going to escalate.”

Bianca stares at him weirdly. “Why would it escalate?”

“Because,” Jason says—and then he stops. “I mean…because it sounded like it was going to escalate?”

“You just don’t understand girls.”

“I hardly understand boys,” Jason agrees, and he stares back at her, flummoxed. Love and marriage. Jason thinks he’s given his heart too many times to the first one—all ending with more cracks than the first attempt. He’s not sure how Nico could summarize marriage as a business transaction when one seems essential for the other—but he also never thought he’d live long enough to consider it an option.

He still doesn’t.

“So are you going on a date with Piper?” he asks—and Bianca almost walks into a telephone pole. Jason yanks her back.

“What part of that conversation makes you think that Piper wants to go on a date with me?”

“The part where she said she wanted to see you in Capture the Flag, and you called it a date,” Jason says—and he watches as she glows pink. “It’s…not like how Calypso wants to travel the world. It sounds like Piper’s just going to be a few hours away.”

“You’re rushing this,” Bianca says miserably.

“I’m—not rushing anything.” They halt as they reach their residential block, and Jason’s eyebrows furrow together. “You know I’d never push you.”

Bianca’s demeanor twists—and they’re quick to diminish the topic of Piper McLean.  Instead, she turns to meet his gaze, and they approach another rough patch in their friendship. Where Bianca di Angelo did whatever she wanted and Jason Grace obliged because it was better to have her here, than gone.

“I know,” she agrees softly, and she curls her hands over her shopping bags. She touches his shoulder with some unknown strength (because seriously—her clothes were heavy) and rolls to the soles of her heels. “I don’t know—she hasn’t necessarily seen me at my best. I’m either arguing with Nico, or I’m saying something stupid.”

“I don’t think Nico would disagree with what you said today,” Jason protests. “Look, Bee—I’m not pushing you to do anything. I’m just asking questions. Honest. But you did call your love life pathetic earlier.”

Bianca snorts—and Jason can’t help but think it’s a habit developed after living with Nico again for so long.

“And,” Jason adds helpfully, “it sure beats dying alone.”

The corner of her lips lifts, and she looks more like herself as she leans into him. “What happened to always having you by my side?”

“I’ve reconsidered and respectfully decided you need someone who can keep up with you on the dance floor,” Jason informs—and she laughs.  

“We’ll see if fate allows us to meet again,” Bianca declares—and she pulls a lock of hair behind her ear. It’s hard not to think about their past lives—that twelve-year-old girl with her green cap and timid eyes, next to a just-as careful twelve-year-old Jason.

“That’s very poetic of you.”

“Less poetic when the Fates literally control our lives,” Bianca retorts wryly. They make it to her house, and she hands over more of her bags to unlock the front door. There’s a foot of distance between them, as peers back at him carefully. She takes the bags out of his hand.  “I’m…thankful that you’ve never pushed me, Jace. But a gentle nudge for you wouldn’t hurt.”

“A gentle for what?” The edge of Jason’s lips twitch.

“You,” Bianca says, “and your love life.”

Oh. Jason blinks and stares back at her, taken aback.

“Just a thought. I’m not pushing you to do anything.” Bianca echoes his words from earlier and lean against her doorframe. “But…next week will mark a year. You know?”

“I…” Jason starts. His nose twitches. “Um.”

“Even the King of the Dead doesn’t walk alone in life,” she reminds him. “You can’t keep up with me, but maybe someone else is already moving at your pace, Jace.”

Jason considers her reasoning. “My dad was a thousand years old before Persephone was even born.”

“And now he lives in the most faithful marriage known to demigod,” Bianca points out—which makes Jason smile. “It’s just a thought, Jace.”

Before he can protest—or give any response, really—she kisses him on the cheek goodbye and heaves a heavy sigh.

“Now I must find room in my closet,” she declares.

“You sound like you’re going off to war.” Jason smiles faintly.

“There will be many casualties,” she says forlornly—and then she smiles at him like she would have after a day trip to NYC. “Bye, Jace. Have a good night.”

“You too, Bee.”

She shuts the door behind her, leaving Jason alone with his thoughts. That thought.

*

Running around New Rome in the evenings has actually helped Jason learn the landscape better. There are fewer people out at night—no one but the critical Lares, who glowed in midnight’s dusk and waggle their fingers at him if he happened to run across their path. Jason doesn’t do that often—but tonight in particular, his head is elsewhere.

If it were any other demigod, they’d go right through the Lares—but Jason Grace, son of Hades, has a special knack for bumping straight into them. He apologizes profusely, of course—he’s been in his own thoughts in the last few days. Bianca’s gentle (unexpected) nudge seems to push him further into that headspace. Especially now.

He's always enjoyed running. No weapons to worry about, no people who need protection. Just Jason in his thoughts, without destiny clamoring at his ankles.

He drags his feet across different terrains—the asphalt of the via principalis, the grassy hills of the outskirts of New Rome—and the cobblestone steps within city limits. Jason runs a little further every day. West, in the opposite direction of Long Island and Camp Halfblood.

But, he knows the longer he goes west, he’ll circle back to east coast. His childhood home.

With Bianca’s thought on his mind, it blocks out some of the other reasons why he keeps his steady trek. At the same time, it makes those thoughts worse. Those nightmares.

Jason hadn’t given much thought to his love life—if ever. His heart was taken to the Fields of Punishment, where he wasn’t keen on going. After Eros’s arrows and piercing words this past spring, he’s even less inclined to want love than after his sixteenth birthday.

It’s just not something he gave a lot of thought to, since everything—everyone—focused on what would happen that day. Instead of the other days in Jason’s life, where he was just…trying to live. Trying not to die because he had a duty.

HIs camp beads are a heavy rope around his neck—much like the noose of the Achille’s Curse that pulled him out of the River Styx. Each bead he earned became a countdown until the very last one. The one that held the name of every other demigod who died for his destiny.

He thinks of Bianca’s words about Hades—how of the Three Kings, his father was the most faithful to his wife. For a long time, Jason struggled with the fact that the one time Hades, King of the Dead, was infidel was to sire a son who would deal with the heavy hand of the fate of Olympus. So, good and bad. Mostly bad, for Jason.

And some good, wedged in there like hope in Pandora’s Box.

Jason is enough, his mother had said. Jason Grace, the healer—someone to bring his mother out of the glamorous life that turned her into a hollow shell.

He’s retired from that life now, because there was meaning outside of Camp Halfblood and Olympus.

So—in his efforts to find a new meaning in his life—in cherishing his relationship with his sister, rekindling his connection with Annabeth, finding common ground with Bianca and understanding that Camp Halfblood did him as much wrong as he did it—maybe love could be there. For him.

“Maybe not,” he says almost automatically to his father’s crypt. His evening runs always seem to end up there—with Jason staring at his father’s small statue and offering new flowers or offerings in the brazier.

A lot has changed since last year. In going west—further west, he’s crossed Moscow, Odesa, and Croatia again. All of the places that made him feel better as a son of Hades when Jason questioned whether he should even be alive. Jason thinks he’s finally understanding what it means to be his father’s son—but whatever Eros and Aphrodite intend for his love life is a bad monster he’d rather keep in Tartarus.

Or—as of right now, in the Fields of Eternal Punishment. And getting it out of there feels…dangerous.

He’s so deep in thought that he doesn’t notice someone walking up behind him. “Jason?”

Jason smiles before he can help himself, his head bowed—and then turns to meet Nico’s gaze. Nico’s not dressed in the shining glamor of a crown or bangles or whatever other jewelry—just the same Camp Jupiter t-shirt in the summer’s heat and a praetor’s badge. It’s different from the regalia he’s adorned to officiate weddings, and the praetor armor Jason’s used to from their quest.

But, no less Nico, who flashes him a curious glance. “What are you doing up so late?”

“My evening run.” Jason takes a final inspection of his father’s brazier before standing to his feet and dusting of his knees. “Who won the War Games?”

He’s not expecting Nico to look at him so oddly, one eyebrow high in the air. “The First and Fifth, once they stopped butting heads.”

“Sounds like trouble.”

“So are most teambuilding exercises,” Nico remarks. “Reyna and I were announcing lights out when I noticed someone running through Temple Hill. Is this when you normally take your evening run?”

“Yeah.” Jason looks back at Nico, puzzled. “Why?”

“Because it’s a quarter past one,” Nico points out—and Jason flushes.

Jason touches the back of his neck self-consciously. “Dad’s crypt is my checkpoint. I usually run through a bit of New Rome before I head back home.”

Nico stares at him. Then he turns around and points to the red-roofed porticos off in the distance, near the boundaries of New Rome. “You go there.”

“Um. Yeah.”

“And—” Nico gestures past the via principalis, where both praetor houses and Jason’s apartment complex sit. “—you run past home.”

“Yes.”

“Across the Forum, up the hills of Temple Hill, all the way to your dad’s crypt?” Nico frowns and eyes him again. “That’s more running than I expect out of my cadets, Jason.”

There’s a way that Nico says my cadets that warms Jason’s heart. Nico’s grown into the role as praetor to the legion comfortably after a few short months. Jason can’t help but smile—but then he remembers he’s also on the hot seat with one son of Juno.

“No one else is out in New Rome right now. My only enemy is a phone booth if I’m not looking,” Jason jokes. “Easier to clear my head this way.”

“Do you need that these days?”

Jason blinks. When he looks back up, Nico sports the same look he did this morning, before Bianca interrupted him.

“I thought you said you were running just because,” Nico continues. His expression is less curious now. “You sure you’re okay, Jason?”  

The edge of Jason’s lips curl into a nervous smile, and he concedes. “Can’t get one over you, can I?”

Nico flushes and crosses his arms over his chest. “I can’t help it if I notice things.”

“I appreciate it,” Jason promises. “I just…you’ve been so busy these days that I didn’t realize there was something to notice.”

There’s a moment of hesitation, where Nico looks at the dirt at his feet, then slowly scoots his shoe across grass. He sighs and rubs the praetor badge pinned to his shirt, then shakes his head.

“You only touch the back of your neck when you’re nervous,” Nico says finally. “You did that a lot during our quest. It’s…hard, not to notice.”

Oh. Again, Jason blinks, and looks back to the son of Juno, who stares at him just as flustered as before. Even as he speaks, Jason realizes his hand is curled at the base of his neck.

“That’s where the curse is,” Nico says, “right?”

Wow. “I…really can’t get one over you.”

“You just have to look for the right things,” Nico says—and he stuffs his hands in the pockets of his pants. There’s a moment where Nico looks shy, but Jason can’t figure out why. “I…spent too long on our quest not looking for the right things. I. don’t really want that to happen again.”

Jason stares back at the son of Juno, taken aback once more. The pads of his fingers brush against the weak point of his neck—then he brings his hands to his sides.

“It was just a guess,” Nico continues quickly—and he brings his shoulders to his ears. “You can tell me I’m wrong and I’ll believe you.”

“It’s fine, Nico.” Jason sits against a patch of grass and pats the area beside him. Nico looks back, nervous, and slowly makes his way beside Jason. “You just surprised me. I don’t think Annabeth even knows.”

“Is that what’s bothering you?”

“Not necessarily,” Jason says—and he brushes his thumb over his neck again—as though it’s still raw and new. He remembers doing it almost a year ago and thinking about how his entire mortality was reduced to something smaller than a fingerprint beneath the knot of his necklace. “I had a weird conversation with Bianca earlier.”

“It’s Bianca,” Nico retorts—and Jason laughs. Then, “Weird, how?”

Jason breaks down their mall visit. How they ran into Leo and Piper, and the awkward experience of watching Bianca di Angelo and Piper McLean have a showdown about how awesome women are.

“Leo’s shop is doing that well, huh?” Nico notes. “I signed a document today so he could get a bigger booth at the Forum. Good for him.”

There’s no animosity there. Jason recalls awkward run-ins aboard the Argo II, where Nico and Leo tried to avoid each other—lest they both wanted to rub each other the wrong way. Now, though, Nico sounds sincere. Maybe it had to do with the shield Leo rushed to make before Jason and Nico diverted onto a quest of their own.

“I think they were flirting,” Jason says next. “Bianca and Piper, I mean. I’m not really sure.”

“Ah,” Nico says. He doesn’t sound surprised.

“You knew about them?”

“As little as I can possibly can.” Nico shakes his head and wrinkles his nose. “I try not to talk to Bianca about her love life.”

Jason bites back a laugh, after hearing the same sentiment echoed by Nico’s sister a few hours prior. He looks down to his hands and rubs his fingers. “Well…I told her I’d support her happiness no matter what, especially after Calypso. Then somehow we got on the topic of my love life.”

Nico blinks. He looks up to Jason—with maybe more surprise than Jason expects—and palms his new peacock tattoo. “Oh. Um. Why, exactly?”

“To see if it’s time to move on.” Jason heaves a heavier sigh than he intends. It’s easier somehow, doing it now in Nico’s presence. “To think about it, at least.”

“Oh,” Nico says again.

“Yeah,” Jason says.

“Is…it time to move on?”

“Hard to move on when there was nothing really there to begin with.” Jason rubs his forehead—and the same nauseating knots from when Bianca first mentioned it furl in his stomach. To his surprise, Nico brushes a hand over his wrist.

“There was something there,” Nico argues—but his voice is gentle. “Otherwise it wouldn’t have taken such a toll on you, Jason.”

Looking into the sky of Nico’s eyes, it’s hard to argue. No one’s seen Jason the way Nico has—in that cave in Croatia, where Eros prodded at his emotions—and every journey after that. Jason tried to keep his feelings tucked under a rug with all of the quests that loomed over their heads. But Nico’s right—it wasn’t nothing if there if he felt like there was something to hide.

“I…just always thought I would die before it really mattered,” Jason admits. Earnestly. He doesn’t know how else to put it. “I can hardly get my days together. How am I supposed to figure out dating?”

“Your days,” Nico echoes. Then, “You’re restless.”

Jason peers back at Nico, surprised, and the other demigod shrugs.

“We don’t exactly offer campfire singalong and basketweaving here,” Nico replies wryly. His tattoo seems to shine against his forearm, with the six inked stripes showing exactly what Camp Jupiter had to offer. “I…could talk to the New Rome Hospital for you. Maybe our infirmary. I’m sure they’d appreciate a helping hand.”

Jason hesitates. “Thalia offered the same thing. I’m…not even sure if I want to go back into medicine, if I’m being honest.”

He’d gotten into it to counteract every bad thing that happened last year. To heal, rather than add to the destruction of Camp Halfblood—but it’s one of those things that felt like a responsibility. The right thing to do. When he looks back up, he notices Nico frowning.

“Sorry,” Jason says.

“No—I’m glad you’re actually willing to admit that.” Nico makes a face of his own and rubs his tattoo again. “I…hate that New Rome makes you feel that way, though.”

“It’s just a different routine from what I’m used to,” Jason admits, and he touches his neck again. “I’ll find my way. Running helps.”

Nico looks doubtful, his gaze following Jason’s palm, but he doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he pulls a leg to his chest. “And the…other thing?”

“I…don’t know,” Jason admits—and even that answer feels tightly sewn into his heart. Talking about Luke was never easy—even when Jason found talking to Nico easier than most people.

With Annabeth, they had to navigate through the grief of each other’s emotional absence. Bianca tried to be careful of his feelings after so many years focusing on her own. Having Thalia as his big sister made him want to tell her everything—but maybe Nico was right. Talking about something so personal with his big sister felt…too raw.

“The anniversary of his death is coming up,” Jason continues. “I’ve…worked on getting past a lot of things, but it feels weird to get past that. You know—?”

“Wait.” Nico halts him with a hand, his demeanor shifting. “The anniversary of his death.”

“Um, yeah.” Jason stares at Nico in surprise.  “July 1^st.”

“He died on your birthday,” Nico continues.

“I…yeah.”

“Jason—” Nico whips back to him, an incredulous look on his face. “—your birthday’s next week.”

Jason shifts uncomfortably on the patch of grass he’s sitting on, with Nico’s full attention. “Yeah.”

Nico sits a little more upright on the hilltop—and he stares at Jason with an unreadable demeanor. His fingers twitch over his arm, and he coughs. “Do you have any plans yet?”

Jason shakes his head.

“Do you…want to have any plans?” Nico asks next, and his voice is just as gentle before—mindful of how last summer was for him. “It’s the first birthday that you and Thalia would be able to celebrate together. I know that means something for the both of you.”

“We talked about it.” Jason purposefully keeps himself from rubbing the back of his neck again. “I don’t feel right celebrating. Not when so many people died. It feels…wrong.”

“What would you and my sister do in the past?”

“Escape Long Island for a couple hours and pretend we weren’t demigods,” Jason replies. “It…usually got overshadowed by some big battle or quest of sorts because of Kronos. And a countdown until one of us turned sixteen.”

And more bodies to bury, he doesn’t add.

“What about before Kronos?”

 Jason flushes red. He awkwardly scratches his arm, unable to look at the son of Juno in the eye.  “Same kind of countdown. But. Luke used to sneak in cupcakes from somewhere and we’d have our own little celebration. So it wasn’t all bad.”

Nico studies him carefully—to the point Jason grows nervous.

“I’ll…probably visit Camp Halfblood at some point between now and then,” Jason admits. “I just. I don’t know what to do about this.”

Nico draws a breath. Jason latches onto it immediately, looking back to the other demigod. So fast that it apparently startles Nico. Red flushes in Nico’s cheeks and he looks back at Jason suspiciously. “What?”

“Oh,” Jason says, and he feels his own face redden. He touches his own forehead awkwardly and splays his legs out. “I was hoping you’d tell me what to do.”

“Tell you?”

“This is where you tell me to do what I want to do instead of what feels right,” Jason says—and his cheeks darken as Nico’s brow seems to lift higher in the air. There’s amusement there.

“Can’t get one past you,” Nico echoes from earlier. “Can I?”

“I…have a lot of respect for your opinion,” Jason admits—and he smiles as Nico blushes. Still as humble as ever, even with the title of praetor. Maybe that’s why Jason likes Nico so much.

“There’s a lot more you in that decision than there normally is.” A tentative smile etches across Nico’s lips. “So what do you want?”

Jason mulls over it. Longer than he probably should in one sitting—but Nico waits patiently, anyway. “Maybe…eventually, it’d be nice to have an actual birthday. One that doesn’t feel like it’s a countdown to the end of the world. But I don’t think anyone will be in a celebratory mood.”

“There’s more than enough to celebrate next week,” Nico argues—and he touches Jason’s shoulder gently. “Slaying Kronos. Toppling Krios. You, making it to seventeen.”

Of all the things in his sentence, Nico seems to place importance on the last thing. Jason’s chest swells. He peers back up to Nico and gives the other demigod’s hand a soft squeeze. “Thanks, Nico.”

Nico’s quick to recoil—which startles Jason.

Then—“Oh, sorry. Cold hands—”

“No,” Nico cuts off quickly, but he still thumbs his own palm thoughtfully. “Sorry—I’m. Exhausted.”

“I can imagine with your busy schedule.” The edge of Jason’s lips twitches—and he has a little more trouble hiding his disappointment the second time around. Moving to New Rome was a huge step that he wholeheartedly welcomed—but he thinks he sees Nico less now than he did before the war.

Before Nico can notice that, too, however, Jason stands to his feet. He extends a hand more cautiously this time.

“How about I take you home?” Jason asks.

Nico stares at his palm carefully. “You don’t want to talk about the other thing?”

The other…? “My love life?” Jason asks. “I don’t want to keep you up longer than I’ve already had.”

Jason thinks he’s gotten too good at pulling pie away from Nico’s face in the mornings.

Nico flashes another look, and he rubs his tattoo.

“I…know I’ve been busier this summer than anyone expected,” he says, “but. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t talk to me. I. I like talking to you, Jason.”

For a second time that night, Jason feels his heart swell with warmth. There’s something calming about it—in a way that running around New Rome couldn’t achieve for him. Jason’s smiling before he knows it, while Nico inspects the dirt wedged at the end of his own shoe.

“I,” Jason admits, “think my head and heart have to agree on that one.”

“What are they disagreeing about?”

“My…head says it would’ve been a longshot even if he was still alive.” Jason smiles sheepishly and rubs his own knuckles. His hands haven’t held a tremor in a while—not in a long time since the war with Gaea—but it’s hard to break the habit of looking at them. “Not like I ever had the guts to do anything about it before he left Camp Halfblood. And—you know, the age difference.”

Luke was nineteen when he left Camp Halfblood, while Jason was a pint-sized eleven-year-old kid.

“And…your heart?”

“Eros said it best.” The next smile is a little harder to muster. Jason palms his chest. “It’s still down in the Fields.”

Jason has moved past a lot of things since his sixteenth birthday—of what he had to do, and the path he had to take to get there—but Luke is always going to be something hard for him to pass. A sister’s love couldn’t fill that hole.

“Eros also tried to make you feel guilty for being conflicted between being Hades’s son and being yourself,” Nico points out—and he looks at Jason a little more confidently. “You…proved him wrong once already. You’re a son of Hades by being yourself.”

Jason stares at Nico, surprised. “You really think that?”

“I was there to witness it.” Nico shrugs—but then he flashes Jason another meaningful look—one that sports the same pride Jason holds for a son of Juno who became praetor on his own accord. “There’s…a perk to dating, you know. You get out there because you want to—not because some prophecy said so.”

“You…always know the right thing to say, don’t you?”

“You get some practice in after making speeches about loyalty and commitment,” Nico remarks wryly—and he rubs the sleep out of his eyes. Jason can’t help but laugh. “Don’t do what Bianca says, just because. Do what you want, Jason. When you’re ready.”

“You’re…really not going to push this?”

Nico eyes him—and Jason reminds himself that it’s a difference between Nico and his sister, rather than the little nuances he’s noticed of both di Angelo siblings. It’s one that Jason appreciates, and makes him hopeful for more of Nico’s company.

“If you’re going to spend all summer on your eight-pack, then you might as well not let it go to waste,” Nico replies dryly. Jason blushes. “But…don’t add dating to the list of things you don’t think you’re allowed to do because of what happened in the war last year, Jason. You’re allowed to be happy, too.”

At that reminder, Jason feels less unsettled than before. “You do always know what to say.”

Nico snorts. This time, he takes Jason’s hand and dusts himself off. “Make sure to mention that in my Yelp review for wedding officiants.”

Jason laughs. He’s surprised at how much lighter his heart feels.

“I feel better now,” he admits. “Thank you, Nico.”

At that gratitude, Nico flashes a tentative smile of his own. “Good.”

“Yeah,” Jason agrees—and the edges of his lips raise into a greater smile. “Good.”

He extends his hand—much more carefully this time, and watches as Nico’s gaze sit at his palm.

“Can I take you home now?” Jason asks. “I—can’t really do anything about the cold hands, but—”

Nico meets Jason with a hand of his own, with a sense of exasperation flashing in his own eyes. “Just ignore everything that I’ve said this evening.”

Um. “But…”

“Except for the important bits,” Nico revises. He sighs softly and pushes a hand through his hair. He hesitates. “I’d. Love it if you took me home. We’d be going in the same direction anyway.”

Jason bites back his excitement. It’s not often that he gets to escort Nico di Angelo home. “Okay.”

He gives Nico’s hand a gentle squeeze—and then they plummet into darkness.

*

They arrive at the front gate of the di Angelo residence, in the shadow of a streetlamp. Nico stumbles—not as used to shadowtravel as he once was after the Athena Parthenos. Jason steadies him with another hand to the shoulder.

Nico takes a step back once he’s reoriented—then looks over his shoulder. “That’s my stop.”

“Hope your driver was good to you,” Jason jokes.

Nico pats him on the shoulder.

“He’s always good to me,” Nico reassures. “Probably a little too good to me, sometimes.”

Jason’s heart warms, and he can’t help but laugh. “Can…I offer you some advice now?”

“There’s the little too good part,” Nico muses. He stares up at Jason, curious.  

“Block out some time for yourself if you need to. Like—actually block it out in your schedule so no one can bother you,” Jason replies. “There’s nothing wrong with scheduling some personal time for yourself.”

Nico stares at him skeptically. “I’m hearing this from you?”

“I learned it a little later than I should have,” Jason admits. A sheepish smile curls against his lips.  “After some trials and tribulations, and…a quest with a really nice guy who told me to treat myself better.”

Nico doesn’t respond right away. He studies Jason once more—evidently soaking up a wealth of information for what little time they get to see each other. “If…you want some company next week to Camp Halfblood, then I can go with you. It’s been some time since I’ve seen Hazel anyway.”

Jason blinks. “What about your busy schedule?”

“I’ll block some time out,” Nico quotes—and the edge of his lip curls in a way that makes Jason smile, too. “I think Reyna and Thalia can cut their honeymoon phase short for a day or two. If—you want me to, that is.”

“Nico, I’d love it if you could come with me.” Jason’s smile widens, and he watches as Nico’s gaze falls to the ground.

“Oh, good,” he says. “Great.”

“Great,” Jason echoes.  

Nico visibly bites the inside of his mouth. He crosses his arms over his chest and looks up. Surprisingly, there’s concern in his eyes. “You…gonna be able to sleep tonight?”

Oh. Jason peers back at Nico. Whose blue eyes are steady as he glances back. As Jason touches his neck now, it’s with the knowledge that Nico is watching, too.

“I…don’t think I’ll have any nightmares tonight,” Jason admits—and on cue, he finds himself yawning. “This might be the best sleep I’ll get since moving to New Rome.”

He can’t really tell under the streetlamp, but Nico’s face looks a little darker.  Nico keeps his gaze on Jason, his hand at his tattoo. “My door’s always open if you need someone to talk to. And…my couch. I know you sleep better with company.”

Jason can’t help but smile. “Another night. Thalia should be home this evening.”

Nico looks reluctant—far more observant than Jason thinks he deserves—but it’s a kind of concern that makes Jason’s smile grow.

“Rumor has it that you’re flying down from a chariot tomorrow,” Jason muses. “I don’t really want to keep you longer than I already have.”

Still, Nico’s gaze doesn’t waver.

“Okay,” he says carefully. “But I’m here if you need me, Jason. Don’t—”

“Don’t bear the burden on my own,” Jason finishes for him.

Nico blinks.

“Was I close?” Jason asks.

A flicker of amusement in Nico’s gaze. He reaches out and dusts grass off of Jason’s shoulder.

“Don’t forget we’re friends,” he says instead.

“Trust me, Nico.” Jason chuckles softly. “I…don’t think I could’ve survived the night without you.”

Nico averts his gaze, pink dusting his cheeks. “I’m…glad I ran into you then.”

“Me too.” Jason’s always glad to see Nico.  

Nico falls quiet. Contemplative. Then he peers back up tentatively. “Good night, Jason.”

“Good night, Nico.”  

Another moment passes before one of them actually moves. Then, Jason can’t help but watch Nico walk away. The houselights are already off, with Bianca long asleep—but he listens to the key as Nico unlocks the front door. Nico peers over once more, giving Jason one last glance for the evening.

When Nico is finally out of sight, Jason turns around and makes the slow trek back to his apartment complex. A steady sigh of relief flutters from his lips as he climbs the steps.

He looks at Nico’s house from the distance, feeling settled for the first time all week.

*

Chapter Text

Nico should be asleep. He’s not normally the type to struggle once his head hits the pillow.

But his thoughts are on Jason, and once that starts, it’s hard to stop.

There’s a way Jason smiled today that differed from his normal enthusiasm. It’s much more reminiscent to the boy Nico first met months ago—the one who was careful in letting others in. Who skirted the line of being honest with himself and doing what was right.

Nico never really liked that Jason. His track record of seeing Jason Grace in New Rome was often met with a scowl or a roll of the eyes before Eros happened. His past irritation of Jason is miserably embarrassing.

 But…seeing glimpses of that Jason in the present worries him.

Jason’s birthday is next week.

The anniversary of his death, Jason had called it. Luke Castellan, son of Hermes. Luke’s death first, Jason’s birthday second. A boy who had Jason’s heart in a way Nico knows but hasn’t quite grasped. It’s a heavy load on Jason. Nico…doesn’t really like that, either. Or the fact that Jason is weighing whether or not it’s right or wrong to celebrate.

So, before he can help himself, Nico tosses a drachma in the rainbow streams of sunlight at his window and calls a name. A cloud ripples in front of him. Nico gets the view of bunkbeds and wooden scenery, like the walls of a boat.

“Nico!” Percy’s grin is the first thing he sees. “You’re up pretty early for a Saturday, aren’t you?”

“Oh.” Nico blinks—his own voice coming out blearier than he expects. “I…was actually trying to get a hold of Annabeth.”

A hand appears in the corner of the cloud, the one stripe on Annabeth Chase’s arm prevalent from her short stint in the Legion. She looks up from a stack of books with the word Architecture written on the spines.

“I told him to take the call,” Annabeth explains—then she arches an eyebrow as she inspects Nico. She repeats the same sentiment. “You’re up awful early.”

“I haven’t gone to bed yet,” Nico says—which gets both of their attention. “Why, what time is it?”

Percy stares at him oddly. “I dunno, like…5am, bro? Your time?”

Nico stares back blankly.

“You spend all night gaming again?” Percy asks.

“I…had a question.”

“Yeah? What’s up?” Percy’s image fades in and out, as though he’s trying to focus the cloud on himself.

“A question for Annabeth,” Nico corrects himself—and watches Percy pout with disappointment. “About Jason.”

At the mention of Jason, Percy’s pout turns into a frown. He eyes Nico suspiciously in a way that makes Nico want to roll his eyes—but Nico knows that isn’t enough to deter Percy. Very few things are. “What about Grace?”

“Percy,” Annabeth warns—and she nudges the son of Neptune out of frame. She looks up to Nico, and the concern flickers in her eyes. “Something wrong with Jason?”

Nico hesitates.

“Well,” he starts slowly, “his birthday is coming up.”

Annabeth doesn’t hide her discomfort behind a smile the way Jason does. Her gray eyes waver—at a careful line between a warning and curiosity—and she sets her architecture book down. Then—she feigns a casual tone. “Is it?”

Nico eyes her carefully. For all of the awkward tension aboard the Argo II, he doesn’t know if it’s possible for Annabeth to forget her best friend’s birthday. Then he realizes her eyes hold a warning. The same one Percy often received when he was nothing more than Son of Neptune, Athena’s sworn enemy.

“July 1^st,” Nico says. “He wants to go to Camp Halfblood for his birthday.”

This time, Annabeth’s expression twists with confusion. “He does?”

“For a memorial service of sorts.”

The moment he says that, Annabeth looks less surprised. She lowers her head into a short nod. “Ah.”

She’s guarded in the way she speaks—but Nico can hear it in her voice. The, that makes more sense about Jason Grace. Nico’s lips twitch downward, and he slowly arches an eyebrow. “But not for his birthday.”

“Do he and Thalia have plans?”

“Yeah. To not celebrate it,” Nico says. This time, he can’t help the mild frustration in the tone of his voice. “I just can’t understand why.”

Annabeth gives him another look, like he’s handing over a loaded gun. He knows she’s smart—she wouldn’t be in charge of designing cabins for the gods at Camp Halfblood otherwise. But Jason’s birthday is clearly a more sensitive topic than he expects.

Which is why Jason doesn’t want to celebrate it, Nico reminds himself. Still, he can’t help but dislike the decision.

“Jason has complicated feelings about his birthday,” Annabeth says finally.

“I know,” Nico says—and he tries not to take what Jason said last night personally. How Jason’s heart was still in the Fields of Eternal Punishment. “The prophecy. When he—what happened to Luke. I know all of it.”

“Right,” he suddenly hears Percy mutter. A look of irritation flutters across Percy’s face and he crosses his arms over his chest. Percy’s been trying to follow the conversation—even if he isn’t too interested in the subject matter. “That guy.”

If Annabeth notices, she doesn’t say a word. Instead, her expression darkens, and she settles in her seat. Nico knows that look well. He’s had it on his own face plenty, when he doesn’t want to talk about something.

“Jason said Luke used to bring him cupcakes on his birthday,” Nico continues. “I don’t mean to sound callous—but why not celebrate it?”

“Because Jason doesn’t want to,” Annabeth says.

“Jason doesn’t always do what’s good for him,” Nico retorts—and the words slip out more quickly than he intends. Red flushes in his cheeks as Annabeth and Percy stare at him oddly. “I mean—he’s doing it out of a sense of duty, like he always does. Has he ever had an actual birthday?”

“Well,” Annabeth says. “Bianca and he used to sneak out of Camp Halfblood and pretend not to be demigods for a day.”

“I know about that too,” Nico says. He’s sure he’ll find himself in front of Bianca’s bedroom door in the upcoming hours, but he’s not too happy about Bianca discussing Jason’s love life at the moment, either. “Has he had one that’s about him, though?”

Annabeth flashes him a hardened stare, her lips pressed into a straight line. “No. The prophecy’s hung over his head since Alecto brought him to camp.”

“So why not celebrate it?”

“Because of all of the terrible things that—”

“That coincided with his birthday,” Nico rephrases for her. He crosses his arms over his chest and stares at her expectantly. “This past year was hard on everyone, but—Jason’s lived with the expectation that he’d never make it past sixteen. That prophecy is behind him now. Isn’t that worth celebrating?”

He waits to hear her rebuttal—but she doesn’t have one. Instead, Annabeth turns to Percy, who shrugs. Finally, she looks back, and a sigh escapes her lips.

“Jason’s my best friend. I would love to celebrate Jason’s birthday,” she admits. “But you know I’m not the one you need to convince.”

At her concession, Nico can’t help feeling relieved. At least she doesn’t think it’s a stupid suggestion. “I know.”

“So what are you going to do about it, Neeks?” Percy asks. There’s a way that Percy stares at him that’s deeper than Percy will say aloud—but Nico refuses to acknowledge it.

Instead, Nico is silent for a moment longer.

“Do what I do best,” Nico says finally. “Confuse him.”

*

Thalia stares at him in surprise when he brings it up Monday morning on their walk to the praetor’s office. Nico doesn’t find himself uncomfortable in Thalia’s presence often—but in this particular case, part of him does wonder if he’s pushing too much.

“I,” he says slowly, “just don’t think a day that’s supposed to be about him should be turned into another day he worries about other people.”

“I know,” Thalia agrees. For the first time in her retirement, she looks aged. Nico doesn’t see it on her face often—but then he reminds himself that any time Jason Grace and Thalia were brought up in the same breath before, he’d turn a blind eye. Nico hated Jason at the risk of losing Thalia—and now they both stand in front of the principia with Nico pushing for her brother. Thalia’s brother, which Nico previously questioned the authenticity of more often than not. He wonders if she picks up on it too.

She sighs—looking wearier than Nico’s ever seen her.

“I’m new to this whole big sister thing,” Thalia admits, and she crosses her arms over her chest. “We spent two months on an extended vacation—but there were boundaries. Jason’s private. I’m…private.”

Nico would normally argue that Thalia is the most brash person he knows—but it wasn’t until the end of last winter that he learned Thalia’s last name and that she had a brother. The only detail she shared was that her mother was dead to her. After losing everything, ten-year-old Nico had taken that to mean they were the same.

He does have one argument, though.

“You’ve been the best big sister I could’ve asked for after what happened to Bianca,” Nico says. “My best memories in New Rome are the ones where you made sure my birthday was celebrated.” 

Her lips lift into a warm smile. She ruffles his hair—and if it were any other person, he’d protest. Instead, he smiles back, knowing she feels better.

“We did talk about it,” Thalia confesses. Her tone of voice gives away how disappointed she was in the way that conversation ended. “Jason told me he was just happy to be living in New Rome. He’s relieved to have that dumb prophecy behind him. I…just don’t want to push him into something he’s not ready for.”

“Being told he might die before he reaches sixteen is a hard thing to hear,” Nico agrees. “He’s not battling anyone, though. This is a celebration of his life.”

The longer Thalia stares, the sweeter her smile becomes. She arches an eyebrow.  “You’re really pushing for this.”

Red flushes in Nico’s cheeks. “I…have a lot of faith in your brother. He’s a good guy.”

“Hey.” Thalia gladly claps hands on either side of Nico’s shoulders. She grins. “That’s more than I can ask for, Neeks. My two babiest of brothers getting along peacefully.”

“Not a baby anymore,” Nico grumbles—and his ears tingle as she laughs affectionately in his ears. “You’re…okay with it, though?”

“Given I’m hearing it from the praetor who single-handedly convinced the court of Olympus to claim all of their children and honor all of the other gods—”

“Not singlehandedly.”

“—I’d be an idiot to trust anyone else,” Thalia finishes. She smiles warmly and claps her hands on his shoulders again. “I’ll be your fill-in on the day of, Praetor di Angelo.”

“You’re sure,” Nico continues skeptically. Her eyes hold the age as her SPQR tattoo does—the many years of service she’s given to the Legion and to taking care of him.

“A whole office to myself,” Thalia says, with a sparkle in her eye. “With my girlfriend.”

“Signing paperwork.”

“I’ll leave the important documents for your signature,” she reassures—and she waves her hand dismissively. Before Nico can sigh with exasperation, she studies him, her eyes dimming ever-so slightly. “We didn’t celebrate your birthday this year, did we?”

Unfortunately, Nico’s birthday was swept under the rug of the other Great Prophecy when Gaea was the bane of their existence. When building the Argo II was more important, and he found himself at the midpoint of Piper, Reyna, and Thalia’s love triangle. He keeps the Mythomagic cards Reyna gave him during their reunion close, though—along with the picture of Bianca. Not that he’d ever tell Bianca that.

“Make it up to me on my next birthday,” Nico says. “Right now I just want to make sure Jason feels appreciated.”

Thalia studies him once more, her lips spreading into a warm smile. “You and Jason.”

Again, Nico tries best to hide the flush in his cheeks. “What about it?”

“Nothing,” Thalia replies. “Just…thank you, Nico.”

Again—Nico flushes red. He kicks his foot into the dirt and rubs his tattoo thoughtfully. “So—here’s the plan.”

*

He gets his schedule moved around eventually. Even before he explains his reasoning, Reyna is more than happy to take back duties as praetor. There’s a way that Reyna perks at getting to work with Thalia again that shows just how much they care about each other. (She promises Nico that her excitement for Thalia and Nico taking a break aren’t related.)

In their impromptu senate meeting, they put pressure on their centurions to lead by example and get along with visiting Greek demigods. He emphasizes that ex-Praetor Thalia is already thinking of punishments for disobedience. Nico knows better than to trust a bunch of teenagers not to stir up drama—even in the most militant setting. For all he knows, Dakota is going to sign him up to marry penguins at the San Diego Zoo.

Everything seems to fall into place. Except for Bianca.

The morning before Jason’s birthday, Nico has his duffle bag packed. He finds his sister in the living room, editing photos from a recent trip Jason and she made to the Golden Gate Bridge. Nico takes a moment to glance over her shoulder and enjoy the sight of Jason with his imperfect smile, with the faint little scar. In front of the cloudy San Francisco Bay, looking like nothing more than a tourist instead a demigod counting down the end of his life.

“The lighting’s good in this one,” Nico comments over the couch. “Jason’s smile is nice.”

Bianca perks at his comment. She beams at his compliment, her hand hovering over the trackpad of her mouse.

“You have any idea how hard it is to get that smile on camera?” she asks. “It’s the one thing he can’t do on command.”

“Really?” Nico asks. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything other than a smile on his face.”

“That’s because you’re not trying to get him to pose.” Bianca huffs—evidently with an inside joke that makes Nico a little envious. “I like this one, though.”

“Print it, then,” Nico says. He gestures to another thumbnail in her computer, where both demigods are together. “This one, too. This house could stand for more decorations.”

There’s a way that she beams at his words that makes his chest swell. She scribbles something in a notebook, then gestures to his duffle bag. “You running drills with everyone?”

“I’ll be gone until tomorrow.” Nico shakes his head. “Jason and I are heading to Camp Halfblood for a memorial service.”

Almost instantly, Bianca’s smile melts. She turns fully from the couch and stares at him in confusion. “I…thought there was a memorial service here. For everyone who died because of Krios.”

“Thalia and Reyna are handling it. Thalia was senior praetor when that battle happened, so it only makes sense.” For the first time since Saturday, Nico takes his brain off autopilot. He stares at her with just as much confusion. “Did I not tell you?”

“Neither of you told me,” Bianca says—and her expression twists into a frown. It takes a second before Nico realizes she’s offended.

“Jason wanted to go back for a memorial service, and I volunteered to go with him,” Nico says. “Thalia, Annabeth, Reyna, and I made a plan for his birthday.”

He opens his mouth to explain the rest of the plan, but it evidently irks her more. Bianca props herself on her knees and stares at him. “Annabeth knew he was coming?”

“Well, yeah—she’s his best friend.” Nico curls his hands around his duffle bag. “She’s the first one I called.”

“Nico, I’m his best friend, too. And I live across the hall from you.” Bianca’s hands curl into the couch and she frowns. “Jace doesn’t want to celebrate his birthday—there are too many bad memories about it.”

“Bad things that were out of his hand and fell on his birthday,” Nico corrects, for yet another person. “I thought of all people, you’d be all for celebrating Jason’s birthday.”

“Then why wasn’t I important enough for you to tell me?” Bianca asks—and she sounds hurt.

Nico stares back at her, stunned. “I—I thought you knew.”

“Of course not. Neither of you thought to say anything to me.” She furiously shakes her head and curls her hands on the couch cushion. “And—this whole thing is a bad idea! You’re out of your mind if you think what Jace needs right now is a birthday party.”

“I’m out of my mind?” Nico retorts, his cheeks flushing with an embarrassed heat. “What was going through your head when you told him to start dating again?”

Bianca stares back at him, with an expression that matches his own. Surprise—but maybe Nico hadn’t expected to bring that up, either. “You talked about that?”

“He was a ball of stress over it,” Nico chastises, and his lips press into a frown. The same lump swells at the pit of his stomach like when Jason first told him days ago. Not his own feeble jealousy over it—but his own frustration at his sister.

“Well—with everything going on, I figured moving on in his love life would make him feel better,” Bianca protests, and her cheeks grow with a flustered heat. “You’ve never even met Luke, Nico—what makes you think you know what’s best for Jace?”

“What makes you think you know?” Nico asks just as heatedly.

“I was actually there!” Bianca huffs once more—but this time the ire is all in her voice. There’s only anger and irritation at him. “I was there for those times with Luke—”

“No you weren’t,” Nico snaps. “You chose to leave, and then you died.”

Bianca’s argument dies in her throat. She looks back at him, stunned, and her eyes ripple like an overfilled pool.

He realizes the intensity of his own words—which is rooted in an irritation far before Jason Grace was ever in the picture.

A sigh leaves Nico’s lips, and he presses a hand to his face. “Bianca—”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Nico’s own voice diminishes. In the windows of the foyer, he sees the blurry silhouette of one son of Hades. Even from the other side of the glass, there’s no doubt in Nico’s mind that Jason is wearing a smile just as warm as Bianca’s photo.

He sighs. “Look—I’m sorry. I thought I told you. I thought—maybe Jason told you.”

“How could you when you’re hardly around to begin with?” Bianca’s voice cracks as she narrows her gaze at him.

Nico grimaces. He pushes the innate frustration far down to the pit of his stomach. And as evenly as he can make his voice, he explains, “I’m trying to ask if you want to come to Camp Halfblood with us, Sis.”

This time, Bianca is the one who flushes, flustered. “I’m not going to go to Camp Halfblood because you feel bad, Nico.”

“I’m not asking because I feel bad. I mean—I am, but—argh.” Nico pinches the bridge of his nose. “You’re putting words in my mouth.”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The door rattles again, and Nico can almost imagine Jason’s worried expression on the other side. He turns towards it, and Bianca pulls him back by the shoulder.

She stares at him pointedly. “If you had the right words to begin with then we wouldn’t be in this predicament.”

“Coming,” Nico calls to the front door—and then he turns back to his sister, annoyed. “This isn’t a predicament. You’re being difficult.”

“You’re being too simple-minded!” Bianca stands to her feet, laptop and camera gathered in her arms.

“Hi, Nico,” Jason says when he comes to the front door. The sight of his smile makes Nico’s stomach somersault. It’s almost enough for Nico to forget his frustrations—but Jason lets them in anyway, by peering overhead to Bianca. “Hey, Bianca. Thanks for letting me borrow your brother for a few days.”

For the first time since Nico’s known Jason, Bianca’s anger actually looks directed at the son of Hades, too. She boils over and scowls at him—to the point that Jason’s smile fades ever so slightly.

“Um,” he asks slowly. “Everything okay?”

“Fine,” she snaps venomously. “Perfectly fine. Thank you so much for telling me about your plans, Jace. You’ve always been so good at keeping me informed.”

“Stop that,” Nico snaps back with just as much ire. It’s then he turns—to see Jason blinking with confusion, gaze flickering between both son of Juno and daughter of Hera before settling on Nico.

“I—” Jason stops short, and his expression flashes with confusion. “Sorry, did I do something wrong?”

“Ignore her,” Nico instructs—and he gives the other demigod a reaffirming squeeze. “She’s just being a brat.”

“Brat?” Bianca reiterates—and her face flares with anger. “How dare you call me a brat—!”

“If you’re going to say no when I ask if you wanted to come, and scream at me, then I’m going to call you a brat,” Nico snaps back—and he heatedly starts pushing Jason out the door. He’s met with a body as stubborn as a brick wall, and eyes that ring with confusion.

“Um,” Jason says. “What’s going on?”

“Hold that thought,” Nico instructs—and he ushers the son of Hades just out of the door frame. Jason takes Nico’s duffle bag as it’s handed off—then the latter demigod shuts the door.

Nico paces back to the couch, where not even ten minutes ago, Bianca and he were in better spirits. This time, Bianca looks at him with a scowl that could match their godly mother’s. Nico waggles a finger before his sister can, jabbing it in her direction.

“When you cool off,” Nico hisses in a hushed tone, “call Reyna and Thalia, and they’ll tell you what’s going on.”

Bianca’s expression hardens, and her hands curl over her equipment. Her lips etch into a frown. ‘You think just because you’re a leader of this camp now that you can just boss me around like one of your cadets?”

Nico resists an aggravated growl and presses a hand to his face. “Bianca, I don’t have time for you to act like this right now.”

For some reason, that’s the tipping point for his sister. Suddenly, she stands taller at her place—looking bigger than before, but still very small as the tears shimmer in her eyes. Her face flushes red with anger, and she gets in his face.

“You’re right,” Bianca snaps at him. “You don’t have time for me. Neither of you do.”

And then she whirls around—marching straight to her room.

The door SLAMS shut as she closes it behind her.

*

Jason stands like a dutiful coat rack outside, one duffle bag curled in his hand and the other propped on his shoulder. He stares at Nico, as perplexed as before—while Nico feels awful. He’d rattled on the bedroom door a few times—but after a solid minute of silence, he knows Bianca’s hardheadedness had gotten the better of her.

“Everything okay?” Jason asks, when Nico finally drags his feet out the door. “Bianca’s—”

“In a mood,” Nico replies with deadpan. He takes his duffel bag from Jason, then laces their fingers together, pulling at the son of Hades like a gust of wind. “C’mon. I’m sure we’re already running late.”

Of course—with how tall Jason is, pulling him along is like dragging a tree behind Nico. Jason doesn’t budge. Instead, he looks onward with much more concern. “Are…you okay, Nico?”

Nico bites back a curse. He rubs his eyes tiredly and exhales a sigh. “There was a misunderstanding. But Bianca has her head so far up her—”

He halts, as he watches Jason’s eyebrow raise in the air, bewildered. Then he heaves a sigh.

“Nothing you need to worry about. You’ve already got enough to worry about,” Nico says eventually. Still, he can’t shake the frustration in his own chest at his sister. He forces it away—knowing Jason will only worry more if he finds himself in the middle. Instead, Nico gives Jason’s hand a gentle squeeze.

Still, Jason looks doubtful. Nico wants to smack himself, because there’s already a wrinkle between Jason’s eyebrow and they’re still a day away from his birthday.

“Jason,” Nico says—probably with more ire than he intends. “What would happen if you put yourself between Bianca and me?”

“I,” Jason starts slowly. He stops. “I wouldn’t get a word in.”

“Exactly,” Nico replies—and his cheeks flush as Jason’s lips twitch. “So, let’s get through your birthday—because this trip is about you, and getting through tomorrow. We can talk about me any other time.”

He readies himself for shadowtravel, his hand firm against Jason’s own. A second passes—and then another, before Nico realizes Jason is studying him.

“Okay,” Jason says gently. “But I’m holding you to that.”

He stares down at Nico, his charcoal eyes dutifully worried, and Nico feels the heat flourish in his cheeks.

Before he can muster a response, Jason sinks them into darkness.

*

Much like the last time they were at Camp Halfblood, everything is in chaos. Nico finds himself struggling to pay attention to everything happening at once.

This time, it’s not because of onagers, Octavian’s nasally voice, or a giant Mother Earth out trying to kill mankind. Instead—

“Jason!”

Jason, son of Hades, gets assailed by a gaggle of children the moment they arrive at Camp Halfblood. They emerge from the shadows at the center of camp, hands intertwined. Nico manages to steal one last glance at Jason—to see Jason still staring at him with the same worry from the west coast.

Then—Jason is quickly snatched up by dozens of children, yanking and tugging at his arms with excitement. Nico gets separated from the son of Hades as a child no older than nine bustles next to the Jason, pushing in front of him while Jason looks puzzled.

“Careful,” Jason chides—light and effervescent, even from the meters of distance Nico suddenly finds himself in. Kids climb Jason like a hefty tree—and he stands, stable in their presence. “What’s the fire, guys?”

He collects a five-year-old, scooping her up in his arms, and she squeals with glee.

The orchestra of voices are garbled, but the sentiment is the same: “You’re back! You’re back! You’re back!”

Then, as Nico tries to process that, a set of hands cover his eyes and yank him close. “Gotcha!”

If it were anyone else, Nico would knee them. But—“Percy.”—is an exception.

He whips around, partly annoyed, and finds the son of Neptune grinning from ear-to-ear. Percy’s eyes light up at the sight at him—for the first time in person rather than over an Iris Message. “How’d you know it was me?”

“I know your BO anywhere,” Nico retorts—and then he matches Percy’s grin. Percy throws arms around Nico—and like always, pulls the son of Juno well off the ground. Much like the end of every summer, Nico finds his own gruffness melting with a grin as he hugs Percy back.

“That was a stern voice I was hearing from you,” Percy jokes. “Reyna’s stern voice is rubbing off on you, bro.”

“Who do you think taught her?” Nico jokes. From the corner of his eye, he catches sight of cinnamon brown hair—and Hazel’s sunset-colored eyes.

“Hey, big brother,” Hazel greets—and she smiles at him sweetly. She’s no longer on crutches, like how Nico left her in the spring. Burn marks decorate her arm—scathed from the final battle with Gaea. Hazel doesn’t let his gaze linger long. Not before rolling to the tips of her feet to greet him with a hug. 

“Hey, Sis.” Nico smiles and hugs her back, his frustration with Bianca shrinking into an ache to be dealt with later. “Hi, Frank.”

His old centurion smiles back at him, dressed in Camp Halfblood’s orange Pegasus shirt rather than the regal purple that Nico and Percy helped him fill. There are two stripes on Frank’s arm—one for retrieving the Fifth Cohort’s eagle staff, and another for his efforts in defeating Gaea—but Frank looks more comfortable here than he did on the west coast.

“Ave, Praetor di Angelo,” Frank says. Nico bites back a laugh as the son of Mars goes as far as saluting.

“At ease, soldier,” Nico orders. “I’m a guest in enemy territory. I should be the one saluting.”

Frank makes a face, evidently flummoxed in any situation where Nico would salute him, and Hazel giggles. Percy claps him on the back with a warm laugh. Then, Annabeth Chase’s voice erupts from somewhere behind Percy.

“You would not believe,” she says, “how much of an uproar the kids made when they heard Jason wouldn’t be here this summer.”

She sports a look of amusement, her curly blond hair pulled back. In the sunny weather, Annabeth’s legion tattoo sits firmly on the inside of her forearm—but the assortment of colorful beads is louder around her clavicle. Almost as loud as Jason’s, who said his entire life was on one leather string.

Nico looks back so the son of Hades, who suddenly crouches at a third of his height to converse with the younger kids. There’s an ease to Jason’s smile that lacked the week before—and for the first time, Jason doesn’t emanate with the nervous energy that Nico had noticed on those midnight runs. But—it reminds him of the Jason he met a long time ago.

“He puts on a good act,” Nico notes aloud—which garners more attention than he intends.

Annabeth suddenly looks back at him, surprised, while Nico feels his cheeks flush.

“I didn’t mean—”

“He’ll get tired eventually,” she reassures him. “The trick is actually getting him to tap out.”

On cue, Jason peers up from his tiny cohort of children. His eyes fall to Nico first, and Nico feels his heart stutter. A tiny, apologetic smile curls against his lips—and Nico reluctantly lifts a hand to dismiss it.

He watches as Jason perks at the sight of Annabeth and manages to pry himself away from all but two children. Jason’s smile grows at the sight of his childhood friend.

“Hey,” he says—and Annabeth smiles back before reaching out for a hug.

“Hey, yourself,” she greets gently. She pulls away and looks at both of them curiously. “No Bianca?”

The mention of Bianca immediately sours Nico’s mood. It apparently shows on his face, too. He jumps as Jason touches him on the shoulder with a reassuring squeeze—before anyone else can notice his sore expression, too.

“No Bianca,” Jason affirms. His tone is tentative. “She had other things going on. I think.”

“Really?” Hazel asks, surprised.

“I,” Jason starts. Stops. He looks back at Nico. “I hope so.”

This time, Nico waves his hand a little more emphatically. “My fault. Don’t worry about it.”

Jason’s worried look is wasted on him. Nico is insistent on keeping him as far away from that argument as possible. What he doesn’t expect is for Hazel to lift a brow, while Percy slaps another hand to Nico’s back.

“You’re on vacation now! You’re supposed to be relaxing,” Percy declares. “We’ll have to row a boat out on the canoe lake. The naiads here are pretty funny. The Stoll Brothers taught me most of the bad words in Ancient Greek already. Oh—aw man, tonight would be perfect for Capture the Flag! Too bad we’re not having it.”

“Is tugging me around your idea of relaxing?” Nico asks dryly. Still, his lips etch into a warm smile, happy at the sight of Percy on the east coast. He turns next, to Jason, who’s already in a quiet conversation with Annabeth, his lips pressed into a tighter smile than before.

Nico catches a few words.

“…more people coming…ready for tonight…”

“Is that why there isn’t Capture the Flag tonight?” Nico interjects—which catches both of them off guard. He peels away from Percy’s grasp and faces both Annabeth and Jason instead. “I thought the memorial service was tomorrow.”

Jason and Annabeth exchange looks. The son of Hades shifts uncomfortably in his spot—but Annabeth curls a hand on his bicep to stop him.

“A lot of the battle was today,” she explains. “The evening is when a lot of kids fell. The last person to die—”

“Was Luke,” Jason finishes, and his expression hardens ever so slightly. “Right after midnight on my birthday.”

“Yeah,” Annabeth agrees, and she eyes him carefully. Nico remembers the visions—how Annabeth screamed in a pool of Luke’s blood, until her voice was raw. Jason’s trembling hands, and the look on Jason’s face, that no one else seemed to pay attention to. The one he didn’t want attention for.

There’s a way Jason’s hand twitches. He cradles it before it can tremble—and he smiles evenly. “We’ll celebrate today. It’s only right.”

“Then I should come with you,” Nico insists. He stands upright and gestures to his badge. “The camps are integrated now. I’m an ambassador from New Rome. I should be there to help things go smoothly.”

Annabeth and Jason exchange looks. Nico doesn’t even want to know what look Percy is giving him from behind. A contemplative look passes across Jason’s expression—and then he reaches out and touches Nico’s shoulder.

“I just want you to enjoy yourself,” Jason says finally. He gives Nico a gentle squeeze. “Relax while you’re here, okay? We’ll meet up later.”

“Relax how?” Nico’s lips contort into a frown, which sparks an amused smile across Jason’s face.

“In a way that doesn’t have you working.” Jason gestures to Hazel and Percy behind Nico, who both stare back curiously. The corner of his lip raises with amusement. “You’re in new waters now, Ambassador di Angelo. It’ll do you well to learn the culture.”

Nico’s cheeks flush at the words, flustered by Jason’s effervescence. There’s even a way that Jason smiles, filled with a warmth that makes his brain stutter.

“Okay,” Nico settles on finally—and he flashes a wary look. “But I’m here for you, Jason. Don’t forget that.”

Jason’s smile fades ever-so slightly. He tilts his head to the side, before a wider smile curls against his lips. “Thanks, Nico. I’m really glad you came.”

“Any time,” Nico says—when he remembers he can talk.

Jason gives him one last smile before he’s whisked away by Annabeth. Both of them are followed by a gaggle of children.

Nico can’t help but watch. At least until Percy slings an arm around him.

“C’mon, bro,” Percy says. “I’ll show you how to weave a peace treaty into a basket.”

*

Camp Halfblood looks better than how Nico left it a few months ago. Most, if not all the infrastructures have been fixed since the battle with Gaea. Annabeth has done swift work to construct new cabins for the minor gods.

Hazel dutifully tells Nico that the reversed-U shape will turn into a Greek omega, while Frank is more formal in the tour, explaining all of the benefits that Camp Halfblood has to offer—including campfire singalongs, enchanted plates, archery and swordfighting classes, and so on.

“Careful, Frank,” Nico muses. “You sound like you’re trying to recruit me.”

Frank flushes red and smiles sheepishly. “I just want to make sure you get the best experience out of Camp Halfblood while you’re here.”

Nico’s not sure if that’s possible, with Jason elsewhere and Bianca angry at him. But, he watches as Hazel giggles and hooks an arm around her boyfriend’s.

“He might still feel bad for choosing Camp Halfblood after everything that happened,” she explains blithely.

“Well,” Nico reassures, “no one’s stopping you from coming back.”

He holds back a laugh as Frank looks at a loss, tugging at his collar. “Um.”

Percy erupts with a cackle worthy of Thalia, slapping a hand to Nico’s shoulder, which makes the latter demigod smile a little wider. It’s the first breath of fresh air he’s been able to take since the summer started.

Which is exactly what Jason wanted, he reminds himself.

Which is exactly what Jason needs, he sourly points out.

They make a beeline towards Hera’s Cabin once Frank’s tour winds down. Nico briefly sees Annabeth introducing Jason to the Hades Cabin, but Jason’s head is turned away from his line of sight. Trying to stifle his disappointment, Nico pulls his duffle bag over his head instead and opens the door to his mother’s cabin.

Hazel hooks an arm with his. “I’ll help you get settled in.”

Nico blinks at her—and how aggressively she’s holding his arm—but doesn’t protest. “Sure.”

Percy opens his mouth to speak—

“We’ll just be a few minutes,” Hazel promises, and she smiles in a sweet way that wouldn’t raise anyone’s suspicion.

“Sure,” Nico repeats, and he bites back his concern.

Seeing Cabin Two after all this time feels weird. The lily-lined garland and fire catch Nico’s attention—followed by the statue of his mother. Her appearance is different from the Juno Moneta—softer, somehow, without feeling any less regal. In the few months since learning his parentage, Nico’s gained a new tattoo and officiated ceremonies under her name, but each instance he isolates himself with his mother doesn’t feel any less strange. He’s Nico di Angelo, son of Juno, after so many years as his father’s kidnapped charge.

“I swear her eyes follow you around,” Hazel mutters—and she shudders.

“It’s because they do,” Nico says. “Mother knows best.”

The look Hazel gives him isn’t a pleasant one. “I can’t tell if you’re joking.”

“Neither can Frank,” Nico says. He sidles off his backpack and reaches into one of the pockets. Then, he places an offering in his mother’s brazier. The alter rests at the bottom of his line of sight, where months ago Jason and he rested after their long quest delivering the Athena Parthenos.

He squashes the disappointment in his chest, that Jason isn’t here with him now.

Instead, they walk to a space behind Hera’s statue, where two beds rest on opposite walls with only a wardrobe to separate them. There’s no doubt the second bed is for Bianca—two of the Queen of the Gods’ only children—but the sight of it just makes Nico more annoyed.

“Oh,” Hazel says, surprised. “I didn’t know that Hera’s cabin had beds.”

“It usually doesn’t,” Nico says. “But, if Mammina’s going to have a guest, then there’s no way she’d be a terrible host.”

The moment he says that aloud, Nico can practically hear his godly mother’s statue tutting—you’re not a guest, passerotto, you’re family.

The bed sheets are smooth and immaculately tucked.

“Are those Peter Pan bedsheets?” Hazel asks—which, sure enough, is decorated in Disney’s Boy Who Never Grew Up.

Nico flushes red. He throws his duffle bag on the bed. “I went through a phase.”

There’s a plush of Peter Pan sitting on his green pillow, which makes him wonder when Mammina realized he enjoyed Peter more than Tinkerbelle. Nico puts it on a nearby bookshelf, which is lined with weathered books. Some of them look like they could have come from his bedroom in Venice, nearly a hundred years ago.

“Bianca told me she didn’t stay here often,” Hazel says. “Only when she really needed guidance. And that led to her getting blasted to Ogygia.”

Nico’s not sure how often his two sisters talk. Hazel’s words don’t surprise him. He peers back before moving to unpack his minimal belongings. “Dad already had a tight grip over her fate. I think Mammina tried to loosen that grip, but the harder she tried, the further away Bianca actually ended up.”

Until she could no longer be claimed by either the King and Queen of the Gods. Instead, Bianca steered her fate towards Artemis’s Huntresses and drove straight into death. Nico’s blood boils at the reminder.

“So why is Bianca far away now?” Hazel asks—and she gives Nico a pointed glance. Too pointed.

Nico knows better than to dodge the question from Hazel. He heaves a sigh. “Because she’s a brat.”

“Nico,” Hazel chides.

“Because I’ve spent the last four days trying to plan out Jason’s birthday and apparently neither of us mentioned to her that we were going out of town,” Nico says. “And because she’s a brat.”

Hazel doesn’t look convinced, so Nico continues his explanation. How the morning quickly turned into a battle of what was right for Jason, and how his sister wasn’t even willing to compromise, when her request was even more ridiculous than his own.

“What right does Bianca have to push Jason into dating again?” Nico rants, his face twisting with irritation. He thinks back to when Jason mentioned it, and just how that sentence seemed to make the son of Hades anxious.

“Why does that bother you?” Hazel asks. She lifts another eyebrow, evidently confused. “Whether or not Jason starts dating again?”

“Because it took him sixteen years to admit the Fates dealt him a bad hand,” Nico retorts. “And nearly a whole year to admit he was angry with her. Bianca really thinks she can just come back into his life and just push him into dating, after everything she’s put him through? That everyone’s put him through?”

Hazel stares at him even longer. “You feel very strongly about this.”

Nico bites the inside of his mouth and pushes hair out of his face. “I just. I know him.”

“Really,” she says suspiciously, “after a couple months, versus the sixteen years it’s taken for him to open up?”

“Traumatic quests will do that to you,” Nico replies wryly—which Hazel doesn’t protest. “Anyway—I apologized and asked her if she wanted to come. She told me she didn’t want to come because I felt bad.”

Hazel mulls over his words. “It sounds like Bianca just wanted to be mad.”

“Thank you,” Nico grumbles.

“So what’s she actually mad about?”

“What?”

“Bianca talked to Jason, and Jason came to you,” she replies. She gestures to him, the burn marks on her arm rippling like an open flame. “Her little brother. And then you went to Annabeth, his other best friend. And Thalia, his sister. Where does she fit in all of this?”

Nico wrinkles his nose. “Why would she need to fit in all of this?”

“She did, once upon a time,” Hazel protests—and she gestures to the other side of the room where Bianca’s bed has velvet dolls and a princess canopy.

The moment she does, Nico understands. His stomach twists into another knot and he massages his temples. “I really thought she knew. Between Jason and me.”

Jason, who went to Nico, who went to Annabeth, then to Thalia. Really—Annabeth was already out of Nico’s normal scope of people, but she felt needed for Jason.

Annabeth felt needed. Bianca apparently didn’t.

“You had a circle that took care of you when you got out of the casino,” Hazel reminds him, as though reading his mind. She nudges him gently. “Bianca had Jason.”

He sighs softly and leans into the bed, defeated. There was a passing thought when he was trying to formulate everything—one to tell Bianca—but it did just that. Pass over Nico’s head. “I just—I don’t think of her first. But I don’t do it on purpose.”

“Circle,” Hazel repeats. She touches his arm reassuringly. “Let her cool down first. Then call her.”

“Who says I’m calling her?” Nico huffs—and Hazel rolls her eyes.

“There’s a denarii with her name on it in your pocket—which I know because you always have some spare change for an Iris Message,” Hazel says. Nico blushes.  

“You seemed to get to the root of the problem quickly,” he notes.

At that comment, Hazel looks reluctant. She pulls a lock of hair behind her ear shyly and shrugs. Red stains her cheeks. “She’s not the only one that had to work to get into your circle, big brother.”

Nico stares back at her in disbelief. But sure enough, Hazel looks more timid with that admission. He thinks back to their first few days together, when he helped her fly and they both stumbled over their words. They seem so far away now, while this conversation flows as smoothly as a summer breeze.

He pulls her close into a hug and presses a kiss to her cheek.

“Thank you for the advice,” he replies honestly. “Have I told you you’re my favorite?”

At that question, Hazel bursts into laugh—one that makes Nico feel a little more ease.

At least one of his sisters still liked him.

*

True to his word, Percy tugs him around to see everything camp has to offer. It’s different from the militant lifestyle of Camp Jupiter. If Nico didn’t see it for himself, he wouldn’t have believed that basketweaving really was a part of Jason’s regiment growing up. Some kid named Malcolm leads the charge in crafting—and Percy doesn’t fail to explain how crafts alongside wit is what helped Annabeth find the Athena Parthenos.

There are swordfighting and archery classes, which are filled with an assortment of kids. Nico recognizes old Legionnaires, who much like Percy, found something on the east coast that they couldn’t find at Camp Jupiter. As they catch sight of him, some salute like Frank, and Percy slaps Nico in the arm until he waves back.

There’s an armory—but it’s far less formal than the Legion. Hazel informs Nico that Piper’s infamous knife belonged to Helen of Troy and just happened to be collecting dust in a far corner of the wooden shack.

(Hard to believe, considering that knife is the only reason Jason and he made it out of Disney World alive.)

It was good for demigods who weren’t sure what they wanted to pick up yet. Hazel’s own longsword came from wanting a blade that could stretch towards the sky—firm like their father’s lightning bolt with the ability to deliver a blow on the back of her demonic steed, Arion. Apparently, one of the reasons Hazel and Leo were so close was because he designed her a sword to that specification. She’s so sure in the way she wields it that Nico has no regrets approving the expansion of his ex-boyfriend’s shop.

Nico recalls the days where Frank, Percy, and he walked through the Forum with the hopes of finding a good fit for their newest legionnaire. While legionnaires had areas that they had a knack for or specialized in, everyone started with the same pilum and sword, and received the same standard training.

Nothing about Camp Halfblood feels standard or structured. Everyone is happy and carefree, despite having two wars under their belts.

Then, Nico remembers most of that structure and stress was put on the shoulders of one demigod, and that makes him wrinkle his nose more.

Eventually, both Frank and his sister get called away to teach classes. Percy apparently bribed someone to take his shifts for the day.

“Jason told me the satyrs raised him,” Nico says aloud after they pass the strawberry fields. He notices a handful of satyrs plucking fruit or blowing into their reedpipes. It’s a far cry from being buried in topsoil. “He galloped until he was five.”

Percy flashes him an odd look.

“What?” Nico tries his best not to frown.  

“Nothing,” Percy says innocently—and they slowly teeter towards the canoe lake and settle at the edge of the boardwalk. “You can’t seem to go longer than a few minutes without mentioning Grace.”

Red flushes in Nico’s cheeks and he glares at Percy. “I think this is literally the first time I’ve mentioned him.”

“Is it,” Percy asks with deadpan—which irks Nico more.

“Gee, Percy, I’m sorry I’ve taken the conversation away from Annabeth so much,” Nico replies dryly.

“Apology accepted,” Percy promises. Then—“Hey. I haven’t mentioned her that much.”

“Care to tell me more about how Annabeth faced Arachne with pipe cleaners and a makeshift net? How she built a giant finger trap?” Nico retorts. “Or how else Annabeth wants to draw inspiration from Camp Halfblood’s surroundings and old myths for the rest of the cabins? Or how funny she sounds when she switches to Latin and rolls her Rs—”

“Bro,” Percy says—and he punches Nico halfheartedly in the arm. “Shut up.”

Nico only nudges back—knowing full well that he has the son of Neptune cornered. Percy whips out two Kool-Aid’s from a cooler. Despite his annoyance, riling Percy only makes him smirk.

Nico doesn’t realize how much he’s missed Percy’s company until they’re together. At least he doesn’t have to worry about Percy unreasonably yelling at him. He doesn’t think he can ever really accept being Percy’s commanding officer, when he’s looked up to the son of Neptune so much.

He just wishes Jason wasn’t an issue for Percy.  

“I don’t understand why you dislike him so much,” Nico says.

“Funny. I can’t understand why you like him so much,” Percy grumbles—and he’s met with a swifter punch to the arm. “Ow!”

“Bro,” Nico mocks, “shut up.”

Percy rolls his eyes. He readjusts over his place on the dock and takes a sip of his own drink.

“I think what you’re doing for Grace is nice,” Percy admits. “You’ve always been a nice kid, Neeks. But if Grace can lie to his own sister for months, then there’s no telling how willing he is to lie to his boyfriend.”

“If only we could all do whatever we want,” Nico remarks. “Instead of being told to save the world a thirtieth time because the Fates said do it.”

Percy eyes him irritably. “Low bar.”

“That’s definitely what you’re going for.”

Percy hums in response. The orange Pegasus shirt is a different change of pace against his skin, but he doesn’t look any less like the son of Neptune that Nico grew up with. Which means he already has another tactical response on his tongue, as he wipes his blue-stained lips.

“You didn’t do the thing,” Percy notes.

Nico frowns—because Percy glances in his direction suspiciously. “What thing?”

“Tell me he’s not your boyfriend,” Percy says.

The irritation broils in Nico’s stomach. He fiddles with the plastic fastener on his Kool-Aid and nudges it into the floorboard. “Because he’s not.”

“Good,” Percy comments. “Keep it that way.”

“You need to stop,” Nico chastises. “If it weren’t for him, you’d still be possessed by a ghost and worshipping the Dirt Queen. Or worse.”

Percy doesn’t really muster a response. He makes a face, arms crossed over his chest. “Look—he’d be easier to hate if he wasn’t so damn nice.”

“Is that why you hate him?”

“It’s a reason to,” Percy huffs—which aggravates Nico more. “If you’re going to date Jason—”

“I’m not.”

“—then be careful what you’re getting into,” Percy finishes begrudgingly. He takes another swig of his Kool-Aid like downing a shot, the reaches into the cooler for a second one. Percy flashes a skeptical look in Nico’s direction—one that’s less harsh—and annoyed for his other usual reasons. “A guy like that is only tightlipped when he has something to be tightlipped about. You’ll never know what side he’s on.”

“Percy,” Nico rouses once more. It’s not often that he gets irritated at the son of Neptune—but the longer they talk about Jason, the more he finds himself in that boat. “You were fine with him back on Olympus. You just sound like you’re needing a reason to dislike him.”

“I don’t need a reason to dislike him. That serves no purpose. He’s done a lot for Olympus and has had a pretty shitty life.” Percy shrugs. “I just don’t like him with you.”

“There is no him and me,” Nico insists. He tries not to sour at that declaration—but Nico lost sight of Jason hours ago. He’s not sure what he expected when he volunteered himself for this trip. Certainly not to be on Bianca’s bad side for a worthwhile reason. Or to get a dumb lecture from Percy.

Maybe more time with Jason than he’s been able in the past month. But that’s far too hopeful.

Percy stares at him carefully. “You’re planning something for his birthday, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“You came with him to Halfblood for this anniversary or whatever, instead of Thalia or Bianca, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“You slept together in Hera’s Cabin,” Percy continues, “didn’t you—?”

Nico knocks the Kool-Aid out of his hand.

“Hey!”

“Don’t phrase it like that,” Nico snaps. “Why do you know about that?”

Percy is quick to will the sugary drink back in its plastic container—but they both look at the bottle, waiting to see if the son of Neptune will drink his juice with a few more splinters in it. Then, Percy snorts and salutes Nico halfheartedly. “Hi, Cabin Two Counsellor. Maybe you know me—I’m the camp counsellor who sleeps two doors down. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”

“Stop that. Nothing happened. Nothing will happen.” Nico looks back to Percy tiredly. “Now, please stop, unless you want me to give you the third degree about Annabeth.”

To his surprise, Percy arches an eyebrow, looking genuinely confused. “What’s there to give the third degree about?”

Nico stares. And stares. He opens his mouth to speak—but ultimately decides against it. Instead, he takes another sip of his Kool-Aid.

“You don’t have to worry about Jason and me,” Nico repeats. He pauses, after placing himself against the son of Hades. An ache settles at his chest, and he curls his hand against the neck of his drink. “There is no Jason and me.”

Percy studies him carefully, much to Nico’s chagrin. Nico considers demanding Percy to stop once again—but his old centurion finally concedes.

“Good,” Percy repeats instead—and he places the Kool-Aid back in the cooler. “Keep it that way.”

If it were possible to roll his eyes any further to the back of his head, Nico would.

“Keep it what way?”

Without warning, Jason’s head appears in Nico’s shadow. Percy yelps—and immediately slams his splinter-y Kool-Aid bottle into Jason’s head. The bottle explodes on contact—causing Jason to make a noise of surprise and disappear back into the planks.

“Jason!” Nico bolts to his feet. Then he turns around to Percy, who looks nothing less than annoyed. “Really, Percy?”

Percy looks at the mutilated kool-aid bottle in his hand and emphatically gestures to his silhouette. “I’m sorry Praetor di Angelo, that my reflexes are so quick from training that I went into attack mode with what could have been the palest, blondest, ugliest spider I’ve ever seen. At least it was that and not Riptide!”

“Take that back,” Nico snaps, and he jabs a finger in his old centurion’s chest.

“Which part?” This time, Jason appears from Nico’s shadow with Annabeth in-hand. He doesn’t look injured in any way—but his pale hair sports a bluer tint than usual. Jason rubs his forehead thoughtfully and looks back to the son of Neptune, who only huffily holds his guard. “Hard to forget that mean right hook of yours, Percy.”

Nico glares at the son of Neptune, who’s probably annoyed that Jason is willing to compliment him even after getting doused in sugar water.

“Sorry,” Percy grumbles finally—and guiltily. “My reflexes kicked in.”

“Good reflexes,” Jason compliments. The corner of his lips lifts into a tentative smile. He nods his head in Nico’s direction. “I’ll peek through Nico next time. I think he’s a little more used to me sneaking up on him.”

“Is he now?” Percy replies wryly—though whether Jason picks up on it is up in the air. Nico resists the urge to push Percy into the water.

“You get used to it when it’s Thalia’s favorite way to scare Reyna,” Nico explains. He peers at Jason from the corner of his eye. “And from traveling together.”

For the first time, Nico watches as pink glows in Jason’s cheeks. He awkwardly rubs his arm. “Sorry.”

“I wasn’t complaining,” Nico points out—and he feels his own face flush as Jason’s lips lift.

He almost forgets Annabeth is there, until she reaches forward to touch Percy’s arm with familiarity. She rolls her eyes. “It’s not much different from Nico or Hazel coming out of the sky, or you pretending to be a sea monster to scare the little kids during canoe lessons.”

Percy rolls his eyes and gives the broken Kool-Aid bottle to Annabeth’s expectant hand. “Yeah, but I actually like—”

He halts when he notices glares from both Annabeth and Nico.

“Good prank, Grace,” Percy grumbles finally.

“Um,” Jason replies, “not really a prank. But thanks.”

The black Pegasus on Jason’s chest suddenly catches Nico’s eye. Much like Percy and Annabeth, Jason sports Camp Halfblood’s orange shirt beneath his string of camp beads, looking like every other camper on the east coast.

“You changed fast,” he notes before he can help himself. Nico practically jumps when Jason’s gaze turns towards him. The sun catches in his Smurf hair—and still, Jason looks more embarrassed than anything.

“The Kool-Aid got everywhere,” Annabeth explains—and she pats Jason sympathetically on the arm. “At least you know where your closet is now, Jace.”

That nickname also catches Nico’s attention. For as long as he’s known them, Bianca’s the only one who’s ever called Jason that. But—he looks at them now, and notices Jason falling into Annabeth’s orbit more comfortably than before the war.

“Yeah,” Jason agrees—and he tugs at the hem of his own shirt. “Hard to believe there’s so much space in there now. It’s…”

He trails off.

“Spacious?” Nico guesses.

“Spacious,” Jason agrees with a mild sigh. He smiles in Annabeth’s direction. “You did a good job. It’ll feel weird not putting everything in a trunk when I come visit.”

Annabeth lights up at the compliment—just as lively as Jason. “Not that you’ve ever filled it before.”

“Are you still busy preparing for tonight?” Nico asks.

The exhaustion already shows in Jason’s eyes. Nico genuinely pities it. Then—Jason’s smile shrouds it. He reaches out to touch Nico’s shoulder. “We are. I just wanted to make sure you were okay after what happened this morning.”

Oh. Nico’s cheeks flush with heat, the concern from Jason overwhelming. He crosses his arms over his chest, the irritation swelling.

“Why, what’d you do?” Percy asks—and Nico resists the urge to smack him.

Jason’s eyes flit between Nico and Percy, evidently asking for permission.

“Nothing Jason needs to worry about right now,” Nico replies sternly. “I’m fine. Thank you, Jason.”

Much like Percy, Jason seems doubtful of his words. Nico has to ignore it so he doesn’t get annoyed again. Luckily, Jason doesn’t press further the way Percy has. “I’m surprised we found you out here.”

Percy eyes him carefully, then gestures to the lake. “Freshwater. It reminds me of the Little Tiber. I do my best thinking out here.”

Hearing that softens Nico’s irritation against Percy. But only a little.

“It’s a nice spot. I haven’t had the chance to visit yet today.”  Jason agrees. “I usually do my best thinking running.”

“Have you been doing more of that lately?” Nico asks. The question falls out more quickly than he intends—loaded since their talk the other night and almost out of place. Jason stares back at him curiously, evidently not expecting it.

“Jason’s spent all morning running around and checking in with all of the other cabins,” Annabeth points out. She crosses her hands over her chest, looking mildly tired, and nudges Jason in the shoulder. “Of course you haven’t had the chance to come by the canoe lake yet. Not that you’re much of a swimmer.”

“Not that we ever had a lot of swimmers out here,” Jason muses lightly. He keeps his gaze fixated on the edge of the boardwalk, then picks up Nico’s discarded drink fastener before tucking it in his pocket. “The lake’s a nice quiet place to get away from people.”

“You’re in no short supply of them today, Grace,” Percy remarks—to which Jason offers a tired smile.

“It’s like I never left,” Jason admits.

“You must be due for a break soon,” Nico says—and he gestures to the Kool-Aid glittering in Jason’s hair. “At least for a shower. From Percy’s reflexes and all.”

“Guilty,” Percy replies flatly—though he seems to have no intention of apologizing.

“I don’t think I’m much of a chosen one if I can’t handle a Kool-Aid bottle to the face,” Jason dismisses. “I’m fine. I’m really more worried about you, Nico.”

Red flushes in Nico’s cheeks, his hands twitching at his sides. He pretends not to notice Percy eying him with exasperation, and instead rubs the tattoo on the inside of his arm.

“Don’t be,” Percy says instead. He claps Nico on the back, amused. “I’ve got everything under control, Grace.”

Jason looks between the two of them, while Nico resists the urge to bury his head somewhere.

“A break, Jason?” Nico asks again, trying to keep his voice even.

Annabeth and Jason exchange looks. Jason opens his mouth to speak—and a clopping keeps him from answering.

“Jason,” calls a voice. “Annabeth.”

Off in the distance is a centaur with a distinguished face and a quiver full of arrows. It takes a moment—then Nico recognizes him as Chiron, the camp’s activities director. If not by the way he’s dressed, then by the way Jason’s shoulders sag.

“This will just take a second,” Jason promises. Then, Annabeth and he scamper off to join Chiron.

As Jason and Annabeth talk to Chiron, Nico thinks about the stories of Jason’s childhood again. How the fury Alecto brought Jason to camp’s borders and Chiron turned her away for being a bad monster. How one of the only adults at Camp Halfblood left a two-year-old to fend for himself and recruited more unprepared demigods for camp.

Even at the end of the war this past spring, Camp Halfblood’s adult supervision was a joke, and almost immediately fell on Annabeth’s shoulders with the announcement of a union between both camps. Nico hardly saw either of the camp directors, despite Dakota’s excitement to find a brother and see his dad.

Needless to say, Nico’s not the biggest fan of the “adults” here. Even less so, when Jason’s smile seems to fade. Jason looks over briefly, looking less assured than before. Nico can hardly help his own disappointment.

“I’m betting that’s a no to that break,” Percy guesses—and even he sounds less exasperated at Jason. More pitying.

Almost on cue, Chiron reaches out and nudges Annabeth and Jason in the opposite direction. Annabeth mouths a sorry over her shoulder—while Jason keeps his sight forward.

“You’d win that bet,” Nico begrudgingly agrees.

*

Calling the trip to Camp Halfblood a total failure would technically be a lie. While he doesn’t need an excuse to see Hazel, it’s nice to have one. She has a special niche of swordfighting, where she teaches students how to wield a longsword while riding a steed.

Percy laughs with the pegasi as he would with the unicorns at Camp Jupiter, calling it an accent and a dialect thing. Nico’s just glad that after almost a year awake, Hazel has found a place that makes her happy.

Her presence is almost a full cure for his bad mood. Almost. His fight with Bianca is at the forefront of his mind—with gods-knows-how he’s going to bare his teeth and apologize. If not the inevitable conversation with Bianca, then Percy’s pestering about liking Jason doesn’t lighten his mood either.

Nico doesn’t like to think about when he started liking Jason. It’s tangled in the stress of preventing a war and processing how Jupiter tried to erase his parentage—and by far the least important thing to happen on that trip.

At some point between Epirus and Long Island, Nico found himself in thought-provoking conversations with a smile that lit up the darkness in the hue of Jason’s eyes. It wasn’t the smile at the end of a courteous handshake, from Mister Perfect Ambassador Grace—but from an earnest teenage boy who spent too much of his life shrouding his emotions in shadows. Jason had a hard time finding pride in being a son of Hades. Nico is determined to never find it as a son of Jupiter.

Talking to Jason is easy. It’s different from the sisterly advice he receives from Reyna and Thalia, or the chatter with Percy—who all three helped build him into the person he is. Maybe without that support system, Nico would be different. Maybe he’d be a little more like Jason—a little lost in life and struggling to find solid footing for himself.

And maybe, Jason and him being alike is why talking to Jason is easy. Even if Nico finds himself fumbling over words as of late. Each conversation with Jason makes time feel irrelevant—something that Nico doesn’t have a lot of these days.

And, on the eve of his seventeenth birthday, Jason doesn’t seem to have a lot of it either. He’s pulled by Chiron, by younger kids, by older kids—and just the weight of the day itself.

At the end of the day, Nico can see that weight.

Dinner is filled with twice the feast—to offer double the offerings to their godly parents, and thrice as many to the King of the Dead, whom they pray will protect their late siblings in the afterlife. Nico dismisses a confused eye from Chiron and eats with his sister at Zeus’s table, all while making goofy faces with Percy from the Poseidon’s table.

It’s definitely the stupidest thing Nico’s ever heard of. For how big Camp Halfblood’s Mess Hall is, the tables are unbalanced with kids falling off the edge of full benches.

Annabeth tells him it used to be worse. Nico’s appalled at the idea of Reyna once being here, stuck at Table Eleven where Hermes is supposed to guide travelers. Why guide a person who already knows where she belongs—as the proud daughter of Bellona and praetor to the Twelfth Legion.

Seeing Jason alone at the Hades table is even worse. He’s fresh and clean—in yet another Camp Halfblood shirt and lacking Smurf hair—but by himself. Nico doesn’t know if Jason would be any less alone if he was still at the Hermes table.

Chiron corrals everyone with a speech—of how brave everyone is and how proud he is of everyone who fought. In all of his years as a mentor, he’s never seen a braver class. He holds Jason Grace up as a hero, which is met with a timid applause.

Nico would argue that isn’t fair that Chiron’s lived so many years, when there are many who no longer will. Many children and many monsters.

More than once, he looks over to Jason, who’s sitting quietly at his table. He debates on going over, but several other campers beat him to it—either to sit down and discuss something inaudible with Jason. To grieve, like they used to before Jason left. Nico’s not sure if Jason actually gets a bite of food in.

“You’re staring,” Hazel notes.

“No I’m not,” Nico insists—and he continues to look.

Then, they find themselves outside where Jason sits on a log next to Annabeth and kids go through the motions of campfire songs. As the sun stretches across the sky, so does the weariness of all the campers who relive the battle from a year ago. Each cabin takes turns recounting stories of their brave siblings during the Battle for Manhattan.

For Nico, the day started with Reyna and Thalia leading the charge on Mount Tam. It ended with Saturn’s throne usurped, and Krios’s ichor staining his sword. The day after that was a strange peace as the adrenaline to wear off—and every legionnaire received mandated counselling to discuss the only war that their generation had seen (so far.)

Camp Jupiter had grief counselling in place, advised from the daughter of the King of the Dead, and the daughter of war, whose own family was disrupted from her father’s PTSD. From Nico’s own experience losing his sister without a moment’s notice.

Camp Halfblood had Jason.

Sixteen-year-old Jason Grace who helped kill many monsters and demigods on the other side of the war, before taking a knife to his Heart. The one that now dwells in the Fields of Eternal Punishment.

The same Jason Grace who probably put up as many funeral rites as his sister, helped hang flags, and swore to see battle again. The one who’s back in Camp Halfblood’s shirt, accented by the fourteen beads at his collarbone, and wields the courteous smile that Nico despised so much when they first met.

Like he never left, Nico muses wryly.

The cabins take turns singing hymns in honor of their parents around the campfire. Even the ones with only one or two campers. Nico recognizes Pollux—who holds Gwen’s hand and offers food and prayer to his late brother. Nico makes a mental note to call Dakota later to make sure he’s okay.

“Maybe I should’ve gone to Camp Jupiter,” Percy murmurs regretfully—and Nico squeezes his arm.

“A year ago your mom wasn’t even sure if you’d make it home,” Nico reminds him. “I bet she’s happy you’re only an hour away right now.”

Percy smiles—but much like himself, Nico knows he’s exhausted. Death isn’t an easy subject for anyone. Not even for the children of the king—the daughter who was reluctant to push boundaries with a brother she thought was dead, and the son who put the anniversary of someone else’s death over his own birthday.

At the end of the last song, Jason finally rises—looking akin to every other camper there. The oranges of the fire warm his pale skin, and shadows paint his face. He holds a smile—but a troubled one.

“I,” Jason starts. His voice quickly diminishes, his gaze to his feet. He squares his chest and unfurrows his eyebrows, then surveys the crowd around the campfire. He fastens a hand over his notebook. Nico thinks back to the visions he had in Croatia—where in a blink of an eye and splattered blood, Jason went from Camp Halfblood’s fearless warrior to a teenager. A kid processing death.

Jason touches his neck because he’s nervous. Nico wonders if he’s the only one who notices.

Everyone is quiet in his presence. The chosen one.

“Last year was hard,” Jason says softly. “War is hard. So much so that no one god holds dominion over it. My best friend attest to that.”

Annabeth smiles tiredly—and even that is riddled with a trepid history.

“We didn’t sign up for a war. Or to be heroes. But. In the eyes of Olympus, we are heroes. Not once, but twice now,” Jason says. “Tonight we honor the ones who aren’t here. The ones who laid down their lives so we can still live. We…talked about this prophecy for years. Some child of the Big Three deciding the fate of Olympus. That…doesn’t make me a hero.”

Jason’s voice cracks. Nico wonders if anyone notices that, either. The camp is silent, with only the embers of the campfire kindling between them.

“I…didn’t get there without you all. Without them,” Jason corrects himself. “So please. Talk about them for years to come. They’re the real reason why Olympus is still standing. They’re the real heroes. I just—”

He pauses, and his eyebrows shrivel together. It’s a longer pause, before Jason relinquishes a sigh—evidently dismissing whatever he was going to say.

Jason stands, his shoulders square, one hand over the other. He smiles. “Here’s to the fallen.”

Annabeth curls a hand against his bicep and leans in closely. It’s a far cry from the image they must have shown a year ago. “To the fallen.”

“To the fallen,” echoes the camp, in various, quiet notes.

The same words fall from Nico’s lips, his hand curled against Percy’s as they think about the ones they’d lost last year, too.

After another silence passes, Jason finally sits. Someone—presumably from the Apollo Cabin—strums a chord on a guitar, and they try to brighten the memorial service.

Nico stands to his feet before he can help himself. His steps are deafened by the new, more lighthearted music—and when he blinks, he’s in front of both Annabeth and Jason, who remain seated at the edge of the campfire.

“Hey Nico,” Jason greets. His smile is dimmer than this morning. Dimmer than near the canoe lake.

“That was—” Nico starts. Stops. “I didn’t know you were going to deliver a speech.”

Jason laughs awkwardly and clasps his hands together. “Neither did I. Chiron kind of sprung it on me last minute. He said a victory speech would be. I…never really gave one last year.”  

So that’s what that was.

“Too much going on last year,” Annabeth supplies softly. She pats on Jason’s arm sympathetically and they exchange an aged look. Nico can only guess—the huge feud between them, the whole Luke situation, the whole reanimating thing. He doubts Jason was up for a victory speech after losing so much.

“You’re better with your words than you think you are,” Nico says.

The edges of Jason’s lips lift. “Thanks.”

“I…didn’t mean it like that,” Nico says—and his cheeks flush, unsure of how to follow up with that.

It registers eventually, as Jason lowers his head in acknowledgement. He rubs his palm thoughtfully and stands back up, parallel to Nico. “I…reckon I could use that break about now. If you’re still available.”

Nico’s chest flutters. He crosses his arms over it in hopes to mask it. “Reckon?”

Jason laughs softly, the sound as gentle as the embers—and lighter, despite the heaviness of his speech. “Would you be up for cheeseburgers, Ambassador di Angelo?”

Despite his own wariness, Nico feels his lips lift at the name. He opens his mouth to speak. “I—”

“Jason.” A girl intercepts them, another hand to Jason’s shoulder. “Would…you mind coming to the Demeter Cabin? Some of us would really like to talk about Rose’s death.”

Jason’s eyes flit back to Nico, reluctant.

Every part of Nico screams for Jason to say no. Instead, he shakes his head. “I’m in enemy territory now, Ambassador Grace. I’ll just…stay here. And watch.”

The edge of Jason’s mouth lifts in attempt to muster a smile—but it falls just as quickly. “Sure, Katie.”

With that, Jason turns around and departs with Katie from the Demeter Cabin. Nico watches as Jason’s silhouette shrinks—until Percy claps a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey,” Percy says gently—his tone directed more specifically at Annabeth, then to Nico. “Maybe some Go Fish will lighten the mood. In the Neptune—Poseidon Cabin?”

He gestures off in the distance, where Hazel and Frank are waiting for them.

Annabeth smiles gratefully and gives his hand a firm squeeze. “Thanks, Percy.”

“Always, Beth,” Percy promises—then he directs his attention to Nico. “You coming, Neeks?”

Nico waits until he can no longer see Jason in the distance. “Sure.”

Then, for the umpteenth time tonight, they go off in the opposite direction.

Chapter Text

*

*

*

11:27PM is when Nico has a drachma curled beneath his finger, dabbling with the idea of calling his sister.

It’s been at least twelve hours since their argument, and Nico still isn’t sure how to have this conversation with Bianca. One that’s been a longtime coming since they had a Disney-esque heart-to-heart in a wedding chapel. Literally. Nico’s not sure where to start.

He stares up at the weathered books above his desk, with old bindings and covers from the 1940s. Then Nico looks across the room, to the princess canopy and dainty dolls adorning his sister’s bed. He can almost smell his grandmother’s cooking from the other side of the manor—first thing Saturday morning, when school wasn’t in session. When he’d clumsily (loudly) come into Bianca’s room and rustle her awake for homemade waffles.

“I’m sorry I made you angry,” Nico tests on his tongue, reminded of how she used to get upset that he’d topple over her dolls and ruin her tea parties. He fiddles with the coin between his fingers—then reaches for the denarii—the Roman currency.

It was the Romans, who took him in when he thought he lost everything.

But New Rome is different from the Rome that Bianca and he used to visit when they were little. When Mammina stayed with them more often than not, and their mother was happy. When they were all happy.

He remembers the days of insisting on saving a waffle for his big sister just as much as the ones where he bothered her. When she’d be excited to see him after a long day of school.

“I’m sorry I’m not five anymore,” he says aloud. Nico waits, sitting on his Peter Pan bed sheets, with the redheaded plushie tucked in his arm.

He sighs.

Really—at this point, it’s hard to tell who he’s apologizing to.

“Mammina,” he says, annunciating her name with exasperation. “I’m fifteen. Not five.”

He can hear the fire crackling at her brazier—and almost hears the sassy remark of, the toys in your bedroom say otherwise!

“Those are figurines,” Nico grumbles in protest—to no one in particular.

Maybe he’s losing it.

He dabbles with both the denarii and drachma—before ultimately placing them back in his change jar. There isn’t enough light in Hera’s Cabin to send an IM anyway. Not that he can guarantee Bianca would be willing to answer him.

Not that she’s entitled to his call. If Bianca wanted to talk to him, then she should just call him.

So maybe she doesn’t want to.

Maybe it isn’t worth mulling over. After all—she’s the one who slammed the door on him.

After he told her he didn’t have time for her.

After he thought he had told Bianca he would be gone for two days.

Did Bianca even know how to feed herself?

Surely she did. She lived in Camp Halfblood.

(With enchanted plates.)

She probably had days where she fended for herself with the Huntresses.

(By hunting small game.)

So Bianca’s cooking prowess ranged between hunting and magical plates. Nico’s not even sure how Bianca pays for her food. Unless Jason did it for her. He thinks back to the crumpled five-dollar bill that Jason pulled out of his pocket back in Odesa, when Nico instinctively expected him to pay for their dinner.

Nico shoves his frustrations—and coinage—to the other end of the desk, the irritation pulsing at the front of his head.

“No apology sounds good over the phone,” he decides. “I’ll apologize in person.”

He awaits an approving crackle from his mother’s fire—but the embers echo with an indifferent beat, and a mother’s—you’ll do the right thing when the time is right.

“What happened to mother knows best?” Nico asks irately.

Silence.

“Mum’s the word, huh?” With that being the case, Nico huffs and throws himself into bed. He curls into the sheets, glaring at the shared wardrobe at the other end of the wall. Go Fish had been a good way to end the depressing night—but it doesn’t leave Nico feeling better. For a number of reasons.

One reason in particular.

With hesitation, Nico rolls back onto his knees. He leans over and peeks out the blinds, across the Greek Omega that Camp Halfblood’s cabins will soon come to be.

Across the dozen cabins that have settled in for the night, the Hades Cabin is still lit.

*

Even after a day like his, Jason still has trouble sleeping.

After catching up with the younger kids in the arts and crafts classes, and checking up on the infirmary under Will Solace’s watch—then getting informed by Chiron that an eloquent speech was in order, to remember the fallen—he’s still restless. The last one in particular drained him of his energy.

Still unable to fall asleep, as he stares at the ceiling overhead. After a month with his sister to himself, having to come back and dote on every camper at Camp Halfblood feels…expected. Like most of his duties at Camp Halflbood before he left—a routine of taking care of others before himself.

Jason thinks back to what Nico said after his anticlimactic speech—how he’s better with his words than he thinks he is.

They haven’t traveled together in ages—and have hardly seen each other since Jason moved to New Rome—but Nico still knows how to find him.

If only Camp Halfblood didn’t make Jason feel so lost while he was here. Between playing with the little kids, helping out with grief counselling, and still…trying to make sure everyone else is okay. Coaxing them, after the death of their siblings. After he reanimated them. Coaxing the survivors through what happened last year also means talking about what happened once their brother or sister fell.

No matter how many years, Jason doesn’t know if it’ll ever get easier.

So—like every customary thing he’s done since arriving at Camp Halfblood, Jason decides to go on a run.

He’s halfway through changing out of his shirt, when he senses a soul on the other side of his door. A staticky one.

Jason waits—knowing better than to spook someone. Not after getting one Kool-Aid bottle to the face today. But—no knock.

Eventually, he walks to the front door and opens it. “Nico?”

Nico startles when they lay eyes on each other. He peers up, dressed in a loose shirt and basketball shorts. It’s a far cry from what Jason’s grown used to—either Camp Jupiter’s laurel against a royal purple, or the praetor armor.

A deaf minute passes between them.

“Hi,” Nico says eventually, evidently gathering his bearings.

“Sorry. Did I spook you?”

“No,” Nico replies—and his gaze is suddenly set on Jason, shoulders square. His hand twitches at his side before he gestures to Jason’s hand. “Are you. On your way out?”

“Oh,” Jason says, and he follows Nico’s gaze. He puts the shirt on, oblivious to Nico’s staring. “I was about to go on a run. I—”

“Can’t sleep?”

Jason bites the inside of his mouth. Coming from Nico is almost expected—but he hasn’t had that happen in a while. That’s honestly spookier than sneaking up on someone. “Am I that obvious?”

Nico snorts, his hands curled over his chest. “Well, that and it’s only 8:45 in Cali right now.”

Jason’s lips lift into a smile. “I take it that’s why you can’t sleep either?”

“I’m. Usually playing games with Percy right about now. I think he and Annabeth snuck off somewhere.”

“Really?” Jason blinks. “Like, together?”

Nico makes another face—holding an exasperation that Jason saw earlier today when they were at the canoe lake. “Honestly, I’m not even sure if Percy could answer that question.”

“Neither could Beth,” Jason admits—and he notices Nico perk at the nickname. “She said it had an easy ring to it when they were on the Argo II together.”

“I can’t tell you what it must feel like to have the entire camp rooting for you to get together,” Nico muses wryly, “and have no idea what’s going on.”

The corners of Jason’s lips rise into a smile. Percy isn’t a subject he’s pressed yet with Annabeth—but Jason knows he hasn’t seen her this happy in years. “Neither can I.”

They fall into an awkward silence, Jason’s hand at the door and Nico across from him. It’s not until now that Jason realizes it’s the longest they’ve been together since this morning. The day’s been spent being pulled in opposite directions.

“It’s almost midnight,” Nico says finally. Hesitantly.

A heavy weight presses against Jason’s chest. “Yeah.”

“Your birthday,” Nico continues.

“The anniversary of Luke’s death,” Jason agrees. His fingers curl awkwardly against the door, and his gaze falls to his feet. “I…was going to go on a run. To get my mind off of—”

“Do you want company?”

Jason halts. He peers back up at Nico, who stares at him somberly now. He thinks of the embers from the campfire, where the heat of Hestia’s hearth warmed Nico’s already-olive skin. It reminds Jason of travelling with the Athena Parthenos, with Nico in one arm, and Uncle Gleeson in the other. With less danger, and the same amount of heartache.

There’s less heartache on a normal day. This one just hits harder than the others.

Nico’s words are careful, with a light pleading. He peers up at Jason, cautious in demeanor, but sympathetic.

“I’d love nothing more,” Jason answers sincerely—and he widens the door for Nico to enter.

He already feels better when Nico crosses the threshold.

Jason watches as Nico inspects the exterior walls of Cabin Thirteen first—the abysmal black obsidian that seemed to suck daylight into its foundation. Torches with eternal flames hang on either side of an ornate entrance—pure gold, to signify his father’s other realm of power, decorated with a skull-shaped door-knocker and a spiked ring. Maybe Nico was too busy staring at the skull’s gem-encrusted eyes to knock.

Annabeth kept the interior simple. Gray wooden floors, gray interior walls. Jason has his trunk from his time in Hermes Cabin—practically empty from what he brought over to New Rome with him. After fighting over a bathroom with the rest of camp, she made sure he had one to himself.

Nico walks the length of the room, taking in the cabin silently while Jason watches from the door. Then, Nico stops. “Jason.”

“Yeah?”

“You don’t have any furniture assembled.” Nico looks over his shoulder. He gestures to an unopened box that holds Jason’s bedframe in disbelief. “Where were you going to sleep tonight?”

“I was going to assemble it,” Jason explains. “After my run.”

Nico stares at him as though he’s grown a second head. “The run you were going to take to tire yourself out.”

“Well, it’s only 8:45 in Cali,” Jason repeats—and the corners of his lips raise. Nico hasn’t looked at him this hard since he admitted to going to a nuclear plant. He reaches out and picks up an old alarm clock. “8:53 now, I guess.”

Seven more minutes until the anniversary of the worst moment in Jason’s life.

Nico pulls out a knife from who-knows-where.

“Um. What are you doing?” Jason asks.

“Getting your mind off of…things,” Nico says. He’s careful in avoiding Luke’s name. Nico strips the box of its plastic bindings and peers back up. “And building your bed. Something wrong with that?”

Jason opens his mouth to speak. Then closes it. He peers back to the door curiously.

There’s a short shuffle, as Nico pulls the large box closer to himself. He makes a face—one that Jason can’t quite decipher, but there’s reluctance there.

“Running has been…a solution. Maybe not the right one,” Nico says carefully. “Maybe a change of pace would be good for you.”

He eyes Jason, as though gauging his reaction. Nico doesn’t continue ripping up boxes. He doesn’t seem to want to, until Jason agrees. Which—is probably the first thing Jason’s allowed to decide all day.

A smile curls against Jason’s lips. “Maybe so.”

His bed comes in three parts—the bedframe, the headboard, and then his mattress—which is propped against the opposite wall. Jason decides against asking where Nico pulled his knife from—after all, Nico’s surprised him over less.

They alternate with the same knife, opening each box and crumpling packing sheets. Jason stares at the hilt of the knife—which is weathered from handling. It glows with an imperial gold sheen and looks like it’s never seen a dull edge.

“Thalia gave it to me.”

Jason looks back up, startled, where Nico is holding out a hand expectantly.

“I didn’t have a weapon when we left the casino,” Nico continues. “She keeps a spear in her mace canister. Thalia’s amazing at combat—but she knew she couldn’t keep her eyes on me at all times while making it back to camp. There was always a chance we could get separated.”

“Don’t I know it,” Jason murmurs. He hands the knife off and watches Nico slice open some oversized zipties.

Nico is thoughtful as he hooks the knife under plastic.

“Maybe losing you was the reason why she was so careful with me,” Nico points out. He grimaces in a way Jason doesn’t expect, then leans against the box. “It’s a bit of a stretch, but. Losing you is probably the only reason why Thalia was able to keep me alive. She didn’t want to risk losing someone else close again.”

Jason’s heart swells at the mention of his sister. He reaches out and slides panels out of the box while Nico holds it still. “I haven’t heard you talk about the casino in a while.”

Nico shrugs awkwardly. “Because I don’t like to.”

“Right. Sorry.”

Nico’s made it very clear when he’s uncomfortable discussing something. Jason’s learned the hard way. But—this time, Nico studies him as they push the empty box aside.His shoulders deflate. “It’s…just not a part of my life I like to remember. I…thought the worst thing that could happen to me was lose my sister. Then I found out it could get worse.”

He makes tick marks with his fingers, tapping each one carefully with his knife.

“My sister, gone. My mom, gone. Some guy with a lightning bolt thought he could stroke his ego and claim me as his kid and have me live out the next five years of my life as a total lie—” Nico’s tone is wry and annoyed—but Jason bites back a laugh. Only Nico di Angelo could reduce the King of the Gods to some guy with a lightning bolt. “Being gay is a sin—so my whole existence is just wrong because of my two moms.”

Jason’s heart hardens at the last one. Nico glares at his hands—but it’s with a rage that’s older than their friendship. “I’m sorry, Nico.”

To his surprise, Nico snorts and looks back up, irritated. “And everyone looks at you and offers their condolences—whether you want it or not. Like I’m a kicked puppy or something. No one would bat an eye at me if it weren’t the fact Jupiter was my dad.”

Oh. “Um. Sor—”

“No.” Nico closes his eyes and waves his hand dismissively. As quickly as his fire rose, it dies out. “Trust me, Jason. You’re the last person I lump with everyone.”

Again, Jason can’t help but smile. “Good to know I’m special.”

There’s a pause before Nico replies again. Red flushes his cheeks, and he reaches for the instruction manual. “Would I be here if you weren’t?”

Something else swells inside Jason’s chest. He’s not sure how to describe it. Instead, he leans over Nico’s shoulder.

Nico drops the instruction manual. He curses under his breath and scrambles to pick it back up. “Sorry.”

“No problem,” Jason says—and he studies Nico now that he has the chance to. Nico’s wind-swept, rumpled hair—and his long, graceful frame that holds the noble poise of the queen herself. The peacock tattoo is starch on the inside of his forearm—but Jason thinks Nico looks more like himself now than he did half a year ago, when they first met. “I’d say your life is pretty different now.”

Jason met Nico di Angelo, son of Jupiter, but parted the past spring with Praetor di Angelo, proud son of Juno. Nico built a family around himself the way his mother would have wanted—and reunited with his long-lost sister. Jason has nothing but respect for Nico—who seemed sure of himself, even when he didn’t know who he was.

Nico peers back at Jason curiously before he lowers the instruction manual.

“It is,” he agrees. He grazes the tattoo on his arm, like he knows Jason is staring. His nose scrunches—and he curls his finger against the peacock with a sigh. “I don’t like to think about the casino because I don’t want to think about how differently it could have gone. If…I didn’t have Thalia there. Or Percy and Reyna. They made all of the attention at Camp Jupiter a little less miserable.”

Jason tries to imagine a world where Nico didn’t have a family to support him. He can’t. “Bianca used to wonder all the time how different things would have been.”

At the mention of his sister, Nico’s expression dims—like other instances throughout the day. For every moment Nico is solemn, Jason’s concern grows.  

“I still don’t know what happened this morning,” Jason reminds him quietly. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

For all the time Jason had taken away today, Nico was still at the forefront of his mind.

Nico sighs in defeat. “I’ve. Been trying to figure out the best way to apologize to her.”

“What’s making it hard—?”

“The fact I have to do it in the first place,” Nico replies almost immediately. He waves his hands around, irate—before letting his shoulders sag. Nico glances in Jason’s direction—then glares at the ground. “Sorry. You don’t need to hear about this.”

Jason reaches over and places a hand on Nico’s shoulder.

“I’ve spent all day worried about you,” Jason confesses. “If I can do anything to help, then I will.”

Nico studies Jason carefully. Then he knots a hand to the front of his t-shirt. “Did you…happen to tell anyone that you were going to Camp Halfblood?”

“Well, yeah. Thalia. And Annabeth, so she knew I was coming.” Thalia had been mute in her reaction when Jason mentioned it—but maybe he didn’t notice over his own anxiety over the day.

The hours leading up to their trip, Jason couldn’t sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, campers from a year ago stared back at him. In shock and fear. Dead and alive. He left a month ago—but Jason’s life circled the Great Prophecy. That fate, on his birthday.

There was nothing heroic about it. About Jason. But—he stopped himself from mentioning that in his speech. It wouldn’t help anyone.

“Did you happen to mention it to Bianca?”

Oh. “Oh,” Jason says—and he’s quick to cock his head back to Nico, who meets him with a grimace. “No, I thought—I guess—”

Bianca and he spent most days together when Thalia was doing her own thing, or with Reyna. They’d recently taken a trip to San Francisco to take pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge. Much like Thalia, Bianca only brought up the subject of his birthday once—whether or not he wanted to celebrate it.

And—Jason’s never had a reason to celebrate. Not when his whole life was lain out in front of him before he could even say his own name. Once he said no, weeks ago, the subject dropped, and they found something else easier to talk about.

“It slipped my mind,” Jason says incredulously. He rubs his forehead. “I. Wow. Oh, gods—no wonder she’s mad.”

To his surprise, Nico touches his shoulder. “You had a lot going on. It slipped my mind, too. I—she’s angry with me, mostly. For pushing.”

“Pushing?” Jason repeats—and he watches as Nico’s cheeks dust with pink.

Nico bites the inside of his cheek and looks reluctant. More so, than insisting on building Jason’s furniture. “It’s…a long story. I. Hazel thinks she may feel excluded. Between her little brother and her best friend. Since both of us were blond enough to forget mentioning it to her.”

He stops and looks specifically at Jason’s hair.

“No offense,” he supplies.

“None taken,” Jason says. He rubs his forehead again and reaches for the bag of nuts and bolts. “I—should we call her? I don’t want her to take it that way. This whole trip was on a whim—I’d probably be worse off if you weren’t here.”

At that admission, one of Nico’s eyebrows dart in the air. He stares at Jason inquisitively—and coughs. “I’m sure Thalia and Bianca would’ve come if you asked.”

“I didn’t want them to,” Jason admits—and his face swells with heat. The words leave his mouth before he has the chance to filter them. “I just. It’s not…”

It’s not a side of his life that he likes to talk about very much. Nor does he ever want to expose his sister to it. Bianca was gone before his birthday. Thalia knows him past this point in his life, and it’s taken almost a year to recover what he lost with Annabeth. What they’re still recovering.

Out of nowhere, he finds Nico’s hand on his own, rubbing smooth circles against his wrist.

“It’s not something you like to talk about,” Nico echoes, his expression somber. “I get it.”

Jason exhales a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” Nico replies—and he retracts his hand before Jason can miss it. “This…day isn’t the best for you. Nothing about it is great. I just. I didn’t want Bianca to be one more thing for you to worry about.”

Jason’s eyebrows knit together. “Nico, I’ve been worried about you all day.”

Nico twitches, biting the inside of his cheek once more. “Well, please don’t be. I’ll make amends with my sister when the time’s right.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” Nico says gruffly. Sourly. And then it wanes—the weight of his own frustrations evident across his face. His lips press together in a straight line.

“Uh…are you sure?” Jason asks.

The irritation is concentrated—right under the rapping of Nico’s foot against the new wood floor.

Jason clears his throat. “I…know I’m not Percy, or Thalia—”

“I can’t be five years old again,” Nico says finally. He waves his hand so emphatically that Jason almost gets smacked in the process. “She used to get annoyed when I begged her to play with me. She always wanted to do her own thing—and I had to figure out how to do mine. I can’t help it that she’s not dead anymore—or that she left the Huntresses and broke up with her girlfriend, for me. I don’t need her to do that for me—I’m not that little kid anymore. I’m not worth the trouble.”

As he finishes his rant, Nico halts. He buries his face in his hand and groans, while Jason stares.

“Um,” Jason starts. Stunned. “Wow.”

“Sorry,” Nico offers again.

“No—don’t be.” Jason curls his hand around a baggie of bolts—then reaches to touch Nico’s shoulder. “I…can definitely tell you the one thing Bianca wanted more than anything in life was to be reunited with you. And you’re worth everything, Nico.”

Nico peers back up between his fingers, reluctant.

“She literally went to hell and back just for the chance to see you again,” Jason reminds him. He reaches out and brushes Nico’s hand from his face.

Nico snorts. “And all we’ve done since she’s arrived is argue. We argued in Disney World, over the right way to clean the house, over your—”

He halts, a glow to his cheeks. Jason stares back, confused.

“Over my what?” Jason asks—and Nico is quick to inch back.

“Over nothing.”

“Nico,” Jason chastises half-heartedly. It’s new for both of them, as Nico peers back at him, taken aback. “Oh. Um. Sorry—”

“I didn’t like her trying to push you to date again,” Nico confesses. He crosses his arms over his chest, his cheeks swelling to a darker shade of red. “It’s not her business.”

Oh. Jason stares back at Nico, surprised.

“It’s not my business either,” Nico quickly continues. His gaze is everywhere but Jason’s face, his hands curled over his biceps while he’s nervous. “But, for her to put it out there—now of all times—when she’s got her own issues with Piper, or whatever—I don’t agree with it. You—”

“I’ll date when I’m ready,” Jason finishes for him. Nico looks at him, taken aback at the affirmation, and Jason can’t hide his smile.

He heaves another sigh—realizing it’s the first time he’s said it out loud. Jason crouches, rearranging long ends of his bedframe. There’s a stutter of a second before Nico crouches too, and hands him the hex key.

“What…happened to your heart being in the Fields of Eternal Punishment and all?” Nico asks.

Jason’s chest clenches at the mention of that. “It is.”

For all he knows, it may always be in the Fields.

“But…someone told me that I’m allowed to be happy, too,” Jason says. He smiles as Nico’s cheeks warm—then places the hex key aside. The corners of his lips waver ever so slightly, and he studies Nico carefully. “I…want this day to be behind me. Some day. It’s just…getting there is a journey.”

A year ago, Jason was still stuck at the bottom of a pit, trapped with the Great Prophecy and the fears that came with being his father’s son. It wasn’t until this past spring that he felt like there may be an exit from the chasm. Coming back to Camp Halfblood is like walking over ice and waiting to for a crack.

Nico reaches over and places a hand on his shoulder and keeps him from falling.

“I’ve seen you on a journey,” Nico coaxes gently. “You’re pretty fearless, Jason.”

It’s Jason’s turn to blush. A smile curls against his lips, and he gives Nico a gentle squeeze. “Thanks. I had a pretty good quest partner.”

Nico mirrors his expression, a reddish glow to his own cheeks. He averts his gaze and pulls his hand away, quick to flip the page in their instruction manual. “Hardly. I’d still be condensation right now if it weren’t for you.”

For all of the stress that went into carrying the Athena Parthenos, he’s glad Nico and he survived through the trip. That this part of them did. Jason bites back another smile. “Can you believe we didn’t get a souvenir from Disney World? Not even a bad one.”

Nico snorts. “What—like a, ‘I Fought an Incel Near Mickey Mouse’s Head and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt’ kind of souvenir?”

“Or, ‘Keep Calm and Zombie On’ snow globe.” Jason’s chest swells as Nico laughs.

“I’m sure if you asked Coach Hedge, he’d have something for you,” Nico says. “He stole a lot while we were in Florida.”

“I don’t think I want to relive the amount of property damage I caused in Orlando.” Jason’s cheeks dust pink and he smiles sheepishly. He sits straighter and glances over the Nico’s shoulder for the instruction manual again. There’s a lull in their conversation, where Nico hums in agreement—then Nico silently hands him the next plank. “I’m really glad you came here with me, Nico.”

Their hands brush together ever so slightly. Nico peers back at him, his expression thoughtful. Then he shrugs. “Bianca and Thalia would have come if you asked. I just. Happened to be there when you were thinking about it.”

“I think I do my best thinking when you happen to be there,” Jason confesses—and he watches as Nico flushes. He tries to think of a better way to explain it—but can’t. Even in this one instance, when the rest of the day found them at opposite ends of camp, Jason feels his worries alleviated. “You and Bianca will figure this fight out. I can mediate, if you want.”

“You absolutely won’t,” Nico admonishes—and he eyes Jason. “Last time you tried that, Orion threw you out of a church window.”

“I came back,” Jason reminds him.

“Yeah, with one less shoe.”

Jason bites back a laugh.

Nico heaves another sigh and rubs his temples. “I’ll figure things out with Bianca.”

“I know you will.” Jason hesitates before reaching out to touch the other demigod’s hand. “There’s…no instruction manual for how you’re feeling right now. I don’t know what the protocol is for dead sibling that’s now alive again. You…may not feel like you’re that kid anymore, but I think the fact that you guys are trying so hard proves you’re still as sweet as Bianca remembers.”

Nico heaves another sigh, looking slightly embarrassed—then concedes. “Thanks.”

“Always,” Jason says.

Another silence passes, where neither of them quite say anything. Under the dim light of the cabin, Nico’s eyes are still as bright as daylight. His hair hangs in a clustered fringe after moving around boxes, and the evening light seems to accentuate his narrow frame.

A flake of Styrofoam lays at the crown of Nico’s head. More than one. Jason considers telling Nico—but he loses his voice for a moment. He’s not sure why.

Then, Nico turns his head elsewhere and smiles. “Guess what?”

“What?”

Nico stretches out of Jason’s field of vision, then returns with the old alarm clock. He points to the time. “We’ve been at this for almost an hour.”

12:37AM.

Thirty-seven minutes past the moment Luke died.

“Oh,” Jason says, his throat dry. Just…

Oh.

He reaches out and cradles the alarm clock in his palms—unsure of how to follow up on that. There’s a gentle pulse as it clicks against his hand—counting the seconds as they got further away from Kronos’s defeat. Away from Luke’s death. Instead of bolts and gears, his hands were stained red last year. Red from Luke, red from fallen monsters and campers…

And now, Jason’s in a cabin of his own after fifteen years, building a bed and the time unnoticed.

Luke’s death, unnoticed.

He barely registers Nico tapping him on the shoulder.

“Every journey starts with footsteps,” Nico whispers gently. “You’re doing great so far.”

Jason stares at Nico for a long time. Longer than he probably should. There’s a heaviness to his heart—but he’s not nauseous.

Eventually, he crawls back to building the bedframe.

They carry on.

*

A stretch of time passes before Jason talks again. Specifically because he misses the handoff when Nico holds out the hammer.

It slips between Jason’s fingers and lands on his foot, without one yelp or recoil. “Oh—whoops.”

“Jason,” Nico says almost immediately, his own heart rate spiking when the hammerhead lands with an echoing CLACK.  

“I’m okay—I spaced out for a second.” Jason bends over and picks up the hammer like nothing happened. He makes another sound. “Uh-oh.”

He holds both parts of the now-broken hammer in either hand.

Nico knows better than to laugh—but he’s never seen anyone break a hammer on a stubbed toe before.  The tiniest chortle flutters from the back of his throat. Nico’s hand flies over his mouth—but for a moment, Jason’s gaze look a thousand miles away.

“Safe to say that builder isn’t in my future,” Jason mutters sheepishly. Fortunately, the handoff was to put the hammer away. He places it in a toolbox, and they push the bedframe against the wall near one of the only windows in the cabin. “Can you help me with the mattress?”

“Sure.” Nico hauls one end while Jason cradles the other, and they carefully lay it over the spine of the bedframe. It lands with a resounding plop. The moment the mattress settles, both Jason and he hop onto the bed with a victorious sigh.

Building a bed is a first for Nico. The praetorhouse came with furniture funded by the Senate. Standard and militant, focusing on the praetor part first, and a home dead last. Before the invasion of Bianca’s wardrobe, they supplied him with the barest of furniture. 

The Hades Cabin, on the other hand—is dark and almost cavernous—with only one window beside Jason’s headboard. The ceiling is lined with square light fixtures filled with Edison bulbs. Their concentrated brightness reminds Nico of torches.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” Jason murmurs, his own eyes still fixated on the ceiling. “Annabeth suggested keeping the light as minimal as possible. Gives me as many shadows as I need to leave.”

Nico glances back at the window, where he suddenly notices blackout curtains. “My cabin just has my mom judging me in my sleep.”

Jason laughs softly, the warmth of it swelling in Nico’s chest.

“Do you like it?” Nico asks.

A smile etched across Jason’s face. “It’s fitting for my dad, I think.”

“But,” Nico says again, “do you like it?” 

Jason peers over carefully, his eyes darker than every shadow. His lips raise into another smile, admirable, and he nods. “I do.” 

Nico’s cheeks tingle. He fiddles with the hem of his sleeve and peers back up at the ceiling. “Good.” 

A soft chuckle flutters from Jason’s lips, the sound reverberating against Nico’s chest. But eventually, it fades, disappearing into the darkness. Nico can’t help but look back at the son of Hades. 

The lighting sculps Jason’s face with shadows and seems to highlight his more chiseled features. The room is dim—but his eyes are darker. More somber, while the lack of that smile paints the line of his mood. 

“I used to wish I had my own cabin,” Jason confesses softly. “Not so much for the privacy. I…hoped that maybe if I had a cabin, I’d eventually have someone to share it with, too.”

“Looks like your wish came true,” Nico says. “But I think Thalia likes you better in New Rome.”

The edges of Jason’s lips etch into a smile—one that looks more comfortable on his face. Nico remembers the nervous tick in Jason’s demeanor when Camp Halfblood was first mentioned a few days ago. When this whole birthday and visiting was mentioned. But—Jason finds comfort in his sister’s name now.

“I…think in a weird way, I was better off in the Hermes Cabin,” Jason admits. His voice is as strained as when Nico pointed out the time hours ago. Jason stares at the ceiling—studying it, even, but Nico knows he’s looking further. “I…never felt like I fit in. Putting me in a cabin all by myself would’ve just made me lonelier. Luke was good at making sure I didn’t feel that. Alone, I mean.”

He scoffs wearily—which is a new one from Jason.

“For all the good that it’s done me,” he finishes softly.

Nico lays flat for a moment, following Jason’s gaze. Jason’s expression is harder now. More distant, as he gets lost in the past.

“What did you want to say tonight at the campfire?” Nico asks, after a heavy stillness. Nico curls a hand over his own heart and bites the inside of his mouth as Jason turns back to him. “Before you cut yourself off.”

“You noticed?”

Nico shrugs as nonchalantly as he can muster. It’s not a lot.

“It’s been a tough day for you,” he says eventually. Gently. “I…just think the last person who needs to be hard on you is you, Jason.”

Again, the other end of Jason’s lips presses into a tight smile, grateful. It wanes ever-so slightly, and Nico waits.

“I,” Jason starts, with the same cadence as at the campfire. He stops. Waits even now, for Nico’s urging to continue. Every word after that is different. “I never wanted to be a hero. I never asked for Olympus’s weight on my shoulders. I…”

He pauses. Sucks in a breath.

“I never asked to be a son of Hades,” Jason continues in a soft murmur. “I…don’t want to celebrate this day. We won over Kronos, but…lives were lost. Too many. I…”

Again, he struggles, but again Nico waits.

“I took too many lives before they could find the peace they deserved,” Jason continues, his own voice cracking. There’s a gentle shimmer to his eyes, accentuating the harsh light fixtures, and he closes his them with a sigh. “For my own reasons. My own anger. My own heartbreak. I…took their agency. All of the other kids who were actually proud of their mom or dad, while I’m just…”

His voice diminishes, tone tight.

“I was just trying to get through the day,” Jason continues eventually.

Whether it’s part of his forgotten speech or just his own emotions, it’s hard to tell. But Jason clearly needs to say it.

Jason sits up on the bed, faster than Nico can register, and curls one hand over the other. “So I’m not a hero. I couldn’t even be proud as my father’s son a year ago. Not for what I did. I just…happened to be the unlucky kid that got chosen to do this. All the other kids—the ones that fought for their mom or dad’s throne, or for their families—they’re the real heroes. I’m just the kid that got stuck.” 

He laughs quietly, but only at himself. 

“I’m always going to be the kid that got stuck. Stuck remembering how many people died on my birthday,” he whispers softly. “Stuck knowing that each year this day passes, I get older while all of those other kids are gone. While Luke is—” 

He halts. The name sounds like sin on Jason’s lips—and it’s easy to tell that he’s only punishing himself. 

“Go ahead,” Nico encourages softly. 

Jason holds a breath. “Each year this day passes, I get older while Luke is gone, too. I get to remember every year on my birthday that it’s my fault.” 

Nico watches the silhouette of Jason’s back, as Jason falls quiet. He tries to think about the end of a war—where everything that could go wrong went worse. Where there was no coping mechanism for himself—not if he thought others needed it more. Even after killing his beloved.

He has to push the thought away. Nico came too close to losing one of those loves—Hazel—this past spring.

“Not much of a victory speech, huh?” Jason whispers, his voice gravelly.

Before he can help himself, Nico reaches out and brushes a hand against Jason’s shoulder blade.

“Your life’s pretty different now too,” Nico whispers back. “No prophecies. No quests. You’re a son of Hades by just being yourself. You’re retired, Jason.”

Eventually, Nico feels the tension wane beneath the tips of his fingers. Jason is slow in reacting. But he exhales again, reminding Nico so much of the boy in Croatia who finally let himself breathe again. Jason turns around to face him, one hand lacing around Nico’s own.

“Thanks, Nico,” he says softly.

“Always.”

They sit there a moment longer, hands intertwined as Jason grounds himself.

Nico…really doesn’t want to let go. He strokes the edge of Jason’s palm, thumbing his pulse the way he’s seen Thalia do a thousand times. The way he’s felt it.

His heart skips a beat, as Jason mimics the motion.

Then Nico bolts out of the bed—faster than a gust of wind—and he hardly registers the look of confusion that splays across Jason’s face.

“Um—Nico—?”

“We still need to find your bedsheets,” Nico interrupts, flustered. He keeps his face to the ground, heat boiling in his own cheeks. “Plus, there are bookshelves to be assembled. And another bed, for Thalia. I think this box is for a dresser. There’s not much use for it if it’s not assembled—not that you brought a lot of clothes anyway.”

He tries not to look back at Jason. The concern is apparent though—whether Nico chooses to look or not. “I…think they’re in the trunk.”

Nico pokes around carefully. He finds a black trunk sidled against the other side of the room, lost in the mix of many unboxed pieces of furniture. Nico can’t help but shake his head. What did Jason do exactly, after everyone went to bed? Where did he bother sitting?

“I can’t believe you waited this long to set up your bed,” he grumbles under his breath.

Jason laughs—having apparently heard him despite their distance. “I…didn’t exactly have the time to set one up today. I was fine with taking my mattress from Hermes Cabin.”

“I’ve seen the inside of Hermes Cabin. I don’t even want to know how old that bed is.”

There’s a silence. Then, “I’ve slept in that bed for most of my life.”

There’s no bitterness to Jason’s voice, just…a fact. A tired one, from a long, frustrating life at Camp Halfblood. 

Nico unclasps the trunk and rifles through it under dim lighting. For how little there is in the room, Nico wonders if he needs to start carrying a flashlight.

His fingers touch…something a little more solid. Nico pauses as he grazes against it again. Something long and bounded in leather.

A…sword.

Before he can help himself, Nico picks it up. He holds it as best he can to the light and studies it carefully, fingers brushing over the handcrafted leather. It’s…different from the gladiuses that are Legion standard—a beautiful mix of dark brown and black.

It’s also the last thing Nico would expect to find in Jason’s cabin.

“Jason,” Nico says, and he turns around. “Why do you have…?”

He trails off.

At the other end of the room, Jason Grace is asleep.

*

For the first time in weeks, Jason doesn’t have a nightmare.

He wakes up to the dim light of the cabin, with the sounds of birds echoing from the other side of the window. It takes him a moment to realize he’s not in his bedroom back in New Rome. That’s he’s not dreaming.

Jason opens his eyes to a ceiling filled with ornate light fixtures, feeling…

Better.

He reaches for his old alarm clock and reads the time. 9:13AM.

Jason can’t remember the last time that he slept in. It’s…late for him, even on west coast time. He reaches across the full mattress with his other hand—but doesn’t know why. His bed is bare of bed sheets. There’s a pillow under his head, and a blanket over him. Jason recalls Nico mentioning something about dressing the bed last night, then…nothing.

There’s a note sitting on his duffel bag when he finally gets out of bed—right on top of his missing sheets.

You looked too peaceful to wake up. Sleep tight, Jason.

-                   Nico

Jason sets the note down with a smile.

He makes his bed, washes his face, and gets ready for the day.

Annabeth finds him first. She looks up from the Athena table and stands to her feet before everyone else. “Hey. Did you sleep okay?”

“Yeah,” Jason admits easily. “Best I’ve slept in weeks.”

She stares at him curiously, taken aback. Slowly, she reaches out and touches his arm. “How did midnight go?” 

Jason’s heart wavers a little. He peers back up and catches Nico’s gaze from the Hera table. Nico’s dressed in a different shirt than last night—the same royal purple Jason’s used to. His hair looks more rumpled as usual—like someone dragged him out of bed before he was ready.  But, Nico perks as they lock eyes and raises a hand for a wave.  

“Honestly?” Jason admits. “I didn’t even notice.” 

He’s not sure what he should have expected last night. The anticipation was there—of holding a knife again to Luke’s neck and waiting for him to submit.

Instead, Jason opened boxes and assembled a bed. He had an easy conversation over the hardest day of his life.

It’s...not disappointment that he’s feeling. Jason’s not sure what to call it.  

“What about you?” Jason turns his attention back to Annabeth—who has a few lines under her eyes. They don’t hold the storm they did a year ago, though.

Annabeth pulls a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Percy kept me company while I counted down,” Annabeth admits. She falls quiet, her gaze flowing over to Hermes table. “Luke…hasn’t been at Camp Halfblood in a long time, but—”

“But he’s really gone,” Jason finishes for her. “I know. I’m…”

Really sorry. The words are a knot in Jason’s throat. Too much happened before he could get the words out last year—and then the hours after Luke’s death stretched into days. Weeks, with icy stares and hostile conversations that no one wanted. Months, until Annabeth disappeared. Jason could say sorry a thousand times, but he knows one word won’t bring Luke back to them. Dad wouldn’t let any words bring Luke Castellan back to him.

“You’re here, Jason,” Annabeth says softly—cutting Jason off on the apology that won’t matter. Her smile is soothing, even if it’s heavy. Then she hugs him. “Happy birthday, Jace.”

Jason tries to smile back. He tries to smooth out an ache in his chest and hugs Annabeth close. “Thank you.”

A table for Cabin Thirteen had been lain out. Jason sat alone last night for the first time, instead of hanging at the edge of Hermes table with the Stoll Brothers. He was visited enough by other demigods—those who needed to grieve or wanted his attention. He remembers last year eating in the infirmary, to excuse himself from having the rest of the Hermes Cabin staring at him after killing their brother. 

Today, he walks straight over to Hera’s table—where Percy, Hazel, and Frank have joined Camp Jupiter’s praetor. 

“Hey,” Nico says—suddenly looking more awake than he did from afar. 

“Hey,” Jason greets. He smiles even more now, looking at the son of Juno up close. Pink dusts his cheeks. “Sorry—looks like I passed out last night.” 

Nico flashes him a look of amusement. “Pretty sure you needed it.” 

“Wouldn’t be the first time you were right for me.” Jason flashes a sheepish look and touches the back of his neck. He watches Nico’s eyes follow. 

“You two hung out last night?” Percy interjects. He waves a hand in Jason’s line of sight, one eyebrow arched on the air. Nico glares in the son of Neptune’s direction, but it seems to bounce off Percy’s own dejected face. “You told me you were too tired for rapid fire Go Fish.” 

“Was this before or after you and Annabeth decided you would sneak into the woods?” Nico retorts wryly. Jason’s quick to glance at his best friend, who says nothing. 

“We went and talked at Zeus’s Shit for a couple of hours,” Percy corrects. 

“Zeus’s Fist,” Annabeth corrects halfheartedly. The corner of her lips lift into a smile. 

“He’s not wrong,” Jason protests. “All the kids just call it the big pile of poo.” 

“Thank you, Grace,” Percy replies triumphantly. He pauses and looks over to Jason when he realizes his own words.

Jason hears a quick snicker—and find Nico grinning. A laugh flutters from Jason’s own lips. He leans in closely and gestures to the faculty table, where Chiron’s gaze is unending. 

“I think Chiron’s afraid you’re going to start a food fight,” he notes. 

Blue eyes look back up. Nico shrugs nonchalantly. “Maybe he should be.” 

Jason blinks, confused—but Hazel laughs. 

“Nico told Chiron that it’d be an insult to have a representative from Camp Jupiter eating all by himself,” she explains. A twinkle of amusement flashes in her eyes. “Especially a roman officer as high-ranked as himself.” 

“Really?” Jason looks back over to Nico, who nods somberly. 

“Well,” Frank offers, “it’d be awfully rude to separate Camp Jupiter’s commanding officer from the rest of camp affairs—especially after coming off of what could be considered a second civil war. Camp Halfblood’s best interest would be to provide Praetor di Angelo with all available resources. From a tactical standpoint.” 

“Unfortunately it’s out of my hands,” Nico says solemnly. The corners of his lips lift into a pretty smile. “It’s all politics, Ambassador Grace.” 

Jason’s lips spread into a grin. Which turns into an impressed laugh, as he crosses his arms over his chest. “Clearly I need a lesson in that.” 

Nico arches an eyebrow and mirrors Jason’s smile. Percy claps him on the back and grins. 

“Seriously. And here I thought my best loophole was that Frank had to sit next to me since he’s my nephew,” Percy says. Nico flushes red at his approval. 

“I learned from the best,” Nico replies wryly—to which Jason laughs again. “If…you’re too stressed out today, I can make the same call for you.”

It takes a moment for Jason to realize Nico is referring to him. He peers back to the son of Juno, whose gaze is firm and filled with concern. The corner of Jason’s lips lift, and he turns to look at Annabeth, who looks just as amused from the turn of events.

“I need to see this one out,” Jason says. He flashes an apologetic look. “I’ll probably be busy all day again, Nico. I’m sorry.”

There’s a flash of something in Nico’s eyes. Then he shakes his head. “Don’t apologize. Take as long as you need.”

Another smile etches across Jason’s lips. He looks over to Hazel and Frank, who both flash reassuring glances—and knows for sure that Percy won’t leave Nico with a dull moment. Annabeth and he make their way towards the entrance of the Mess Hall.

“I have some classes to teach,” Annabeth says. She squeezes his arm again—which is when Jason realizes her grip never really left. “You gonna be okay?”

“I’ll try my best,” Jason promises. His lips press into a strained smile and he nudges his head towards the infirmary. “I’m sure something will keep me busy.”

A year ago, Annabeth would hardly look at him. She studies him now, one hand at his pulse.

“You come find me when you need a break,” she says. Warns him, if he doesn’t. “Promise?”

Jason’s almost startled by her tone of voice. But he nods in agreement. “Promise.”

She gives him another hug before walking in the opposite direction. Jason watches as her silhouette shrinks—then makes his way to the infirmary.

*

One drachma, one denarii.

Nico stares at both on his desk. He dusts the windowsill by his bed and pulls the curtains back, so enough lighting comes into the cabin. He makes his bed. He dusts Bianca’s bed. And he sits in between each chore, making the room look just a little more pristine before musing the thought of calling his sister.

“You know,” Percy says, after watching him pace for the umpteenth time, “Dad gifted me with this cool fountain when I came here at the beginning of the summer. It’s almost as efficient as texting, if you don’t mind the sound of running water—”

“No thanks,” Nico says, and he stares at both the Greek and Roman currency carefully. “You should go teach class, Percy. I’ll catch up later.”

Percy hops onto Nico’s bed and wrinkles Peter Pan’s face. “This seems important to you, bro.”

“It is,” Nico agrees, and he peers back to Percy, whose demeanor contorts with a frown. “I have it figured out, Percy. I’ve got it from here.”

“You sure?” Percy asks, pressing further. He sits up and crosses his legs. “I mean…we never really talked about it. You left with the Virgin Athena and then showed back up with an oversized puppy and your long-lost sister. Then I kind of left for Halfblood—”

“Which I fully supported,” Nico reminds him. He reaches out and holds the drachma between his fingers.

Percy’s expression is indecipherable. Nico’s not usually privy to those looks—the one shared by Reyna, Thalia, and the son of Neptune—but it’s come out more since the Argo II. Since Gaea tore their family apart and Juno tried to reunite her Greek and Roman children. It’s a little more solemn—and holds the promise of that thirteen-year-old kid who waltzed into the Senate meeting late, with sand in his hair and smelling like saltwater. A promise to keep Nico safe.

Nico’s not that little kid anymore, either.

“You talk to Grace about it last night?” Percy asks.

This time, Nico rolls his eyes. He knows better than to trust a Jason-question from Percy. “Jason and Bianca have been friends for a long time. So yes, we talked about it last night.”

“Okay,” Percy says, his tone askew. He gathers himself to his feet and gathers his flipflops. Then he claps a hand on Nico’s shoulder. “Just. Don’t forget. I’m here for you too.”

Despite yesterday’s frustrations, Nico’s chest warms. He looks back to Percy, who remains nonchalant. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, Nico.” Percy shrugs gently and makes his way towards the door. “Find me at the swordfighting classes, alright? Hazel and I are doing a demonstration.”

“Okay.”

With one lasting look, Percy exits the cabin.

As Nico turns back around, a cloud sits in front of his head.

“Call from Bianca di Angelo. Do you accept the charges?”

Nico bites the inside of his mouth. He stares at the iridescent tuft of air carefully. Then sighs. “Yes.”

*

For how many weeks that Jason’s dreaded it, the day passes quickly. He gets roped into helping Will Solace with a bad archery accident, then stitches up a spry twelve-year-old from the Ares Cabin. They’re quick to scream at the top of their lungs and go back into “battle.” Someone from the Hephaestus Cabin asks for a bag of ice after taking a mallet to the hand rather than to a raw sword.

Then, Will pushes him out of the infirmary. Jason settles into a basketweaving class, surrounded by kids under the age of eleven, who struggle to follow along with Annabeth as she explains the importance of good craftsmanship. How it can be a matter of life or death. She watches him from the front of the room, occasionally mouthing, are you okay? when her students are given a new task.

Jason wanders into an Advanced Ancient Greek class, where Connor Stoll is teaching idioms. When they meet each other’s eye, Connor’s smile broadens, while Jason struggles to maintain his own.

Despite the pomp and circumstance of last night, campers go through the motions of today as though nothing’s out of the ordinary. Jason can remember so clearly standing at the foot of Olympus’s throne room, soaked in the blood of the fallen, with red-stained hands as Zeus grazed over his victories.

They didn’t really feel like victories, he’d told Nico last night. They never will.

Today, Jason doesn’t smell like blood—or reek of ash, from burned funeral pyres. It’s…strange how different things were a year ago. He envies the people that are able to move on and strikes a chord with the ones who can’t.

When he sits down to talk with grieving campers, they tell him what they’ve done in their siblings’ honor. The survivors come in different ages and sizes—from a big brother who mourned his baby sister’s death, to small children who had no business being in the line of fire. Small children who had siblings who refused to let them be in the line of fire.

He remembers all of them from when they came to him last year, still winding down from the adrenaline of war.

“Do the nightmares ever stop?” someone asks.

Jason worries he’s out of practice.

Getting back into the swing of things is hard.

Harder, because he has to remind himself that he’s just visiting. That he’s not in a chasm anymore. Part of him is afraid that if he forgets he’s visiting, he’ll…get stuck again. Here. Remembering that he’s visiting helps.

She looks past him, still in mourning from last year. But it’s easier for her to speak of death than it was a year ago. Easier for him, too. Having his first restful night in weeks helps him find a different solution.

“The Hypnos Cabin has special tea made from the leaves of the poplar branch they keep in there,” Jason says. He smiles softly and gestures to the tip of the cabins. “See if that helps. If that doesn’t suit you, they’ve also got warm milk and cookies. Tell Clovis Jason sent you.”

She absorbs the advice carefully. Then, she hugs Jason with a quiet thank you and scampers towards the cabins.

Frank eventually intervenes. He touches Jason on the shoulder when there’s enough of a lull between sullen campers, and gestures out the window of the Big House. “Time for a shift change, Jason. You’ve been at this for a while.”

The stars are out.

Jason blinks, as he settles back into reality. He touches his head as the exhaustion hits him, and stares down at the notebook and pencil in his lap. “I…didn’t notice.”

“You were very engaged,” Frank agrees. He pats Jason sympathetically on the shoulder. Jason’s known Frank in segments—as a fearful legionnaire, an animorph, and a centurion—but he adapts into the role of a counsellor the same way he would any animal.

They didn’t talk very much on the Argo II. Jason spent most of that trip trying to process what happened down in Tartarus. Trying to process losing his sister. Everyone avoided him—the estranged brother of Praetor Thalia Grace, and Annabeth’s least favorite person.

Frank looks to Jason now with a steady hand and a confidence in his position.

“Thank you,” Jason says, “for doing this.”

For taking one of the heaviest loads off his shoulders. It shows in his voice—more than Jason intends.

Frank only smiles. “Who makes a better war trauma counsellor than a child of war?”

Jason smiles back. “Everyone else has told me what a good job you’ve done around here.”

Despite his height and width, Frank blushes like a humble child.

“I wasn’t happy to be claimed by Mars at first. Not after how my mom died,” Frank explains. He scratches the inside of his arm, where his one tick mark from the Legion lays. “War’s the last thing on my mind. But—those are still going to happen. Talking about it helped a lot. At least this way I can help other kids too, y’know?”

“I know.” Jason’s smile warms. “Trust me, Frank. I’m sure Mars is plenty proud of the way you’ve handled things. I…started it, but you’ve really run with it.”

And Frank seems to have an easier time coaxing people through it than Jason does. Frank looks back at Jason, at a strange ease. He claps a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “I’m here anytime you need a talk too, man. I’m…sure today’s hardest on you.”

Jason blinks. Frank studies him a different way now that catches him off guard.

“Oh,” Jason says. “I—thanks, Frank. I should really go find Nico, though.”

After that, Jason is relieved of duty. His trip and responsibilities to Camp Halfblood are over in two days—after fourteen years serving on his father’s behalf.

Nico’s waiting for him in front of Cabin Thirteen, duffle bag already in hand.

“Sorry,” Jason apologizes. “I lost track of time.”

 Nico shakes his head. “I’m sure someone out there needed it.”

Jason really doesn’t get it. All of the stress and mourning from this afternoon is worth the smile he can conjure now. For all the time they’ve been apart in the last two days—in the past few months since their quest, Nico has only made him feel better. It’s a far cry from where they started—but it goes back to what they both echoed last night. They’re different now—and there’s solace in it.

The longer Jason stands across from Nico, the better he feels.

“But,” Nico continues, “what you need now is to get out of here. I’m sure there’s already a mountain of unsigned paperwork with my name on it.”

There’s a pained exhaustion in Nico’s voice. It’s hard not to feel disappointed that their time together is ending.

“Sorry I wasn’t around much,” Jason says. “I really hoped we would’ve been able to spend some time together before we left.”

He walks into his cabin and gathers his things. When he turns around, he notices Nico staring at him in disbelief.

“Jason,” Nico starts, “you do remember I came here to support you, right?”

“Well, yeah.” Jason’s cheeks flush with heat. He settles onto the bed and rubs his neck. “Kinda…hard to support me if I’m not here, though.”

Nico’s gaze narrows. He walks the length of the room and plops onto the bed beside Jason. “Well—from the looks of it, you still have a dresser that needs to be built. And that desk of yours is bound to break eventually.”

Jason’s guilt diminishes ever so slightly. He smiles. “Since when were you a handyman?”

“It’s on my resume. Somewhere between praetor, wedding officiant, and champion of Juno.” Nico wrinkles his nose and crosses his arms over his chest. “Or whatever else Dakota’s signed me up for while I’ve been away.”

Jason laughs. It’s a warmth in his chest after a cold day of mourning. As he settles, he notices Nico studying him. Giving him the same attention from last night.

“Everything go okay today?” Nico asks eventually.

“Yeah,” Jason says. He’s surprised by how much he means it. “I think everyone’s in good hands with Frank. Will practically shoved me out of the infirmary. It’s…weird to see camp turn around so quickly after yesterday. But everyone I talked to has been healing well. Or at least on the road to recovery.”

“Good,” Nico says. Then, “And what about you?”

Jason considers the question. He thinks back to their conversation last night. All of it. Jason ended the night on a downer—but he felt lighter in the morning because of it. Nico took the time to let him breathe.

“Confused,” Jason admits. He palms his chest, then curls one hand over the other. “I…dreaded this day so much that I don’t know the proper way to act. I just…don’t want to react in a bad way.”

His heart is calm. Jason’s spent many sleepless nights trying to steady it. Trying not to think about a year ago—but he’s fine. Steady, in his new cabin with Nico beside him.

“There’s no bad way to act, Jason,” Nico says. “Everyone mourns differently. No one should make you feel bad for that. Especially yourself.”

Jason glances back at Nico, chest tingling. “That sounds familiar.”  

Nico snorts. “Maybe if I say it enough times you’ll actually listen to me.”

Another laugh flutters from Jason’s lips—but it’s riddled with an ache. His smile is small.

“I think I said my piece last night,” Jason says finally. He reaches over and touches Nico’s hand. “Thank you for listening to me.’

Again, Nico peers back at him with azure blue eyes. It feels so much like last night, with the two of them awake against the quiet slumber of Camp Halfblood. Jason finds himself regretting that he fell asleep.

“Anytime,” Nico says softly. He’s quick to pull his hand away and stand to his feet. “Let’s…get you home. I’m. Sure Thalia misses your company.”

Jason’s chest swells at that thought. “Yeah.”

 A quiet evening with his sister sounds like the perfect remedy. Jason gathers his things—his clothes from the last few days, his leather jacket, his journal—and stuffs them inside his duffle bag. Nico is quiet the entire time Jason tidies up.

“Annabeth told me to come find her when I got a break. That kind of fell through,” Jason admits. He peers towards the window once more. “I wanted to see her before we left, but I’m…not sure where she went.”

“Architecture stuff probably.” Nico shakes his head and rolls his eyes. “Or she and Percy got into something.”

Jason can’t hide his disappointment. “I just…know this day is hard. Luke meant a lot to her.”

He startles when Nico touches his shoulder. Nico lowers his head sympathetically. “I’m sure she’s just as worried about you.”

Jason thinks back to the hug he received this morning. Both times. It filled the gap in Jason’s chest from when Luke left—the one that divided Annabeth and him. Every time they hang out now, Jason’s reminded how much he loved Annabeth’s company as much as Luke’s. Even if it is a different kind of love.

“She’ll be in New Rome soon,” Nico reminds him. “Trust me. Percy wouldn’t stop counting the days.”

Jason can’t help but smile. “Neither can I.”

As he finishes locking up the cabin and closing the blinds, he notices Nico staring thoughtfully at his storage trunk.

“Something on your mind?” Jason asks.

Nico looks reluctant. He looks back to Jason tentatively. “I…had trouble finding your sheets last night.”

“Sorry about that.” Jason peers back at the ceiling, where the Edison bulbs are starch in their lighting. “Maybe they’re not as great of an idea as I—”

“I found your sword.”

Oh. Jason pauses.

“Or—a sword. In your belongings,” Nico says quickly. His cheeks flush pink and he fiddles with the strap of his bag. “I wasn’t trying to snoop. It just caught me off guard. I didn’t even know you owned one.”

Jason slides his own bag off his shoulder. He walks the length of the cabin to his storage trunk and unbuckles each latch.

Sure enough, his old sword sits at the bottom of his trunk.

Stygian iron, three feet long, and sheathed in black leather. A skull decorates the pommel, while flowers are carved into the leather. Asphodels. Dad’s favorite flower.

It takes Jason a moment to collect his thoughts. A familiar wave of nausea hits him from a year ago.

“I forgot I put it in here,” Jason says. Eventually, when his thoughts catch up to his nerves. He looks back up to Nico, who stares at him differently now. More sympathetically. “I haven’t picked it up since last year.”

Nico is hesitant. But slowly, he walks towards the storage chest and kneels to Jason’s level. He inspects it under the dim lighting. “It’s beautiful.”

“It was a gift,” Jason explains. “From my godly brother. Zagreus.”

Nico perks at the name.

“He’s an Underworld god. God of rebirth, god of mysteries—”

“God of the hunt,” Nico interjects. His lips press into a frown.

“That’s the one,” Jason confirms. There’s a strain in his smile, as he rubs his sword-gripping hand. The back of his neck tingles. “He…gave it to me when I came out of Styx. Zagreus told me to make our family proud.”

Unfortunately, Olympus would frown on anyone from the Underworld being proud of anything. Jason doesn’t think he’ll ever hold anything but shame on his birthday. He smelled too much like blood. Like wood burned for the fallen, and too much like death.

Once he came back, Jason wanted death as far away from him as possible. His father’s kingdom grew—but Hades had one less mortal son willing to be a hero.

The sword feels even more foreign to him now than when his godly brother handed it to him, full of pride. Jason traces a hand over the hilt, then unsheathes an inch.

“It’s black,” Nico notes.

“It’s forged from an iron from the Underworld.” Jason crosses his legs, remembering the day very clearly. “It’s…as good of an amplifier as Diocletian’s Scepter was. It gets more powerful when it absorbs souls of the dead.”

Nico takes in the information quietly. There’s a slight shift in his demeanor—and Jason knows what question is on Nico’s tongue.

“I didn’t absorb any souls on the battlefield,” Jason says quietly. “It scared me too much. It—scared other people too much.”  

The dead were already rising with his rage. With his enhanced emotions from the Curse. Jason didn’t know the limits of his powers—and doesn’t want to.

“I wouldn’t believe you if you told me,” Nico admits. He falls into a silence again. “You…didn’t have that with you at the end, though.”

Jason nods. “A hero’s soul, cursed blade shall reap. With a sword like this—and the Curse, I. Didn’t want to chance it.”

Didn’t want to do something he’d regret even more. Jason laughs—but only at himself.

“Turns out a cursed blade can also mean a knife he gave to his kid sister,” he says softly. There’s frustration on his voice—but again, only at himself. Jason sheathes the sword and settles it on his lap. “I pretty much shoved this at the bottom of this trunk and hoped I’d never see it again.”

“This is what you mean when you said you’re no son of Hades,” Nico surmises. His voice is gentle.

Jason opens his mouth to speak. A year ago, he would have nodded along, unable to look anyone in the eye. “I…haven’t had much contact with anyone from the Underworld since then. Just my dad. I…think Zagreus was disappointed I wasn’t much of a hunter.”

“Because you’re not,” Nico agrees. “You’re a healer.”

Jason’s chest flutters. He thinks back to what his father told him back in Pripyat—why they named him Jason, of all things. Not after the hero—but to heal. His parents wanted that.

He peers back up with somber eyes, and notices Nico’s own gaze hasn’t wavered. Nico won’t let him forget that he’s a son of Hades in his own way—much like how Frank found peace as a child of war.

There’s an ease to Jason’s next smile. “That sounds a little better when you say it.”

“Good.” Nico reaches out and guides Jason’s hand into lowering the sword. And again, he repeats, “Maybe if you hear me enough times, you’ll actually listen.”

Jason laughs—and it hurts a little less. He smooths a hand over the flowers etched into the sheathe—then places it back in his storage trunk. As the latches close, Jason feels the heaviness hit is heart again. But…not as hard.

He doesn’t realize he’s still connected to Nico, until the son of Juno squeezes his hand.

“Ready to go home?” Nico asks.

Home, in New Rome with his big sister. With Bianca and Nico—and his best friend, who would move into the university dorms in…one more month.

Jason ducks his head into a nod. Breathes, with an ease. “Yeah.”

They stand to their feet. The lights flicker as shadows loom below them. With one step, Jason shadowtravels them to New Rome. Home.  

Chapter Text

Jason’s grip is tight over Nico’s hand the entire way home. No smile quite reaches his irises. There’s a weight that keeps him grounded. Shackled, to a day in history that means more as the anniversary of someone’s death than it ever will his birthday.

Nico wishes he could move that weight for Jason. Wishes he had the power to.

On July 1^st, Jason doesn’t look as bright and eager as he did at the beginning of the summer. His grief overshadows everything else—including guilt over Luke Castellan’s death. Over everyone else, who died for a cause bigger than them. It’s something not even a few weeks of shadowtraveling across the world with the Virgin Athena could fix, when his fate filled a loom long before he was ever born, and before King Hades and Beryl Grace named him the healer.

But he sighs in relief when his apartment complex is against the horizon. When the fate of sixteen-year-old Jason is truly part of his old life, and they step foot into this new one.

Nico holds that fact as closely as Jason holds his hand. He waits, and watches as Jason stares down the street of the via principalis, truly embracing New Rome again.

As somber as it is, a tiny smile curls against Jason’s face.

“What’s that look for?” Nico startles when Jason’s hand squeezes his.

“Just thinking about the first time I came to New Rome after the war,” Jason whispers softly. His voice is hoarse from talking to other campers all day. It wasn’t too long ago that Nico called him restless. It’s only now, after two days in Camp Halfblood that he looks tired. Jason gestures gently between the two of them. “If someone told me eight months ago I’d be holding hands with Bianca’s little brother on my way back home, I don’t think I’d believe them.”

Nico feels the heat against his cheeks. He looks down to their fingers, heart fluttering in his chest.

“Yeah, well—” Nico swallows hard. “—if someone back then gave me an out from being Jupiter’s son, I’d think they’d taken too many blows to the head.”

He can’t help but enjoy Jason’s laugh. Jason sounds a little more like himself. “Too be fair, you didn’t believe me.”

“You really think the King of the Gods would admit to being in the wrong?” Nico retorts, his voice light—and Jason’s smile becomes warier. The past spring comes to mind, where both the King and Queen aired their dirty laundry for all of Olympus to see. Where the parentage of the di Angelo siblings was nothing more than an illusion.

Where Jupiter retroactively (finally) rewarded Jason for his merits—even if the son of Hades would never see them as well-deserved.

“No,” Jason admits. “I guess you’re right.”

“I…can be wrong, too,” Nico says. He hesitates as his mind wanders to eight months ago. When Jason Grace, Ambassador to Pluto, meant nothing to him aside from transit for his new sister. When Nico was hostile, from the fear of losing his other sister. “I’m…sorry that I treated you badly.”

To his surprise, Jason looks confused. A sheepish smile curls against his lips. “Not like I made it easy for myself by mentioning your dead sister, Nico.”

“Let’s assess how that turned out,” Nico muses dryly. “Now I have a roommate who uses all three of my closets.”

Jason laughs sweetly again, and Nico feels the nervous knot unfurl in his chest. He can’t help but smile back.

“We made up though,” Nico says. “Bianca called and we had a long talk.”

“Really?” Jason’s eyes seem to brighten a little more. “I was worried about that.”

Nico rolls his eyes. “I told you that you wouldn’t need to mediate.”

“I know. I’m just…I’m never going to be in a position where I’m not worried about you, Nico.” The words leave Jason’s mouth with ease. “Both of you, I mean.”

Nico fiddles with the strap of his bag. Red blooms in his cheeks. “Me too. Both of you.”

They fall into a silence in front of his praetorhouse. Every time Jason walks away, more time passes where they don’t get to see each other. Nico can’t help but hate it.

“We never did get that burger,” Jason suddenly says. He curls a hand over his own bag just as tentatively.

Nico peers back up, and notices Jason’s apologetic demeanor. He shakes his head. “Honestly, if it’s not an In-and-Out burger, I can’t be bothered.”

Jason laughs softly. Then, “How about I take you out for one? It’s the least I can do for pulling you out of New Rome—”

“No,” Nico cuts him off abruptly. So suddenly that Jason actually jumps.

“Oh,” Jason says. “Um. Okay—”

“I mean,” Nico continues hastily, “how about we go with Thalia and Reyna? Let me put my stuff up and we can go get them. I’ll even buy you a milkshake.”

Somehow, Jason looks more alleviated. Another smile laces across his lips, much firmer than the last. “I’d like that.”

Their hands stay together. Jason seems to need the comfort—even with the duties of his birthday behind him. Nico drops off his bag to an empty living room, where Bianca’s laptop and camera no longer lay. He notices Jason looking around in search of her.

“She said she’ll come with us next time to Camp Halfblood,” Nico says. “Invited or not.”

Jason’s lips press into a tired smile. “How do you feel about that?”

“She’s never been one to do as others tell her,” Nico points out. “Why start now?”

His question is met with a soft chuckle—one that sounds less restrained with each breath. Still—Nico can tell the day has taken a toll on Jason. From every moment leading up to the anniversary of the final moment—to coming down from that nightmare and processing that it’s behind him.

He…hopes last night helped. Hopes tonight helps, too.

“Do you have more weddings coming up?” Jason asks as they make it to his apartment complex.

“One in the morning. Then the grand reopening of a library that got destroyed from the Argo II’s ballistae.” Nico pushes hair out of his face. “No one told me praetorship was going to involve showing my face so much.”

“It’s a good face,” Jason says. He pulls out the key to his apartment and stops. “For what it’s worth, I really think you’re doing a good job. I don’t know anyone better-suited for the role.”

“You flatter me.”

“I’m definitely trying.”

Nico glances at Jason, who looks more like himself with each moment in New Rome. Jason offers him another smile, grateful, and Nico finds himself struggling to return it.

“I’m sure I can’t do any worse than Jupiter.” Nico rubs his tattoo awkwardly.

“No,” Jason agrees. “After all, you’re all son of Juno.”

Nico’s heart does somersaults in his chest. He thumbs his tattoo now, face glowing a pretty scarlet. “You can stop now, Jason.”

“But—”

“Please.”

Jason stares back at him, puzzled. “Oh. Um, sorry—”

“I—just. I don’t understand why you’re complimenting me when this day is supposed to be about you.”  Nico’s face blisters from more heat. He watches as the realization settles in Jason’s face.

The corners of Jason’s lips lift into a quiet, strained smile—one that places an ache in Nico’s chest.

“Thanks,” Jason says. “But this day’s never really been about me. I’m…just grateful there are days to look forward to after that. Here in New Rome, I mean.”

His hand curls against the doorknob—then he pauses. Jason glances back over to Nico, his gaze a little more intense than before. He reaches out to touch Nico on the shoulder, and the gentle graze tingles.

“I can’t thank you enough for coming with me today, Nico,” Jason whispers softly. “So please. Take the compliment.”

The words disappear from Nico’s mouth. He stares at his feet when Jason’s gaze becomes too great—

“SURPRISE!”

—and smiles, as Jason startles.

*

The lights are on before Jason has the chance to flip them himself. Confetti explodes from every corner of the apartment in warm hues of purple, orange, and red. Streamers decorate every wall, along with black and white paper pompoms undoubtedly trimmed by his own sister. Jason sees the smile on Thalia’s face before he really sees her—then he sees Annabeth, and Bianca, and Reyna, and Frank—along with everyone else from the past spring—standing in his living room.

There’s a flash of a camera—but Jason doesn’t notice over the painted banner hanging on the wall.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON!!—in green—his favorite color—with many handprints on every corner.

“I,” he starts. Halts, because he’s too shocked. “What’s—what’s this?”

He stares across the room and notices the smiles on everyone’s faces. Bianca, with her camera in hand and snapping a photo of every moment that Jason soaks in the warmth of the room.  Jason sees Annabeth dressed outside of her Camp Halfblood clothes. She smiles at him.

“It’s 12:03AM in Camp Halfblood right now,” Annabeth says gently. “Three minutes past midnight, and three minutes past the anniversary of Luke’s death. But here—”

“It’s three minutes past nine o’clock, on July 1^st,”  Thalia finishes. She appears in front of them, dressed in her nicest skinny jeans and a fitted jacket. A broad smile curls against her lips. “The best day of my life, when my baby brother was born in Pasadena, California.”

She stands to the tips of her toes, and before Jason knows it, he’s wearing a bright blue party hat. He’s too stunned to speak.

Nico squeezes his hand—which is the only way Jason knows he isn’t dreaming. Jason turns to face the son of Juno, who doesn’t look the least bit surprised. Nervous, maybe—but then Nico smiles.

“Here,” Nico continues, “in your new life, in your days after the prophecy, as a retired son of Hades.”

Red blooms in Jason’s cheeks. He looks around again—from the warmth on his big sister’s face, to Annabeth’s reaffirming grin—and everyone else who just smiles at him reassuringly. Lovingly.

“I…” Don’t know what to say. A lump swells in Jason’s throat—and he looks back to Annabeth. The words are lost like they were a year ago—but she hugs him again.

“There,” she whispers, “is no reason why your birthday should ever be forgotten. Even for him, Jace.”

Thalia touches his arm carefully. Tentatively.

“I thought I lost you once already, baby brother,” she says. “I don’t know every decision you made before we met again—but you’re here. That’s worth celebrating..”

Oh. Jason’s eyes swell with warmth before he can speak. A nervous part of him sounds like an alarm—like it’s done every birthday, but it’s deafened by Thalia’s hug.

“Is this okay?” she whispers.

He’s never been allowed to feel small in his life. In his sister’s arms, Jason might as well be two again—clinging onto her warmth and her pulse like he did Alecto. He wonders if he used to bury his face in his big sister’s arms when he was smaller, too. He wishes he remembered.

The worry knotted in his stomach unfurls—turning into a rush of unsurmountable love instead.

“Yeah,” Jason breathes finally into her shoulder. “I’m—sorry. I. This…is more than I could have ever asked for.”

Thalia laughs softly and hugs him back just as tightly. Holds him close, after fifteen years apart.

“You need to ask more, Jace,” she says. “Seriously—I’m rich.”

A laugh spills from Jason’s lips, mixed with his tears. When they pull away, he turns around and finds Nico still standing there—with only a smile of relief on his face. Jason sniffles, his cheeks red from embarrassment.

“You knew about this?” Jason asks. “The entire time we were at Camp Halfblood?”

Nico’s cheeks flourish. He opens his mouth—

“Nico called me a few days ago and insisted that your birthday should be celebrated,” Annabeth interjects.

“He pointed out the window of time and everything,” Thalia says—and she beams proudly as Nico blushes.

Jason wipes a tear from the corner of his eye—and he smiles so hard that it hurts. “A loophole?”

Nico looks back to him, almost shy. His eyes are a pristine blue when he stares back at Jason, and the corner of his lips raise into a wry smile.

“I don’t control how time works, Jason,” he muses gently. He shrugs. “That’s out of my hands.”

Jason stares at Nico, speechless. He moves before he can find the words—and throws his arms around the other demigod. An unsteady breath leaves Jason’s mouth, and he focuses on Nico’s scent instead.

Nico makes a startled sound but doesn’t protest. “Jason, I—can’t breathe.”

“Sorry,” Jason says—but he struggles to let go this time. “I—sorry.”

There’s a moment of hesitation—then Nico hugs him back.

“You don’t have to apologize on your birthday,” Nico jokes. “You get a free pass.”

Jason sniffles through another laugh. He holds on a moment longer—longer than Thalia or Annabeth. Until—

“Okay Grace,” Percy interjects from afar. “If you keep this up, we’re never going to make it to the birthday cake.”

Nico makes an inaudible grumble—but Jason pulls away, embarrassed. “Sor—”

He stops, as Nico stares at him warily—and another smile curls against Jason’s face. He looks back to the rest of the people in their apartment—and for the first time on his birthday, feels excitement.

“Um,” Jason says. He laughs aloud to himself. For himself. “So what comes next at a birthday party?”

*

In the years before New Rome, Luke used to sneak cupcakes into Camp Halfblood. Jason never understood how or even cared to ask—he was too enamored by the boy holding the four-pack of drugstore cupcakes with so much icing that he knew he’d puke later. It used to be the three of them—Annabeth, Luke, and Jason—sneaking out at the dead of night, behind one of the empty cabins and singing Happy Birthday over a single candle.

Annabeth had her brothers and sisters from the Athena Cabin to celebrate her birthday a few weeks later—July 12^th. Jason had Luke.

Once Luke left, there was nothing to celebrate. Bianca insisted on sneaking out, away from that life rather than celebrating a fate that only led closer to the end of the world.

Jason’s never seen so many candles on a birthday cake before. Never thought he’d live long enough to.

Thalia presents a simple circle cake, filled with seventeen silver candles and a big 17 in the middle. Jason reads Happy Birthday Jason! on the face of the cake, over and over. He tries to listen to the words as everyone sings to him—but it’s overshadowed by his own awe.

“Make a wish,” Nico instructs gently.

Under the light of the birthday candles, Jason’s reminded of the night before—when Nico helped unbox his bed under the heavy strokes of his cabin’s Edison bulbs with the bit of Styrofoam in his hair. The heat of the embers paints a gentle ardor over Nico’s irises.

“I don’t know what to wish for,” Jason confesses, his voice still thick with surprise.

He has his best friend after six long years of self-imposed isolation. He has his other best friend—the one who understood the demands of the Great Prophecy and took her fate into her own hands.

Jason has a sister. Someone to finally share a life with, after being envious of the way Bianca would miss her brother. After looking over to the Athena table and watching Annabeth enjoy being a demigod in a way Jason never learned how.

He has a life after sixteen—in his new home with his big sister, with Bianca three doors down, and Annabeth soon to follow.

Thalia claps a hand to his shoulder, a glint in her eye. “You could always do what Kelp Head does. Wish for more wishes.”

“I’ll have you know I live a very bountiful life because of that,” Percy remarks. There’s no hostility to his voice.

“Really?” Nico grumbles. “Because two seconds ago, you were making demands for cake.”

“Who wouldn’t?” Percy retorts. “It’s from Fabiano’s—it’s good cake. The only thing wrong with it is that it isn’t—”

“Blue,” the entire room says in unison. Percy and Jason both jump at the choir of voices—but Percy is quick to shrink and shrug nonchalantly.

Jason laughs—a sound that apparently startles both Thalia and Nico. “I…take it he’s said it a few times today?”

“Try every year on every birthday that isn’t his own,” Nico mumbles—but he doesn’t look the slightest bit annoyed. Instead, the corner of his lips lifts into a mirthful smile. He reaches out and squeezes Jason’s shoulder gently. “Just make any wish, Jason. No one else can take this away from you.”

Jason peers back at his birthday cake where the candles are still burning strongly. He looks over to Thalia and Annabeth, who smile encouragingly with Nico’s instructions. Then to Bianca, who has her camera ready for a photo.

His gaze wanders back to Nico. Under every candle, Nico’s eyes reflect the embers like a campfire in the evening. None of the frustration of the last two days show on his face.

None of the heartbreak from last year shows in the room. Jason wishes he could’ve felt this happy for every birthday before seventeen. Wishes he could’ve had his best friends and his big sister, like he does today.

Jason blows out the candles—hoping for more happiness to come.

Hoping for more time with Nico, too.

There’s a sharp click and a brief flash.

“Now that’s a good photo,” Bianca says.

*

Presents come next. Jason’s received gifts before, but quests had almost made him numb to them. Missions always fell around his birthday, riddled with more bad news of the impending war than small celebrations. Luke’s attention and cupcakes were a beacon when the Great Prophecy overshadowed Jason’s life—until Luke wasn’t there anymore.

Annabeth’s gift is twofold—a colorful handmade spiral notebook filled with yarn and macaroni art pieces from the many kids upset Jason wasn’t in Long Island for the summer. He flips through the pages and runs a finger over the signatures, his chest swelling.

“They do love you,” she reminds him. “They were all over you in arts and craft today.”

Jason rubs his forehead. “They were really into the blue hair yesterday.”

He perks at her second gift. Strategic Minds in a War of Nations by Frederick Chase.

“Your dad signed this?” Jason asks. He lifts the book jacket—where sure enough, Annabeth’s dad’s autograph lays. “He had time?”

“He was delighted,” Annabeth says—and she nudges him gently in the shoulder. “We dropped by my house before we made it here. It’ll be nice, finally having my family and my best friend so close by, I mean.”

Jason traces a hand over the book jacket, and his excitement spills into a smile. He peers back at her, outside of her normal Camp Halfblood attire. She wears her father’s old Harvard University sweatshirt, fit with a pair of owl earrings and a smile. The one tick mark on her arm is proof that she’s more than ready to move.

“You’re…really okay with this?” Jason asks quietly.

Annabeth stares at him quizzically. He gestures to the room about them—at the party streamers, confetti, and Happy Birthday banner—and she all but smacks him with the book. Instead, she hugs him again.

“Let’s make your birthday a little less about me and more about you, Grace,” she says. There’s a wryness to her expression—but Jason knows she’s grateful all the same.  

Jason’s smile remains, but he still can’t help wondering. Annabeth picks up on it without fail.

“If we don’t try to move on,” she says softly, “then we never will. Besides—I think you’ve earned the right to take your birthday back.”

Before Jason can mull over her words, he catches Thalia’s gaze from the other side of the living room. She holds a present in her hands and smiles in a way Jason’s never seen while growing up. It’s enough to muster a smile of his own.

After every birthday filled with rituals, quests, and shame—Jason’s next breath feels easier.

“Are you okay with it?” Annabeth asks him gently.

“Yeah,” he says. “This is me trying.”

“Your dad having a hard time pushing his books, Beth?” Percy asks quizzically. Loudly, when they take too long. Annabeth rolls her eyes.

“Jace is a huge history nerd,” Bianca interjects. She pulls the camera from her face and they make tentative eye contact. Both Annabeth and she smile at each other. “Seriously—you could take him to the Smithsonian every day for a year and he’ll find something new to ramble about every time.”

“Really?” Nico says—and he turns to Jason curiously. “I didn’t know that.”

Jason shrugs as he sifts through the book. “Maybe one of these days I’ll actually get to see that museum in Odesa.”

Thalia laughs as she settles beside him. “Sorry, baby brother—”

“—history’s for nerds,” Jason finishes for her—and he smiles as she grins.

“No wonder you get along so well with these two,” Percy notes. He gestures to both Bianca and Nico. “They’re like, ancient.”

Bianca stares at Percy with dismay. Nico’s nose wrinkles, and he rolls his eyes.

“Sorry—did you say something?” he asks wryly. “My hearing aid quit on me.”

Before he can help himself, Jason laughs into the book in his hand, and the sound catches the attention of the rest of his friends. He catches Nico’s eye from across the room—and is only met with a smile.

Thalia gifts him with a photograph. Eighteen-month-old Jason Grace in their mother’s arms, his cheek to her breast. She’s dressed in a flowy gown, with ruby red lipstick and blond ringlets. The demureness of his father’s frame reminds Jason of a medieval gothic painting—with a tall stance and brooding elegance befitting the King of the Underworld, as he keeps an arm around her.

It’s even funnier beneath the leather jacket that Jason inherited. With his mortal children, Hades almost looks…human.

Little Thalia wears black devil horns over her pigtails, looking amply proud compared to an exasperated Beryl. Jason can tell that their father is wedged between them for a reason.

He stares at it for a long time.

“I’ve never seen a picture of the four of us together,” he says. He looks back up to his sister, who looks nervous. “I didn’t know we had any.”

Thalia’s eyes are dim, like they would occasionally get during their travels.

“I didn’t have the best relationship with Mom,” Thalia says quietly. “I pretty much destroyed everything I could after Nico and I came out of the casino.”

Jason thinks back to his mother in the hospital room, without the Hollywood glamour and makeup. His mother was wealthy in love rather than film roles, with the rest of her family by her side. For all the fame that Pluto’s riches helped her achieve, their little family was enough. Jason knows it’s not a point in his mother’s life that lasted long, but…

“But we were happy here,” Jason says—to which Thalia’s lips raise into a smile. She ruffles his hair like he’s a child, and he wishes he grew up with it.

“There were good moments. Here and there. Stapler incident aside,” Thalia adds wryly. “I want you to have proof of that.”

Jason’s chest warms. He smiles at his sister. “I love it.”

He gets a blank sketchbook from Hazel, along with some colored pencils. They aren’t particularly close—but she stares as respectfully as she did when she first came out of the tree.

“I heard you were trying to find a new hobby outside of New Rome,” Hazel says. “Drawing is mine.”

“Oh,” Jason says—taken aback more than he intends. Her expression is thoughtful as he peers back at her—reminding Jason very much of Frank. They haven’t talked often, but he’s touched. Hazel has found her footing in this decade since her first visit to New Rome.

“I wasn’t sure what to get you,” Hazel suddenly says. She glows pink. “Bianca and Nico just said—”

“No, I love it.” Jason runs his fingers across the black spiral and smiles at her fully. “Thank you, Hazel.”

Percy gives him a birthday card. Right beneath the Happy Birthday is an apology—Sorry for mistaking you for a tarantula—and a misshapen doodle of whom Jason can only interpret as an avante garde Arachne.

“Percy did what now?” Thalia asks, while the son of Neptune shrugs.

“You’re too kind, Kelp-for-Brains,” Annabeth says dryly. She’s quick to punch him in the arm.

“Ow!”

“Actually,” Jason says, “there’s a gift card in here.”

He shakes the envelope carefully—then reveals a bold blue gift card with the words, Sweet on America on it. Despite yesterday’s mishap, Percy offers him an introspective glance.

“Sweet on America’s the candy shop my mom used to work at,” Percy explains. “Beth mentioned you liked to buy candy for the little kids. It’s got Mom’s signature on it. Her old boss might give you an extra discount.”

The room falls silent.

“What?” Percy asks. “I listen.”

“Yeah,” Nico mutters. “Because Beth’s talking.”

“Hey—” Percy turns to refute the son of Juno—but he’s met with a pleasant kiss on the cheek by Annabeth. He freezes at the sudden gesture, and then glows red.

“You’re too kind,” Annabeth repeats—and her smile makes Jason smile, too.

“Thanks, Percy,” Jason says—and Percy’s quick to wrinkle his nose.

“Neeks—” Percy clears his throat as his voice cracks, and he turns to the other demigod. “—you should give Grace your—”

“I don’t have one,” Nico cuts off. He’s sudden in his response, prompting Jason to look back at him. Nico’s stance is awkward beside Hazel. Once they lock eyes, Nico’s cheeks blister pink, and he looks embarrassed. “I. Got busy.”  

Percy snorts disbelievingly—his own rendition of Nico’s usual exasperation. “You’re kidding.”

“Unfortunately, I’m not.” Nico mimics the same look towards the son of Neptune with twice as much irritation. Then his gaze softens when he looks back to Jason. “Sorry.”

Jason’s taken aback by the intense look in the son of Juno’s eye. He can’t help but flash a smile. “It’s alright, Nico. I’m not expecting anything.”

He’s still trying to wrap his mind around the party streamers and birthday cake.

There’s a look to Nico’s face—one that’s reminiscent to last night. Jason thinks he’s been around Nico long enough now to know when something’s bothering the son of Juno—but maybe he’s still playing catch up. Bianca stands to her feet next, flashing her brother a look—then extends something out to Jason.

“Consider this a present from the both of us then,” Bianca announces—which puzzles Nico.

Jason rips the wrapping paper carefully and blinks. “A photo album?”

“Nico helped pick a photo or two,” she explains, cradling her camera in her other hand. A shy smile curls against her lips—shyer than Jason’s seen in years. “The ones that you smiled the best in.”

Nico makes a noise. “I didn’t—”

Sure enough, the first photo is from their visit to the Golden Gate Bridge. Jason sees his own face in front of the bridge on a cloudy day, when Bianca instructed him to pose for a candid shot. He stares at it curiously—then continues to sift through the photos. “Bee, these are beautiful.”

She glows red, humble of her work. “It was kind of a rush job, all things aside.”

There are only three pages filled out. Jason is enraptured by the last one he sees—one from just a month ago, when he and his big sister moved into the apartment. He’s smiling in it—happier than he’s been in days, to have a key that made moving to New Rome official. That made putting Camp Halfblood behind him official.

“Hey, would you look at that,” Thalia muses. She gestures to the forgotten photograph of their family at the coffee table. “Now you’ve got two photos of our family—before and after Halfblood, baby brother.”

“Just wait until I’m done with the photos from today,” Bianca says. She smiles fully, her hand on the trigger. “There’re some good ones, Jace.”

Jason’s chest blooms with warmth. He closes the photo album and looks back to his bashful best friend. “I love it.”

He loves all of it.

*

The Grace siblings spend more time on the couch looking through old photo albums. Nico sits long enough to see the palest, cutest baby beneath a sunhat. He hears a conversation pass between Thalia and Jason—one that he decides he isn’t privy to—and leaves them to their own devices.

Hazel and Frank are clearly enjoying their time away from Camp Halfblood since settling there after the spring. Percy—as usual—is glued to Annabeth’s side, telling jokes and messily eating cake. Nico finds Reyna and Bianca going over photos already taken in the kitchen.

He bites the inside of his cheek nervously—then announces his presence. “Hey.”

Both Reyna and Bianca peer back up—and Nico locks eyes with his sister.

She smiles at him—looking as awkward as Nico feels. “Hey, Nico.”

“You did a good job orchestrating this, Nico,” Reyna interjects, before the tension can get to either of them. She smiles proudly at him, and Nico shakes his head.

“I barely did a thing.” Nico spent all of yesterday angry at his sister, annoyed with Percy, and building furniture until Jason fell asleep.

“You made Thalia happy,” Reyna dismisses. “I would hardly call that nothing.”

Nico peers back over Jason and Thalia. The party hat is lopsided on Jason’s head now—but he sits there, glowing as Thalia flips through a photo album Nico’s never seen her open. She holds herself differently than the Thalia Nico’s known since he was ten—but there’s just as much love. He thinks back to the way Thalia used to smile at him when they were younger, and how much fuller it looks now.

Bianca snaps her camera at the pair, unprompted. Nico wonders if they’re thinking the same thing: Jason and Thalia look the most like each other when they’re happy.

“I think Jason’s doing all of that by himself,” Nico says.

Reyna reaches over and ruffles his hair. “One day you’ll learn to take a compliment, Praetor di Angelo.”

Nico flushes red instead, reminded of the sentiment echoed not too long ago by a son of Hades. He follows Reyna’s line of sight as she looks over to her girlfriend—then feels his heart flutter as Jason peers back at him.

Jason waves, the smile on his face finding room to grow.

After a reluctant moment, Nico musters a wave back.

He notices Bianca looking back and forth in his exchange with Reyna silently. It’s not until now that Nico realizes Bianca’s always looked at them like that.

“I’m going to get a second slice of cake.” Reyna stands to her feet and looks between the two of them carefully. “You two…need anything?” 

“No.” Nico’s face tingles as Bianca echoes the sentiment.

After that, Reyna dismisses herself to the other room while Nico sits down at the dining table. He looks up to his sister, who’s dressed in a pretty lace top and black shorts. Bianca looks more poised than usual, hair pinned to the side with a lotus-shaped clip. Their mother’s symbol.

But, still fairly awkward under his gaze.

“Does the party meet the Bianca di Angelo standard?” Nico asks carefully.

A smile graces Bianca’s lips, and she looks up to him thoughtfully. Bianca’s gaze carries through the room. Then she snaps another candid photo of the partygoers in the living room.

“It’s better than anything I could come up with,” Bianca admits. “I…think even when Jace and I snuck out of Camp Halfblood, we were doing it because I told him to.”

Nico shrugs. “You were against celebrating because he was against it. You were trying to be respectful.”

“Nico, you found a loophole for today,” she protests—and she laughs as Nico glows pink. Bianca fiddles with her camera for a moment—then she pushes it towards him.

The photo is crisp. Jason sits in the center of a room illuminated by only candles, with his blue party hat askew. A bashful smile lights up his face—and despite all the people in their surroundings, Jason’s excitement is all towards Nico.

Nico feels the same flutter from when Jason smiled at him. He pushes the camera back to his sister.

“They look good,” Nico says. “I’m glad you decided to come.”

Bianca smiles at him shyly and pulls a lock of hair behind her ear. It fades ever-so slightly. “Look—”

“You don’t have to apologize again,” Nico interjects hastily. He fiddles with a fork left on the table. “We already had this talk earlier. I’m sorry we excluded you from the plans. It was never our intention to do that.”

He thinks back to his own careful, calculated words to her earlier at Camp Halfblood. It’s been a long time since Bianca was his first call in an emergency—but he’s always loved her first. Bianca has an irreplaceable part in his heart, right with their mom and godly mother. Nico’s capacity to love only grew when Thalia, Reyna, and Percy entered his life—something that would’ve been harder if he was left alone at ten instead.

(Or something along those lines. Reyna filled Bianca in on tonight’s plans, per Nico’s request—and Bianca looked far more sentimental over Iris Message than Nico would’ve ever anticipated.)

Bianca stares at him oddly.

“I was just going to say that I didn’t know you and Jace were hanging out.” Bianca tilts her head and studies him, while Nico feels his cheeks grow hot.

“We’re not,” he says. “Not really. Our schedules don’t line up.”

Bianca scrutinizes him even further—which feels a little too much like Percy’s own glower. Nico’s hand twitches on the inside of his arm, already dreading her next response. Instead, she pulls her camera close to her chest.

“I ran into him on one of the nights he was out on a run,” Nico supplies eventually. He struggles to look her in the eye. “That’s the only reason this came up. He told me he was worried about how to face today.”

He doesn’t mention that he’s stayed up every night since that first one, wondering if Jason’s been able to fall asleep. Nico’s seen Jason on a midnight run too many times in the last few days, trying to make sense out of heartache. It was only last night that Nico was able to muster up the courage and actually go to Jason.

“You two are from such different parts of my life,” Bianca says carefully. “I always knew you two would get along, but I guess it never occurred to me you’d actually meet. Let alone you would throw a birthday party for him.”

“We had some time to get to know each other before the end of the world.” Nico fiddles with the inside of his arm, where his peacock tattoo lays. Bianca watches as he does so.

Some time doesn’t really cover what that tattoo really means to either of them.

“You mean the world to him,” Bianca says. “All he ever does when we hang out is ask if you’re okay. He says good things about you.”

“You believed him?”

Bianca nudges him in the arm and rolls her eyes—which coaxes a smile out of both of them.

“Still—the lengths that Reyna and Annabeth said you went to pull this party off—”

“What lengths?” Nico peers back at her, hoping he doesn’t look nervous.

But—unlike Percy, Bianca isn’t blunt. She’s more calculative in her assessment—which is probably why Reyna and she get along in the first place.

“Just…that you were insistent that today be about him. No one’s ever made the effort to do that before,” she says. “Not since Luke.”

Being compared to Luke Castellan only rubs Nico the wrong way. he tries to ignore the way his chest aches and shrugs. “I’d hope there was something good about that guy for Jason to still be…”

In love with him, even a year after Luke Castellan’s death. After Luke left him at the age of eleven.

“Distraught,” Nico says instead, “about today.”

Bianca stares at him in a way he doesn’t like. She pushes the camera away, then looks over to the Grace siblings again. Annabeth’s joined them in conversation, and Jason looks even happier now.

“I came late to the party when all of that happened.” Bianca pushes hair out of her face, mulling over something from the life apart from Nico—and eventually rolls her eyes with a tired exasperation. “Luke was already a villain in my book. Neither of us wanted to have the fate of Olympus in our hands—but Luke made it harder on him.”

“I know.” Nico’s seen plenty of those memories in Croatia, when Eros beat them out of Jason. He also saw Jason try to recover as though it was nothing—as if the God of Love didn’t just rip his heart out to laugh.

The wavery smile Jason gave him back then, after picking up Diocletian’s Scepter, is incomparable to the one in the living room next to Thalia. Jason looks his age. And happy.

“Sitting between Annabeth and Jason for those war meetings were exhausting,” Bianca laments—and she rubs her temples. “I was already upset for what Zeus did to us. Now I had to prepare for war against some boy. And not just any boy—the one my best friend’s been in love with since he was six.”

Again, the love word is hard for Nico to wrap his mind around. He tugs on his sleeve. “I’m…sure it was hard, after the casino.”

Bianca raises her gaze and looks back to him with a faint smile—one she gives him every now and then in the lull of their arguments. It’s grateful that they’re together, even when Nico is sure they spend more time angry than happy. They’re here, despite their paths leading them astray for the last five years.

“Well—I had my out.” Bianca awkwardly rubs her arm—the one that was injured by Orion in Disney World, when she struck him with her arrows. “Jason didn’t. I knew after I died, he’d be the one to slay Kronos, I just…hoped that day would turn out better for him. Maybe I breezed over that too quickly when I came back to life.”

She bites her lip, fiddling with her camera lens cap.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have put the thought of dating out there for him,” she finishes softly. “Since I left.”

Nico takes in his sister at that moment. That certainly wasn’t part of the apology he heard earlier today. But now—Bianca looks at him more thoughtfully than their fight two days ago, with Nico’s frustration in mind.

“You…and I were just trying to get him to move on. Just in different ways,” Nico says. He fights the irritation that’s knotted so tightly with his sister’s words. “Everyone’s made his birthday about Olympus instead of him—Jason included. Luke’s another story entirely.”

Bianca sighs softly. It’s laced with a frustration that led her to Ogygia. But then she looks at Nico. “So you’re deciding things for Jace?”

“Not deciding,” Nico admonishes. “Reminding him that he’s allowed to make things about himself, too.”

Bianca laughs at his choice of words. She props her head against her hand, and stares at him warmly. The smile on her face fades ever so slightly.

“You did all of this so he would stop beating himself up over today,” she says. “I didn’t know you cared so much about him, Nico.”

Red creeps up Nico’s cheeks. He fiddles with his sleeve once more, staring at the peacock at the inside of his arm.

“I care,” Nico says. A lot. He only hopes for the end of the conversation.

But—Bianca scrutinizes him again, with a deeper intent. Nico knows it from their time together when they were younger. She stares so long that Nico wonders if she can see his pulse. “Care enough to keep him from dating anyone else?”

Nico freezes at her question. It’s almost inaudible—low enough so no one in the other room can hear. He peers back to her and notices the gentle warmth hasn’t changed in her demeanor. Just curious eyes. Too curious.

“You can tell me anything,” she offers gently. “I’m your sister. I’m the last person to ever judge you.”

For all of the vigor and ferocity that fuels their relationship, she’s delicate in her words. Nico glances back at her hesitantly. Once upon a time, he wondered if she would accept him for who he was. Who he liked. But—that was with different memories, when Jupiter ruled over their lives instead of their mothers’ love.

Then he looks back to the couch, where a boyish smile carries Jason’s motions, rather than the world around him. Jason looks more and more like himself as Thalia gestures to their old photo album, fitting together pieces that were separated far too early. There’s a light in the shadows of his eyes—one that Nico can see, even from here.

He…likes it just as much as the first time he ever noticed. A lot.

“There’s nothing to tell,” Nico says instead. “Jason told me he’d date when he was ready.”

She gives him old look from when they were younger, when a smaller Bianca tried to figure out if he was fibbing. Nico waits expectantly for her to jab a finger in his direction and tattle. Or accuse him, like Percy’s been doing for the last two days. But instead—

“Okay,” she says eventually. “I just wanted to ask.”

Nico suppresses a sigh of relief.

*

They play a few board games. Jason learns what Rapid Fire Go Fish entails—which almost starts a mini war in their living room. It’s a livelier time than the night before when he delivered a eulogy. Thalia perks in the presence of Reyna, Percy, and Nico—and the four of them play with a gusto that’s clearly been missing from the summer.

Annabeth, Bianca, and he play catch up. There’s a tentativeness between Jason’s best friends—one that’s only shown after Bianca came back to life. Annabeth is wary—but she brushes it off before Jason has a chance to ask. At the end of the night, Jason makes sure to pull Bianca aside and apologize.

“It really did slip my mind,” Jason tells her. He takes off the party hat when the guilt weighs on him too heavily. “I…just—”

“You had a lot going on,” Bianca interjects for him. She smiles at him. “This day is important to you.”

“I…” Jason can’t help curling a hand to the back of his neck. “Yeah.”

She observes him carefully, then kisses him on the cheek. “This day is important because it should be about you, Jace. Don’t forget that.”

Bianca makes a point to put the silly hat back on his head. She smiles at him, and Jason feels more grounded.

“I get you about every single day of the week,” she says. There’s embarrassment in her voice. “I mean—I was dead for a year. I shouldn’t be surprised that you’ve made other friends in that time—even if it is my brother.”

Coming from anyone else, the sentence would sound absurd. But at the mention of Nico, Jason peers back to the son of Juno—who looks more than happy to have the rest of the Romans with him. They’ve since looped Hazel and Frank into a game of Slap. Nico is grinning—something that’s lacked in the last two days because of his big sister. Jason’s not sure what the conversation between the di Angelo siblings was about, but he knows they’re both better.

He could laugh at what he said to Nico earlier in the evening. If someone told him a year ago that he would be leaving his life in Camp Halfblood and coming to New Rome, hand-in-hand with Bianca’s little brother, he wouldn’t believe them.

Not only that—but Nico isn’t just Bianca’s little brother. Not like when they first met. Two months ago, Jason swallowed the thought that he would have to take Bianca back to the Underworld. He met Nico di Angelo, saw both siblings reunite—and was about to be the reason they would have to separate again. One trip to Olympus later, and even his father bent the rules after losing his lieutenant for months.

He's not sure how to brave this new landscape—one where his best friend is alive, and Nico means as much to him as Bianca.

 “I wouldn’t have guessed it myself,” Jason admits. The edges of his lips press into a tired smile.

Bianca shrugs. “Guess it’s just strange to see how life’s moved on without me. To…see him, move on without me.”

She holds the same sad look from their reunion, looking over to Nico’s vibrant demeanor.

“He’s still there,” Jason reassures. “I mean—all the things you told me about him were true, they’re just—”

“He’s aged out of them,” Bianca cuts off. She pulls a lock of hair behind her ear thoughtfully, the lotus pin shimmering in her hair. “He’s grown up.”

“He’s still your little brother.” Jason reaches over and touches her shoulder. “There’s no instruction manual for how to go about this, Bee. You two are handling it as best as you can.”

Bianca sighs tiredly and shakes her head. “I used hang out with other friends and try to get rid of him. Now my little brother is running the entire show—and I’m the pathetic older sister who followed him to New Rome.”

“Hey.” Jason frowns and touches her shoulder. “He wouldn’t want you talking like that.”

“He wouldn’t want to talk about it,” Bianca corrects.

“Well—no. But we had a long talk about it,” Jason says.

The moment he does, Bianca’s eyes raise towards him curiously. “What do you talk about, exactly?”

“Um. Stuff, I guess.” Jason’s eyebrows furrow together as it welcomes more of her scrutiny. “Why?”

“Stuff like you dating again?”

Oh.

Jason stares back at Bianca, taken aback. She looks at him more curiously now, and Jason can feel his nose twitch again. He resists the urge to touch the back of his neck again. “I…mean. I’m. Not dating anyone, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Bianca’s lips press into a quiet frown, bothered. She reaches out and touches his arm.

“You don’t have to date until you’re ready,” she says slowly. “I just…it caught me guard. I didn’t realize it would bother you so much.”

“Bother’s a strong word.”

Bianca stares at him again.

“It’s…not the wrong word,” Jason says, after mulling over it a second time. He sucks in a breath, feeling his ears glow pink.

Instead of shaming him, Bianca soaks in his reaction. “I just don’t know why you didn’t feel like you could talk to me about it. I thought we were trying to get better after everything that happened this past spring. Aren’t we?”

“We are,” Jason reassures. He feels a knot twist uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach and tries to find the right word. From the corner of his eye, Jason notices Nico peering in their direction.

He notices Bianca notice, too.

Jason tries to put it into words. Nico and he were on amicable terms at best before Eros—and…Eros is a subject too heavy to bring into this conversation. The moment Eros happened—when every thought about Luke and Bianca and his birthday poured for the whole world to see—Jason wanted to bury it. Love laughed at his heartbreak. Nico wanted to talk him through it.

Nico…always wants him to talk through it. Like last night, when the burden weighed so heavy in Jason’s chest that he couldn’t even put it into words. Not for a glorious speech like Chiron wanted.

He thinks back to the moment where Nico had Styrofoam sitting on his head. There weren’t words exchanged between them then. Jason had caught himself staring at the lithe son of Juno, who invited himself into Cabin Thirteen to help Jason through midnight. For some reason, it enamored Jason. So much so that he didn’t notice the time.

Which was…confusing, considering how many weeks Jason dreaded midnight. Different.

“Nico’s different,” Jason concludes—though he’s not sure if he’s telling himself or Bianca. “I just…I feel like I can talk to him.”

Bianca doesn’t look content with the answer. Jason doesn’t know what to say about it.

“I’m sorry?” he says next—to which she rolls her eyes and pushes him.

“If Nico’s what it takes for you to talk about your feelings after seventeen years, then so be it,” Bianca admonishes. “Don’t worry about it, Jace. I just felt like I should ask about it.”

“Ask about what?” Nico suddenly interjects, after Jason and she have been talking too long. He arches an eyebrow, and Jason can’t help but smile as the son of Juno offers him another plate of cake.

“Hey,” Jason greets. He takes the cake thankfully.

“Hi.” There’s a look in Nico’s eye—one ready to engage in another fight on Jason’s behalf.

Bianca stares between the two of them, looking thoroughly exasperated. “Apparently nothing.”

*

At the very end of the night, everyone is ready to settle in. Hazel decides to spend the night with her siblings. Jason watches as Bianca and Hazel sleepily lead each other to the di Angelo residence only a few doors down. Percy opts to sleep in the barracks at least one last time before college next month—and happily takes Frank with him.

“Remember Frank,” Nico reminds gently, “you’re allowed to move back whenever you want.”

There’s a mischief to Nico’s eyes that makes Jason stifle a laugh. Frank looks flustered immediately. Before he can muster a response, Percy slaps him on the back and guides out of the via principia.

Annabeth opts to sleep on the couch with the intent of exploring NRU in the morning. Percy’s already promised her a full sweep of every inch of campus. Thalia gives Jason a lasting hug past midnight before Reyna and she retire for the evening.

Jason starts cleaning before he can help himself. He stacks empty paper plates and sweeps confetti off the floor, while his best friend is asleep with a School of Architecture brochure at her chest. He finds Nico in the kitchen, already washing silverware.

“Oh,” Jason says, startled. “I thought you went home with Hazel and Bianca.”

Nico stares at him tentatively, then flashes a pointed look. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t go to bed until the apartment was clean.”

Jason blinks.

“Un…less this is too much,” Nico continues. He turns the sink off. “I can—”

“No—I appreciate it. All of it.” Jason’s lips curl into a smile as Nico slowly relaxes at the sink.

“I’ve slept over at Thalia’s praetorhouse enough to know what her cleaning habits are like,” Nico carefully says. “Or there lack of.”

“Trust me,” Jason says, “no one is surprised not to find a bra in the fridge more than me.”

At that declaration, Nico flashes a funny look—one that makes Jason chuckle.

“I don’t mind it.” Jason starts gathering the discarded candles at the dining table, then passes used forks to Nico. “It—”

“Gives you a place for all that restless energy?”

Jason stares at Nico. Nico stares at him in a way that reminds Jason of Bianca—but Jason doesn’t feel unsettled. Instead, he ducks his head and shakes it in disbelief. “I don’t know how you do that.”

“Do what?”

“Know what I’m thinking before I do.” Jason throws the last of the disposable party wear into a garbage bag. He’s never cleaned up a mess after a party before—not like this. Jason peers up at the banner still hanging above Annabeth and thinks he could spend the rest of the night looking at it.

Nico finishes up quickly. He stands beside Jason and shrugs. “It’s…not that hard, Jason. I just don’t think anyone’s ever tried to.”

“Yeah.” Jason says softly, before he can help himself. Now he’s in a new life where everyone is trying.

“Was…this okay?” Nico asks hesitantly. “I…know you went along with it, but—”

“Nico, I loved every minute of it.” Jason doesn’t know if he can sound anymore sincere. He looks to the many handprints at the corner of his birthday banner—then to the presents gifted to him throughout the night. There’s only one slice of cake left from the bakery that he and his big sister frequent—and there’s even a notebook full of art from all of the kids from Camp Halfblood that missed his company.

His company. No son of Hades, no Chosen One. Just…him.

They both cock their heads towards Annabeth when she yawns—but she’s quick to turn and face away from them. Jason reaches over and pulls the blanket over her shoulders.

“Beth said I can’t move on if I don’t try.” Jason turns back to the son of Juno—and notices Nico looking relieved. “I…guess I talked about eventually putting this day behind me, but that means enjoying every part of it for myself too. You know?”

There’s a way that Nico smiles that Jason likes. Calm, with a little bit of pride. “Now you’re getting it.”

“‘Every journey starts with footsteps,’” Jason quotes. He watches as Nico flushes red. The corners of his own lips lift into a tired smile. “Even if they are baby steps.”

Nico snorts and gestures to Jason’s feet. “Quite the shoe for baby steps.”

Again, Jason can’t help but laugh. He feels his cheeks tingle with heat. “Can…these big baby feet walk you home?”

Nico grins.

“That sounded as lame as I thought it would,” Jason admits. His cheeks glow pink. “I don’t know what I expected.”

They tiptoe out the front door, careful not to wake the rest of the apartment. A thought passes through Jason’s head that shadowtravel would’ve been easier. Faster. He decides against it in favor of Nico’s company.

“Praetor stuff should slow down next month. All of my centurions should be coming back for the school year,” Nico says. “Mike said wedding season ends in September.”

“Thanks for taking the time off for me.” A smile spreads across Jason’s lips. He gestures to the apartment complex behind him. “And throwing the party. Really, Nico—”

“It was nothing.”

“—it was everything,” Jason corrects. They stand in front of the di Angelo residence, and Jason watches as Nico look away. Beneath the streetlights, it’d be hard for anyone else to tell that Nico is red.

“I’ve been told I should learn how to take a compliment.” Nico’s tone is wry—and Jason can guess the piece of advice has come from one of his sisters. “So. You’re welcome. And…thank you.”

“Now you’re getting it,” Jason echoes. He smiles as Nico flushes a darker shade of red. They stand outside a little longer in a comfortable silence. There’s a goodbye and a thank you waiting on Jason’s tongue, but it doesn’t occur to him to say it out loud. He doesn’t want to.

Nico sucks in a breath of air, then lets his shoulders fall. “Wait here for a second.”

“Oh, sure.”

Nico disappears into the house. Jason sees the living room light flash from the door window—then Nico returns, looking more nervous than before. He holds out a gift bag. “Happy Birthday, Jason.”

Jason stares in awe longer than he intends. “You got me a gift?”

“Yeah.” Nico chews on his lip.

“I thought you forgot—”

“I just,” Nico hastily interjects, his cheeks glowing red, “didn’t want Percy to say anything stupid.”

“Oh.”

“You…can take the bag now, Jason.” 

“Oh—right.” Jason takes the bag gingerly. He stares at it in amazement, still flattered to be receiving a gift from Nico. Jason pulls the gift out with ease. “Oh—Nico, wow.” 

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

“I used to get anxious when Percy and Reyna would go on quests,” Nico starts carefully. “I mean—I knew what being in the Legion entailed. You just never know when you may lose someone.” 

He pauses for a moment, and they know they’re both thinking of the same person. 

“Percy got me into videogames, so I’d be preoccupied. And board games. There’s seventy years’ worth of games I missed out on because of the casino,” Nico says. “You mentioned liking Zelda. Maybe this will help you with some of that restless energy. I’ll bet you it’s more fun than cleaning.” 

Jason’s lips press into a smile. He runs a hand over the title. The artwork is pretty, with a silhouette of Link facing the horizon. “I don’t own a Switch.”

“Just ask Thalia. I’m sure she’ll be more than happy.” Nico flashes another look now—much surer of himself. “Just…whenever you’re needing to get your mind off of things. Or can’t sleep.”

“Nico, I…” Jason’s chest swells with another indescribable warmth. The longer he stands there, the more Nico’s smile makes him feel better. “I don’t even know what to say. Thank you.”

“You can think of me the next time you can’t fall asleep,” Nico says. He halts, then shifts awkwardly at his feet. “Well—not necessarily me. Or you can—if you need someone to talk to. You seemed in better spirits after last night. It doesn’t need to be me—Thalia and Bianca are also—”

“I’m going to be terrible at this game.” Jason laughs as Nico’s demeanor shifts in amusement.

“You can call me about that too,” Nico says. The corners of his lips twitch. “Just don’t feel like you need to hole yourself up for other people, Jason.”

Pink flutters across Jason’s cheeks. He runs a finger across the title once more. “I’ll ask Thalia first thing in the morning.”

“Good.” Nico smiles once more. “Try and get some sleep tonight.”

“Yeah,” Jason agrees. There’s a needling of disappointment at his chest. He looks up at Nico for as long as the rest of the evening will allow and leans forward with a handshake.

Nico opens both arms expectantly. They stare at each other.

“Oh,” Nico starts. He extends another hand. “Sorry, I just know you’re…a hugger—”

Jason yanks him close and pulls Nico into a hug. He knots one hand firmly against the game and buries his face in the crook of Nico’s shoulder.

“You’re right,” Jason agrees softly. “Sorry.”  

Nico doesn’t respond right away. But then he hugs back, squeezing Jason gently as he does so.

“No apologizing on your birthday,” Nico reminds him.

Jason laughs. It takes all of him to remember to let go.

*

Chapter Text

 August comes fast. Centurions and legionnaires alike come back to Camp Jupiter for the school year, including Percy and Annabeth, who eagerly move into the dorm rooms on campus. Nico and Reyna take the time off to help Percy move. Nico doesn’t visit NRU’s campus often, but he recognizes the faces of plenty of legionnaires. Many stop and say hello even when Nico’s hands are full of boxes.

Sally and Paul come by with their new daughter in tow. Not one corner of the residential hall goes without a photo. But—for all of the smart remarks Nico’s at the receiving end of during the school year, watching Percy humble and sweet with his family is always a side he likes to see.

“Nico’s a baby whisperer,” Percy says at one point, when the final box has made it to his dorm room.

Nico rolls his eyes, Estelle in his arms. “She says she likes me better than you.”

Estelle coos and happily brings a foot to her mouth.

Sally takes the opportunity to take her daughter back—but not before a smile graces her lips. “I hear you’ve really come into your own since the war, Nico. I’m proud of you.” 

Red flushes against Nico’s cheeks. “Thanks, Mom.” 

“And don’t worry—we’ll be here to move you in a few years,” Paul says reassuringly. He continues to take photos on a Polaroid. “Just let us know when graduation is, and we’ll be the ones waving the big sign!” 

“Sure, Paul,” Nico says. The corner of his lip twitches into a smile. “In two years.” 

Percy claps his hands in front of his sister, then animatedly rolls his eyes. “Well, I was supposed to move into someone’s praetor house, but someone let someone else call dibs.” 

“If only I could kick my own sister to the curb,” Nico says wryly. He pokes Estelle in the belly. The corner of his lip raises as she giggles. “That’s always a sound plan.” 

Percy shrugs. “Your loss.” 

“I think a single in the dorms is already an upgrade from the barracks,” Reyna interjects. She smiles as Estelle latches onto her finger and sticks it into her mouth.

“Look at all that baby drool,” Nico notes. “I see the family resemblance.” 

“Really?” Reyna jokes. “I think she’s too cute to be related to Percy.” 

“Hey,” Percy rouses—though he doesn’t disagree, as Estelle insists to be held by her big brother. 

They stretch out the length of the Jackson-Blofis clan’s stay with a visit to the campus pizzeria.

Paul is excited when a dryad takes his order.  “There was a nest in her hair! With real birds!” 

“Never did understand why forest nymphs would want to open up a woodfire pizza place,” Percy notes. “That’s like me putting dandruff on a cheeseburger.” 

“There’s an art to it,” Reyna says. “The dryads don’t just live in the trees. They nurture them. Being able to shed some of the bark and infuse it in the taste of the pizza is something that they’re proud of.”

“So more like eggs from a healthy hen,” Nico translates.

Still, Percy makes a face. “More like taking one of the bricks out of the foundation of our apartment.”

Nico snorts. Reyna laughs.

“Foundation,” she says. “Look at all the big architectural words Annabeth’s taught you this past summer.”

Percy throws a packet of cheese at her. “Dating Thalia’s made you meaner.”

“Try it out some day,” Reyna advises. “Maybe it’ll make you more sensible.”

“Unlikely,” Nico is quick to quip.

Sally places Estelle on the table as a mediator. Estelle cheers as she stumbles and leans forward into Nico’s grip. “No one gets to complain when they’re not paying for the food.”

“Yes ma’am,” Reyna and Nico reply politely.

“So Thalia’s busy today?” Sally asks. She looks between the three of them curiously.

“She’s helping Beth move into the girls’ dorms,” Percy explains. He shrugs nonchalantly. “I guess Jason asked? Who knows.”

Sally stares at her son curiously, then arches an eyebrow. “Who’s Jason?”

“Thalia’s brother,” Nico says—to which Sally’s eyes widen.

“Thalia has a brother?” she asks. “A new child of Pluto? Or—Hades? Is he…Greek, like Hazel?”

Reyna and Nico share exasperated looks—then turn expectantly to Percy.

Percy shrugs.  “It’s a recent development.”

“If you consider nine months recent,” Nico retorts. Once again, Percy shrugs nonchalantly.

“Who am I to count the time that Grace has been in our lives?” Percy asks halfheartedly. He waves around another packet of cheese. “His boyfriend?”

Nico kicks him beneath the table without warning.

“Ow!”

“It’s one of the…newer developments to come out of the war, Ms. Jackson-Blofis,” Reyna interjects for them. She eyes both her co-praetor and Fifth Cohort centurion curiously—but Nico is quick to wave a dismissive hand. “All you need to know is that Thalia has been happier since.”

Sally looks at the entire exchange—her grumbling son rubbing his shin, Nico, looking ready to blow Percy’s open cup out of his hand with a gust of wind, and Reyna’s exasperation between them. Despite the usual discord, she smiles at all of them.

“She sends her love,” Reyna says helpfully.

“I’m sure she does,” Sally says, though there’s a hint of disappointment in her voice. “She’ll have to introduce me the next time I see her.”

“Trust me—nothing in the Grace family compares to Thalia,” Percy reassures.

Sally’s eyebrows furrow together. “Grace?”

“Thalia’s last name,” Nico supplies.

“Thalia has a last name?” Paul asks.

“If you want to call it that.” Percy waves his hand dismissively—which is met with a swat from Reyna.  

The door of the pizzeria opens. Nico watches as Percy goes from nursing his injured arm to straightening in his seat. Then, Percy grins from cheek-to-cheek. “Annabeth! Hey!”

Sure enough, Annabeth Chase stands at the other end of the pizzeria in a New Rome University School of Architecture hoodie. A scholarly man stands next to her in a sweater vest and blond hair—undoubtedly her father. Nico’s heart flutters as Jason slinks in behind the pair, with both Bianca and Thalia in tow.

A grin spreads across Annabeth’s face, like they hadn’t seen each other two days ago. The host up front sits them at the neighboring table.

Reyna’s quick to stand to her feet and kiss her girlfriend.

“Annabeth,” Sally repeats slowly. She lights up and looks over to Nico. “The Annabeth?”

“The one and only,” Nico reassures—and Percy is quick to shrink.

“Frederick Chase,” Mr. Chase extends a hand in Sally’s direction. A smile appears at his lips and he arches an eyebrow behind his glasses.

“Sally Jackson—and my husband, Paul,” Sally says. “You must be the father of the girl my Percy’s so smitten with!”

“Mom!” Percy says, mortified.

“Oh,” Mr. Chase readjusts his glasses and turns to his daughter. “Is that the Poseidon boy?”

“Smitten’s probably the right word,” Thalia muses. A grin splays across her lips as she greets Sally. She winks at Nico.

A hand makes its way to Nico’s shoulder. Jason smiles from behind. “Hi, Nico.”

Red swells in Nico’s cheeks. “Hi.”

“You have a baby,” Jason notes.

“What?” Nico asks.

Jason’s lips press into a smile. He lifts the hand and gestures to Estelle, who’s made a home in Nico’s arms.

“Oh,” Nico says. “She’s not mine.”

“Smitten is definitely the right word,” Reyna agrees. Her eyes are elsewhere, as Percy continues to shrink in his seat.

There’s a brief pause, where Sally peers over and takes a look at Jason. She studies him carefully.

“Mom,” Thalia interjects. She claps a hand over Jason’s shoulder and smiles at her. “This is my brother, Jason. He’s a son of Hades.”

“The reaper?” Paul asks. “Wow!”

“You look familiar,” Sally says. Then she lights up. “Jason! Jason Grace! You used to come into Sweet on America all the time! You bought the big bags of lollipops. I always knew something was special about you!”

“Oh,” Jason says. His smile widens across his face. “Percy’s your son. He mentioned you didn’t work there anymore. I hope you’re finally getting back into school.”

“You stopped coming by!”

“I live here now,” Jason says. His cheeks grow a bashful hue. “With my sister.”

“Oh, honey,” Sally squeals and hugs him close. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Mom—” Percy stands back to his feet, his eyebrows furrowing in dismay. “You knew Grace? And that he was a demigod?”

“It was a hunch,” Sally says. “Jason always bought candy in bulk over the summer. He told me he worked at a summer camp for kids—plus that faun he was always with.”

“Satyr, actually,” Nico interjects. He pretends not to notice Percy pouting—and doesn’t pay attention to the way Jason’s smile widens.

Sally turns to Bianca next—and a grin stretches across her lips. “You’re the sweet girl that came in with them from time-to-time.”

Nico’s cheeks flush pink. “My sister, Bianca.”

Bianca stands tall and extends an amicable hand. “Nice to meet you officially, Mrs. Jackson-Blofis.”

“What, no Beth?” Percy grumbles—which earns an irritable look from the daughter of Athena. He’s quick to cower.

Jason and Annabeth look at each other. Jason brushes a hand against his neck awkwardly.

“No Beth,” Nico quickly says.

“We call those the lost years,” Annabeth confirms—then she brings Jason close for a hug.

“What a weird thought,” Percy interjects. He points a packet of cheese between Nico and Bianca. “You were only a mom away from meeting again.”

Bianca and Nico exchange looks.

“I guess in this case, a mammina,” Jason interjects. The corner of his lips lifts into a smile. 

Nico hides his own smile behind Estelle. “You’re saying it wrong.” 

Jason smile turns sheepish, and he shrugs. “Italian’s not my strong suit.” 

“Neither is flirting,” Percy reassures. Nico jabs him in the arm. “Ow!” 

Once the introductions are over, the tables are pushed together. Sally, Paul, and Mr. Chase have a riveting conversation about adult things. Nico watches as Bianca’s face twists at Percy’s explanation about hamburgers and dandruff, while Annabeth and Reyna discuss the amenities provided in the dorm rooms. From across the table, he catches Jason’s smile.

“What?” Nico asks.

“Nothing,” Jason promises. “Percy’s sister is cute.”

“Yeah,” Nico agrees. “They look nothing like each other.”

His chest warms as Jason laughs. The corners of Jason’s lips raise, looking much more like himself in recent days.

“You enjoying the game?” Nico asks.

Jason lights up almost immediately. “Yeah, I finally found the Master Sword. I can’t believe how good it looks.”

“You’d be amazed what improvements they’ve made from 8-bit to 3D.” Nico’s smile widens as Jason’s cheeks warm.

“Weird though,” Jason admits. “I’m used to Link being left-handed—”

“They’ve only changed it for two games,” Nico interjects. He rolls his eyes animatedly. “For Breath of the Wild and Skyward Sword. Something about it being intuitive for console mechanics. You’ve already got to switch between shields, bows, arrows, and runes. I’d say making him righthanded for console mechanics just butchers his lore.”

He stops his heated rant as he notices Jason staring at him. Red blooms in his cheeks.

Thalia claps a hand over her brother’s shoulder and laughs. “Nico was on the waitlist for that one for years. He was mad when they swapped consoles.”

“Please,” Percy grumbles halfheartedly, “Let’s not rehash the Wii U and Nintendo Switch argument again. Or lore.”

“Video games have an insightful story behind them,” Nico protests.

“What,” Percy continues, “like the Mythomagic anime?”

“No,” Nico says. “That was garbage.”

“I like Zelda.” Jason smiles politely, fiddling with a straw wrapper in his hand. “You still haven’t shown me your game collection.”

Nico flushes pink. He tugs at the edge of his sleeve. “You remembered that?”

Jason’s lips spread into a wider smile. “You remembered I liked Zelda. Why wouldn’t I remember your games?”

“He stares at it every time he comes over,” Bianca interjects. “Which is every day.”

Red blooms in Jason’s cheeks. He smiles sheepishly once more. “The Switch has been good while Bianca edits photos.”

“I…should be a little freer with the centurions back in town,” Nico says. “Reyna and I both, I mean.”

Percy shoves a pizza pie between them. “Speaking of free, it’s almost the start of school and we haven’t done one thing.”

“Someone’s been busy following a girl to the other side of the country,” Thalia retorts.

Percy glares at her.

“Estelle, of course,” Reyna supplies helpfully. She holds the youngest Jackson in her arms and gives her another pepperoni.

“What do you want, Percy?” Nico asks. He stares at the half-eaten mushroom pizza sitting in front of him and watches as Jason collects a slice for himself.

Percy peers back at him, annoyed. “What else would I want? We go every summer.”

“I could name a few things,” Nico says. He moves out of the way before Percy can kick him.

“Want me to put it in a way you understand?” Percy asks wryly.

“If you think it’ll help,” Jason says helpfully. Nico hides a snicker as Percy glares at him, too.

“Fine,” Percy says. He waves his hands around emphatically, slathering pizza cheese all over the table. “Beach episode!”

*

The summer at Camp Jupiter always ends at the beach for the Fifth Cohort. Nico remembers being eleven, only a few months away from closing out his first year as a legionnaire. Romans weren’t known for their naval forces. Fourteen-year-old Centurion Jackson made a sound argument that a camp named after the Best and the Greatest should be ready for any enemy attack.

Sure, the Romans had a bad experience with Shen Lun in 1906—but that meant they should be prepared in case they had to deal with the sea ever again.

Percy won his argument, and the last weekend of the summer is always spent at the beach playing volleyball and sunbathing.

“It’s also pivotal for all Big Three demigods—according to Percy, anyway,” Nico explains from the backseat of the SUV.

Bianca makes a face beside her brother. “How?”

Percy makes tick marks with his fingers from the driver’s seat. “One: saltwater practice and sea creatures for me. Two: practice with the sea breeze for Nico. And three—Thalia’s basically a metal detector. It’s a game of concentration for her.”

“Something you never fail to ruin,” Thalia reassures.

Nico hides a smile as Bianca blinks in confusion. She looks over to Reyna.

“So the Fifth Cohort makes this trip every summer,” Bianca says slowly, “and as praetor, you approved it?”

“Reyna used to be a pirate,” Percy supplies helpfully.

“I support strengthening our naval forces. And team-building exercises.” Reyna lifts her sunglasses and flashes Bianca a look. “A good tan never hurt anyone, either.”

Bianca smiles back, looking less doubtful. The car jerks suddenly as they pass a car beside them. Nico—

“Oof.”

“Sorry—you okay?”

“I’m. Fine.”

—wedged well into Jason’s side, elbow in the son of Hades’ lap. A line streaks across Jason’s journal from his pencil. Jason looks at Nico from the window seat, lips pressed into a smile.

Nico scrambles back to his place in the middle seat and yanks at his t-shirt hem. “That’s...the journal Mr. D gave you.”

“You remembered?” 

“You remembered my game collection.”

Jason’s lips spread into a smile. He bookmarks the journal with his pencil and hands it over to Nico to observe. “Mr. D wanted me to write down my thoughts. I try to get an entry in at least once a day.”

Nico’s not sure what to make of it. He stares at it carefully and notices more pages filled out than not. “Looks like a lot of thoughts.”

“A few,” Jason agrees. “You can read it if you want.”

“No.” Nico gently hands the book back to Jason and eyes him carefully. “I trust you to tell me how you’re feeling.”

Jason’s next laugh is breathy. Nico’s ears tingle as he feels the soft exhale—then Jason retrieves the book. “It’s nothing too exciting. Mostly figuring out where to look for items in the side quests.”

“Side quests?”

“Yeah—like when I notice a lizard I might need for more opals later. Or what ingredients I need to make stealthy food.” Jason rubs his stomach thoughtfully. “Cooking in game always makes me hungry.”

Nico bites back a laugh. He hides it in a smile instead. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

There’s an amusement to Jason’s next expression that Nico can’t help but enjoy. Jason tucks the pencil behind is ear and smiles. “All the fun of adventuring on a quest without all the high stakes. Who knew it could actually be fun.”

“I’m sure Zelda doesn’t mind,” Nico muses halfheartedly. “Being locked away by Calamity Ganon while you’re off finding iguanas, I mean.”

Jason flushes red and laughs quietly. “Maybe she’ll forgive me if I’m well-equipped to save her. And remember everything. There’re still too many spirit orbs to find.”

“How many are you going to try and find?”

Jason’s eyebrows knit together, perplexed. “Don’t you need to find all of them?”

“No,” Nico reassures. “But if you want to max out your hearts, Zelda will wait.”

“She could be better off on her own,” Percy calls from the front.

Nico resists the urge to throw Jason’s journal at the son of Neptune’s head. “You’re right. If Link’s too busy neglecting Zelda, she deserves to find a nice guy in the School of Hyrulian Architecture.”

At that comment, their resident daughter of Athena looks up from her textbook. The corner of her lips quirk into a smile—but she says nothing.

“Too bad,” Jason says obliviously. He chuckles softly to himself and crosses his arms over his chest. “I like both of them.”

“Can’t relate,” Nico says. “I’m partial to Link.”

Jason laughs. He peers up from his seat by the window, his lips spread with amusement. His voice is quieter, so Percy can’t intrude on their conversation. “I had a weird phase with Sheik for a while. Turns out I just liked all three of them.”

“I can imagine,” Nico notes. “Blond hair, blue eyes. The same qualities as—”

He stops himself quickly, before the L can tickle his tongue. Nico snaps back to Jason quickly to see if the son of Hades notices—and is relieved to find that he doesn’t. Jason looks at him oddly and fiddles with his pencil again. He smiles at Nico fully and nudges the other demigod with his leg.

“Blue eyes are nice,” Jason agrees. “You’ve got pretty eyes, Nico.”

Oh.

“Oh,” Nico says. Red creeps up his cheeks, and he subtly inches closer to his sister. “That’s um. Nice.”

He puts his sunglasses on and pretend to fall asleep.

Nico welcomes Percy’s next turn, when he veers into Bianca’s lap instead.

*

*

The water is a pristine blue when they finally make it to the coast. The sea breeze fills Nico’s nostrils, while the wind kicks sand into his skin. They find a place near the edge of the coast after hauling a cooler, some beach beds, and the volleyball net. 

He watches as Reyna dresses her girlfriend in a sun hat. Bianca is busy squealing and taking photos of hermit crabs in the sand. Normally, Percy sprints off into the ocean for hours, only to come back after some thought provoking (stupid and unnecessary) quest—but he’s got his knees planted in the sand, spitting out ideas as Annabeth decides to build a sand castle. 

“The breeze is nice,” Jason says—which is when Nico realizes the son of Hades hasn’t left him. “Percy picked a good day to come.” 

“It’s his favorite day of the year,” Nico says. He shrugs nonchalantly. “You come to camp where they think you’re a bad omen for some crime you don’t know about. Where else are you going to find pride in being a son of Neptune?” 

“From a son of Juno, I guess.” The corner of Jason’s lips lift into a smile, while Nico feels his face tingle. 

“No son of Juno back then.” Nico reminds him. “Only a ten-year-old kid who had a real thing for pirates.” 

Jason chuckles softly. “Hook for a hand and everything?” 

“My disappointment is derived from somewhere, isn’t it?” Nico snorts. He peers back at Jason, who’s settled nicely on a beach towel beside him. Beneath the California sun, Jason’s pale skin lights him like a beacon. He glances back to Thalia, who like every year, is already a little pink from the heat. “You need some sunscreen?” 

Jason shrugs nonchalantly. “I don’t really burn anymore.” 

“What about the curse?” 

“I don’t burn because of the curse.” 

“Achilles took a well-aimed spear to the heel. That’s all got to go somewhere.”  

Nico watches as Jason mulls over the claim.

Then Jason touches the back of his neck. “I guess death by sunburn would be a pretty humiliating way to go.” 

“And I’m sure no one wants to see Thalia have a fist fight with Apollo.” Nico reaches into Thalia’s black beach bag and plucks the bottle of sunscreen beside her bottle of aloe vera. “Turn around.”

Jason pulls his shirt off. Despite the pale skin and quaint disposition, Jason still has the build of a fighter. From…whatever workout regiment that’s supposed to keep him grounded, away from Breath of the Wild. The muscles in his back are heightened with lines streaming across his bare skin, flexing with each movement, and concaving into a sculpted midpoint at the hem of his swim trunks. His arms are firm and rigid, arched into a set of curves and dips.

And…well, there was that eight-pack.

“Nico?”

Nico clears his throat and remembers to exhale. “You didn’t need to take your shirt off.”

Jason’s eyebrows furrow together, confused. “But we’re going swimming.”

“Right.” Nico’s face burns hot. He’s quick to sidestep the son of Hades and stands on the tips of his toes. “Where is it?”

Jason brushes the spot at the base of his neck once more, right beneath the knot of his necklace.

Nico lifts the necklace carefully and gives Jason a small spritz. He almost drops the can as Jason flinches and shivers.

“Sorry,” Jason mutters. “That’s a lot more tender than I expected.”

Nico’s fingers twitch. “No problem—” His voice cracks. “I’ll be gentler next time.”

He resists the urge to shove his face into sand, like an ostrich.

Luckily, Jason elects to rub the sunscreen himself. The son of Hades turns around, smile bright against his lips as Nico hands the can off. He shakes the can lightly between his fingers and makes a silly face. “Arghh.”

Nico stares.

“You know—like a pirate,” Jason says. He inspects the son of Juno from head-to-toe—but then his eyes are bright as he stares Nico in the face. “You’re looking a little burned already. Want me to do you?”

“No—I think I can handle myself for a little bit.” Nico places his sunglasses over his face.

“Neeks,” Percy calls from the ocean. “Hurry up—”

Nico sprints. He can’t hit cold water fast enough.

*

They spend a good amount of time in the water, listening to seagulls and basking in beach waves. Percy denies at least two quests from sea creatures and accidentally steals the new home of a hermit crab to use it as the centerpiece for Annabeth’s sandcastle.

Nico tans against the sand beside Reyna, occasionally glancing in Thalia and Jason’s direction, where they’re busy looking for lost coins. There’s a way Jason squints as he focuses on trying to summon a penny. Nico hides a smile in his arm. Every once in a while, they can see Bianca jostling Jason into taking a photo of her against the white sand.

Reyna hums. “Who knew Jason was such a—”

“Instagram husband?” Nico muses.

She flashes a look of amusement. “And that Bianca was—”

“So into herself?”

Again, Reyna eyes him, the corner of her lips lifting. “You have that ready off the dome, Praetor di Angelo?”

Nico shrugs nonchalantly and flips onto his back. “Camp Halfblood never let them have electronics because it’d attract monsters. Bianca took a lot of photos on a polaroid, but she didn’t realize she could actually put them somewhere. Like, online. She loves that camera.”

“It’s a nice camera,” Reyna points out. “And nice photos.”

“They are. We’re the children of a matron goddess who elevates her own marriage for others,” Nico points out. “Bianca liking Instagram makes perfect sense.” 

“And Jason?” 

“She wouldn’t trust me to take a flattering photo of her.” 

Reyna laughs and nudges him in the shoulder. “Your Percy is showing.” 

“Percy wishes he could be me.” Nico grins as Reyna laughs again. Then he gestures to the edge of the sand where Percy has been sitting still while Annabeth recreates the Taj Mahal. A seagull has joined them, mounted perfectly beside Percy and stroking its beak. 

“He seems to be handling himself just fine,” Reyna says.

“He went on a quest, spent months on a boat, and lived a whole summer a few doors down from Annabeth,” Nico says. “You sure he’s doing fine?” 

Reyna eyes him. “Compared to Thalia?” 

Four years of skirting around Captain—then Praetor—Ramirez-Arellano, only to wait for her to come back to Camp Jupiter with another girlfriend, fall into Tartarus, and still wait until the penultimate moment before Gaea’s death to finally get together. 

“Say no more,” Nico says. Compared to that, Percy and Annabeth are probably moving too fast. 

“So, what’s stopping you?” 

Nico turns his head ever so slightly and meets Reyna’s gaze. There’s a knowingness to her expression—one that’s been there since they met all those years ago. Still, Nico feels his nose scrunch. 

“Nothing,” he says. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He tries to dismiss it quickly, but they spend every day together in the praetor office. Reyna’s known him since he was eleven—and while she isn’t as blasé as Percy or nosy as Bianca, she knows him. It wouldn’t have bothered him so much that she went missing for the winter otherwise.

So she doesn’t just drop it. Not like Bianca. She doesn’t badger him into irritation, either.  

Nico groans into his beach towel. He peers at the Grace siblings through his bangs. Beneath the sea breeze and ocean spray, Jason’s hair looks wavier. The way he carries himself is different than the son of Hades that he first met. There’s a light smile on his face that’s carried through most of the summer.

“Am I that obvious?” Nico asks quietly. Miserably. 

“I’ve seen the way you look at him,” Reyna says. “You don’t give that look to anyone else.” 

Nico sighs tiredly and buries his face into sand. With one more inhale, he glances back up and notices Thalia drag Jason to her height for a photo-op. She grins from cheek to cheek. 

“He’s Thalia’s brother,” he says finally. “Thalia is the reason I ever got out of that casino…but then I spent weeks blaming her for Bianca’s death. I didn’t know she was holding guilt over her mom and Jason’s death, too.”

“She’d be absolutely thrilled if the two of you got together.” Reyna nudges him in the arm, to keep him from being harder on himself.

“And she’d be stuck in the middle if it didn’t work out,” Nico refutes. He shakes his head and pushes his sunglasses above his head. “He was already caught in the middle of things when Mammina did the swap. I wasn’t exactly nice to him when we first met. Thalia took it just fine back then, but there are higher stakes at play right now.”

“Higher than saving the world?”

“Your Percy is showing,” Nico remarks halfheartedly. He nudges her back as she smiles, the looks back to the Grace siblings. His chest swells, as Thalia takes off her sunhat and shoves it onto Jason’s instead. “He’s…been in the spotlight all his life without a choice and just took it. That Great Prophecy sculpted every choice he’s ever had to make.”

Reyna studies him curiously, her expression shifting. “I…heard rumors when I was at Camp Halfblood. About him and the Hermes boy—”

“Even more reason to never want anyone knowing what’s going on in his head,” Nico remarks grimly. He pushes hair out of his face, then glances at the tattoo on his arm. The eagle tattoo sits there, still as starch and annoying as the day it magically burned into his arm. “You, Thalia, and Percy made sure I still had my privacy when I was a son of Jupiter. The last thing I wanted to do was lead an army under my dad’s name when he’s the reason we got stuck in the casino in the first place. Jason didn’t have that.”

“Jason had the Hermes boy,” Reyna remarks—and Nico is quick to turn around.

He feels his face flush scarlet as she lifts an eyebrow. Nico goes back to laying his head back in the sand. He draws a breath. Reyna reaches over and squeezes his arm.

“Rumors mean nothing,” she reminds him gently. “We’re a bunch of teenagers running a gossip mill, Nico. Remember the month people swore Don the Faun was going to be Thalia’s replacement?”

 “I’m pretty sure that rumor started with Percy and ended with goat.”

“You did a good job with that one.” Reyna squeezes his shoulder once more.  “The only thing that matters is what comes out of Jason’s mouth. Rumors don’t mean anything.”

Nico sighs into her warmth. He sticks a finger into sand and flicks it around.

“if,” he says slowly, “I told Jason that I…I like him more than a friend, it’s just going to change things too much. It’ll trouble him. He’d go out of his way not to hurt my feelings.”

“From what I’ve seen he’s very considerate about other people’s feelings,” Reyna agrees. “It’s an admirable quality.”

“Not when he’s been a doormat to Olympus all his life,” Nico says wryly. He shakes his head and rubs his tattooed arm. Maybe more than he needs to. “I like where we’re at, which is where Thalia probably wishes we started. There’s no reason to rock the boat.”

“What makes you think he doesn’t like you back?”

“Because he doesn’t.”

“Really?” Reyna arches an eyebrow and pushes a bottle of water in his direction. “He takes you instead of his best friend or sister to Camp Halfblood for his birthday and talks about you nonstop, and you don’t think he likes you?”

“He’s just like that.” Nico waves his hand dismissively and rubs his temples. “He…also spent the night before his birthday telling me his heart’s down in the Fields of Punishment.”

He decides not to look up for Reyna’s reaction.

“Oh,” she says. “Ouch.”

“Yeah,” Nico agrees quietly. More enviously than he wants. He stops rubbing his tattoo when it reddens. Nico presses a chilled water bottle to his forehead. “It’s just a dumb crush, Reyna. It’ll pass.”

“How’s it working out for you so far?”

Nico snorts. He pushes wet hair from his forehead and props a cheek to the hand. “It’s a horrible work-in-progress, but I’ll manage. I don’t need anyone to hold my hand.”

“Really—?”

“Please,” Nico interjects. He lifts a hand and pinches the bridge of his nose. “There’s nothing important about how we hold hands. We just did that a lot while getting the statue to Halfblood. It’s a reflex at this point.”

Reyna stares at him again.

“Now your Percy’s really showing,” Nico grumbles.

“No,” Reyna says. She gestures to Annabeth and their resident son of Neptune, who is currently manipulating water currents to help build Annabeth’s moat. “I think that honor still belongs to you.”

Nico sighs. He considers burying his face in sand again. “Has Thalia noticed?”

“If she has, then she hasn’t mentioned it to me,” Reyna promises. She touches Nico on the shoulder gently. “She values her relationship and what you talk about with her the same way I do. You know you can come to her for anything.”

“Not with this one,” Nico mutters. “I’m going to get over it, Reyna.”

Reyna studies him carefully. Then she leans over and wraps an arm around his shoulders. “I’ll tap in the next time Percy stirs trouble. I don’t think Sally made it to the kindergarten stories at dinner the other night.”

Nico laughs quietly. He kisses her on the cheek and leans into her tiredly. “You’re the best.”

Really—an afternoon on the beach with his three favorite people, his big sister, and their friends. Nico doesn’t want anything to ruin it.

*

“Hey.”

Nico glances up.

Jason’s hair is wet and wiry, darkened to the color of beach sand. He’s no darker than when they first arrived, but he smiles with a vivacity carried by everyone else.

“Hey,” Nico says, when he remembers to reply.

Jason eases into a wider smile and grabs his beach towel beside Nico. He accidentally knocks over Nico’s water bottle. “Sorry—did I get you wet?”

“Wet,” Nico repeats, “at a beach. I’ve never been so offended.”

Jason laughs gently. Nico feels his own chest swell at the sound. He opens his mouth to speak again—

“Nico—did you remember to reapply? Did you remember behind the ears, too? You’re looking a little pink.” —and Bianca hovers close with a bottle of sunscreen in hand.

Nico bites back a groan and resists the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m fine, sis.”

Bianca frowns at him, looking very much like their mother in demeanor. “You’re going to get skin cancer.”

“I’m tanning. I’m making up for a summer spent indoors.”

She glares at him beneath her straw hat and flowy swimsuit coverup. Bianca lets her camera hang at her neck, then quickly shoves a baseball cap over an unassuming Jason’s head. “Jace, tell my little brother he’s too young to look like a shriveled prune.”

“Oh,” Jason says, readjusting the hat over his head. He looks between the two of them, suddenly looking less settled. “Um—”

“I’m almost a hundred,” Nico retorts.

“And you’re senile already if you think you should be sitting out here without sunscreen,” Bianca remarks. She waggles a finger in his face, while Nico tries not to bury his head in his hands from embarrassment.

Luckily, Jason changes the subject. “Is…that Piper over there?”

Nico doesn’t think he’s ever seen his sister blanch so quickly. She turns her head in the same direction.

“Oh,” Bianca says. “Yeah, that looks like her.”

Sure enough, Piper McLean is recognizable from far away with her choppy brown hair. She’s dressed in a wetsuit, with a surfboard under her arm. Nico doubts he would have noticed—but even when covered head-to-toe, the daughter of Aphrodite garners looks from other beachgoers. Likely to her disdain.

Bianca immediately hops over Jason’s shoulder and hides behind his frame. Jason yelps. “Bee—”

“I’m not here,” Bianca hisses.

“—I’m really not sure you can get away with this a second time,” Jason finishes.

“A second time?” Nico repeats. An eyebrow darts into the air, and he watches as his sister tries to make herself as small as possible.

Jason, despite towering over both of them, jostles easily under Bianca’s grip. He smiles awkwardly while Bianca cowers. He opens his mouth to speak.

“None of your business,” Bianca interjects hastily.

Jason closes his mouth. He looks between the di Angelo siblings while Nico tries his best not to stare at Bianca like she’s grown a second head.

“You should go talk to her,” Jason says politely. “You were mentioning wanting more friends.”

Bianca looks scandalized. She sits at her knees grabs him by the arm. “Not her.”

“Why not?” Nico frowns. “I like Piper.”

His sister looks ready to bury her head in sand, which is the closest they’ve come to being related.

“Is it because I like Piper?” he asks dryly.

“No,” Bianca says hastily. “I called her a misogynist after she made fun of my dresses.”

Nico looks over to Jason for an explanation—who has since settled into Bianca fiddling behind him.

“Actually,” Jason says, “I think she called your dresses cool.”

“Why?” Nico asks disbelievingly.

“And she wanted to take you out on a date,” Jason continues.

Again, Nico asks—“Why?”

Bianca all but kicks sand in Nico’s direction. She’s too busy staring dreadfully at her best friend. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because…I support your happiness?” Jason answers. Semi-asks.

“Something we agree on,” Nico says. He doesn’t miss the way Jason’s face seems to lift with a smile. Before Bianca can protest, Nico stands to his feet and cups hands around his mouth. “PIPER!”

The daughter of Aphrodite looks over the instant her name is called, hand above her eyes. Her posture straightens as she recognizes them from afar, and she waves. Bianca squeaks.

“She looks like she’s alone,” Jason says. “You should see if she wants to join us.”

“I don’t even know what to say to her,” Bianca points out.

Nico snorts, then picks up the bottle of sunscreen from his sister’s purse. “Go see if she needs to reapply.”

Bianca gives him a withering stare. “Nico, I’m going to—”

“Hey,” Piper greets. She comes to their fort of blankets, surfboard in hand, and smiles at them amicably. Piper turns and waves pleasantly to Nico. “Hi, Nico.”

“Hey, Piper,” Nico greets in return. He grabs Jason by the hand and begins to drag him elsewhere. “Bye, Piper.”

He drags Jason until they’re knee-deep in water. They watch from afar, from Bianca’s tense body language and Piper casually holding onto her board. Bianca gestures wildly with her hands, with the bottle of sunscreen still between her fingers. Nico startles as Jason swings their hands, reminding him they’re still interlocked.

“What do you think they’re saying?” Jason asks curiously.

Nico wrinkles his nose. Then, in a halfhearted impersonation—“What do you mean a bikini is sexist? Back in my day, being able to show above the knee was liberating.”

Jason stares at him in disbelief. “I forgot how good that was.”

Nico grins. “You remember my game collection but not my flawless impersonation of my sister?”

“Guilty,” Jason says. He smiles sheepishly. “Guess we should fix that.”

Nico pauses. “Yeah. I mean—we could.”

It’s only been a few days since the centurions returned to Camp Jupiter, but the workload has already lightened. Reyna and he don’t have to micromanage cohorts filled with Romans and Greeks. Tensions have lightened in the months following the war—even if by a subtle margin. The Fifth Cohort was ecstatic to have Percy back, alongside Dakota.

A crevasse suddenly appears between them. A tendril of water yanks at Nico’s other hand while another pushes Jason meters away.

Jason blinks. “Um—”

“Volleyball time,” Percy cheers. He appears out of nowhere, lips split into a warm grin.

Nico shakes his drenched hand. It’s quickly filled with a volleyball, while Percy excitedly gathers the rest of their small group. He rolls his eyes as Percy gives him a look.  “There’s only seven of us. We’ll need an eighth for volleyball.”

“No problem,” Percy reassures. “Grace can sit out.”

Before he can help himself, Nico glares at the son of Neptune. Percy shrugs innocently.

Jason pushes wet hair out of his face. He recovers from the ocean floor and smiles.  “I’d be happy to sit out if you feel like you can’t win, Percy.”

Percy stares at Jason for a long time. And stares. He opens his mouth to speak—

“Percy,” Nico warns warily.

“—aren’t you, like, retired?” Percy asks. He spins the volleyball between his hands, eyebrow arched suspiciously. “You know—rice pudding, bedtime at 4PM, teeth in a cup—retired? Like Bianca and Nico.”

Nico stares at the son of Neptune despairingly. He knows he’s not the only one. Slowly, everyone else turn to soak in Jason’s reaction.

“4:45, actually,” Jason supplies helpfully. “Rice pudding can take a while to thicken.”

Nico stifles a laugh in his hand. He doesn’t miss the way Jason eases into a smile.

“I don’t fight,” Jason agrees. “But—Camp Halfblood is a summer camp. We played volleyball a few times.”

“It was good for honing reflexes,” Annabeth explains. There’s an amusement to her smile as she nudges her best friend.

“The Romans have Death Ball,” Reyna interjects. “Also good for reflexes.”

For the first time since the construction of the Argo II, Percy actually looks impressed by one Jason Grace. The corner of his lip twitches, and the son of Neptune sizes Jason up.

“Okay,” Percy agrees warily. “So we’ll need an eighth.”

Nico and Jason glance at each other. He almost jumps at how quickly Jason returns his gaze—but then they look back to Bianca and Piper.

*

They set up the volleyball court with ease. Thalia draws lines in the sand with a gold bar she found on a stroll. She’s stained red from head-to-toe—but only grins when Reyna offers her more sunscreen.

“Mind reapplying for me?” Jason asks, snapping Nico out of his thoughts.

“Sure.” Nico’s careful this time as he spritzes Jason’s neck. Jason still jumps from the sudden change in temperature—but Nico expects it this time. He averts his eyes as Jason rubs it in.

Then Jason smiles at him. “Team?”

Nico grins.

“Neeks and I usually team up,” Percy interjects.

“Oh.” Jason blinks—but then looks over to Annabeth. “You…need a teammate, Beth?”

“She’s on my team,” Percy insists. Nico resists the urge to smack him.

“So I guess Jason’s on our team,” Annabeth concludes—and she beams while Percy emphatically rolls his eyes.

Nico yanks Percy by the arm, so hard that Percy almost yowls. He stares at the son of Neptune warily, gaze narrowed, as Jason and Annabeth busy themselves on the other side of their court.  “Will you please be nice to Jason?”

Percy shrugs nonchalantly. “I’m just keeping you in check.”

The irritation bubbles in Nico’s stomach. “I don’t—”

“Percy,” Reyna interjects.

They both turn around, and Percy is met with a volleyball to the face. Nico bites back a laugh while Percy falls to the ground.

“Stay focused,” Reyna calls from the other side of the net sternly. “I taught you better than that.”

Piper, Reyna, Thalia, and Bianca against Nico, Percy, Jason, and Annabeth. Nico watches as Reyna peeps warily at her ex-girlfriend—but Piper seems far more fascinated by Bianca. A few moments of awkward introductions later, and Bianca and Piper seem to be on better terms. Nico watches as Bianca nervously waves her hands and smiles.

Gods. He’s glad not to be in a situation like that.

“So your dad’s shooting a new film around here?” Reyna asks. Piper nods and rolls her eyes.

“He gets to film on location, and I get to enjoy the beach,” Piper says. Pointedly, she adds, “By myself.”

“How’s that working out for you so far?” Nico muses from the other side of the net.

The daughter of Aphrodite stares at him. The corners of her lips lift into a smirk. “I’ll let you know when we win.”

To the surprise of everyone, Thalia is the one who erupts in a laugh. She claps a hand to Piper’s back and grins. “Let’s see you put your money where your mouth is, McLean.”

Once that’s settled in, everyone finds footing in the sand. Nico makes note of Jason to the left of him, and Annabeth and Percy behind. There’s a grin to Percy’s face, giddy and boyish from a semi-casual volleyball game. After months with the son of Neptune as company, Annabeth looks more than ready to trade Capture the Flag for a different sport. Nico glances at Jason from the corner of his eye and feels his cheeks tingle as Jason smiles back at him.

“Remember,” Thalia iterates sternly. She looks at Percy. “The winner gets ice cream. Don’t ask Nico to buy you cookies and cream when you lose, Jackson.”

“Cocky for a girl with a losing streak,” Percy taunts.

“Is this going to end as bloody as Slap on my birthday?” Jason asks.

“No,” Nico promises. “Bloodier.”

He hides a smile at how Jason says his birthday instead of the anniversary of Luke’s death.

Annabeth tosses the ball in the air. Percy sprints towards the ball—“OW!”—and immediately trips over a gold nugget wedged into the sand. The ball lands beside him with a light plop.

Piper, Bianca, Jason, and Annabeth stare at him, puzzled. Nico only rolls his eyes.

“You can’t talk trash and lose the first point, Percy,” he berates. “You’re making me look bad.”

“Oh,” Jason says. “That kind of game.”

Percy rolls onto his back. His face scrunches into a pout—then he looks over to Jason daringly. “Don’t tell me you can’t keep up.”

“So far only one of you has faceplanted,” Nico points out. “I’m not impressed.”

“Sounds like it’s going to get bloodier than Slap alright,” he hears Annabeth mutter to Jason.

Nico’s ears bristle pink—but Jason splits into a grin in contrast.

The son of Hades reaches out and helps Percy back to his feet. “We’ll call that a warmup round.”

“No, baby brother,” Thalia reassures, “that point definitely still counts for our side.”

They agree to play until one team reaches fifteen. Piper, Bianca, Jason, and Annabeth—the Greek demigods—seem to pick up the game quickly.

Anything goes. Annabeth is intelligent and analytical, noting the ticks in their opponents—like how Thalia focuses on curbing Percy, and Reyna starts her charge for the ball with her left leg. Percy causes tremors to the beach that alarms mortal beachgoers—which trips all but Bianca, who hovers above sand and spikes the ball to their side.

Jason—

“I got it—”

“Oof!”

—dives for the ball when Nico does. They slam straight into each other.  Nico almost topples from Jason reaching for the ball—but feels an arm catch him instead. Jason reaches out, one arm wrapped fully around Nico before the son of Juno can plummet.

Jason stares at him, puzzled. “Are you—?”

“The ball,” Nico says sharply—quickly—as the ball skirts Percy’s tap.

Jason’s head jerks towards the volleyball without a second thought—and a cold chill courses through Nico. A skeleton pokes its head from the ground and headbutts the ball towards the air. Annabeth is quick to recover to and slap the ball to the other side. Percy woops—while no one from the other team manages to recover.

“You okay?” Jason asks. His cheeks bloom pink, eyes flashing with concern. “Sorry—I wasn’t looking.”

“I’m—fine,” Nico says, when he finds his words. He tries not to stare too much. “Nice—” Abs. “—reflexes.”

“Foul play!” Bianca combs her hands against the volleyball net and pouts. “It’s four against four! You can’t add an extra teammate!”

“Are you kidding me?” Nico pushes out of Jason’s arms and eyes his sister angrily. “Jason’s using his absets!”

“Assets?” Reyna muses.

“I said that.” Nico’s cheeks blister with heat.

“Hey—you wanna count Grace’s new best friend as a teammate, then the same goes for Thalia’s little nugget friend that I tripped over earlier,” Percy retorts behind Nico. “Fair is fair, and fair is fair!”

“That’s fair is foul and foul is fair,” Bianca corrects. She places her hands on her hips and glares.

“Thanks Percy,” Jason says. “I didn’t know you cared.”

Percy waves his hand dismissively. “I care about a point when we’re one away from winning, Grace.”

Nico tries his best not to have his eyes roll to the back of his head. He stares Thalia and Reyna expectantly, who shrug.

“I can try other things,” Jason says. He raises a hand before Percy and Bianca can bite each other’s heads off.

“The point counts,” Percy insists. “You can’t knock a guy for using his powers! That’s like me telling Annabeth to stop being super smart or Reyna to stop kicking my ass.”

Nico bites back a laugh behind his palm and looks over to Jason—who looks every bit amused by Percy’s candor.

Bianca stares at Percy in disdain—then shakes her head. “Look, Jace—”

“Hey—” Piper steps between the pair, exasperation on her face. Nico feels the butterflies clouding his head—but notices Percy and Bianca look even more taken. “—zip it.”

Immediately, Bianca’s hand flies to her mouth. Percy accidentally smacks himself trying to get a hand to his face. Nico looks to Jason out of reflex—who wrinkles his nose and rubs his forehead.

“We’ll get that point back, di Angelo,” Piper promises. She winks and plays the volleyball in Bianca’s hand. “Just worry about serving.”

At first, Bianca flusters under Piper’s gaze. She falters at Piper’s wink, her fingers curling over the rivets of the ball—then glows red as Piper whispers into her ear.

Everyone reforms on either side of the net. Nico is mindful of Jason’s position this time—but he watches, as Bianca takes an irregular step from her previous serves. She tosses the ball upward—then shoots into the air and spikes it with enough force to carry a gale.

“My ball!” Percy sprints towards the volleyball. He yelps as it makes contact with his wrist. Nico can practically see how much force Bianca put into her serve—and can only guess what Piper charmspoke his sister to do. She’s certainly making use of her assets.

The ball ricochets off of Percy, pivoting left towards Annabeth. Annabeth pushes the ball back into the air. “Jace!”

Jason hits the ball to the other side. Reyna is quick to send it back, forward in stance as the ball meets her hand.

“I got it!” Nico blasts the ball with a gust of wind, pushing it higher into the air and slams it to the other side.

Thalia blocks with a wall of limestone. It erupts from the ground with a swift gesture—and whistles past Nico’s head.

Annabeth dives for the ball.

“Hey,” Piper calls through the noise of the game. “What’s over there?”

Instantly, Percy, Annabeth, Jason glance leftward. Nico pulls on Jason’s arm before he can help himself. “Jason! The ball!”

That snaps Jason out of it. He comes out of the haze, his irises a marbled black, and glances towards the ball again. This time, instead of headbutting it with a skeleton, his shadow stretches the width the volleyball court. Nico almost dies watching the ball land—but it dissolves straight into the abyss instead.

Percy and Annabeth snap out of their charmspeak, stunned.

“NO!” Piper shouts. The ball remerges soundlessly in her shadow, and plops before she or any of her teammates can recover.

15-14.

“That hit the ground,” Reyna protests. “That can’t count.”

“You can’t prove that,” Nico refutes. “There was definitely more shadow than sand in that serve.”

She rolls her eyes, as though lamenting over Big Three demigods—but drops her shoulders in defeat.

Thalia dispels the giant wall of limestone and grins at her brother. “You know what this means, right?”

Jason’s quick to follow his big sister with his own smile. “Rematch?”

She nods emphatically. “Rematch!”

*

The sun is at the edge of the sky by the time they finish their last round. They take one last gander in the ocean before packing everything back into the SUV. Everyone agrees to dinner only a mile from the beach. Piper charms another beachgoer to steal their parking spot. Getting everyone to agree to dinner is the easy part. Having eight ADHD demigods stand still long enough to pick a restaurant proves harder.

It starts with Thalia and Reyna. Thalia points out a luxurious restaurant with an eight-course dinner, seated for two at a table.

“I…think that restaurant might be too couple-y.” Jason eyebrows knit together. He and Nico exchange funny looks.

“What’s wrong with that?” Thalia turns and gestures to the menu. “They’re serving fresh lobster.”

“I don’t think I’m up for being one of six third wheels for you and your girlfriend, Thal,” Percy remarks.

Thalia stares at the son of Neptune up and down, undeterred. “That sounds more like a personal problem.”

“I’d rather not have to fight over a heart-shaped dessert with Percy,” Nico admits tiredly.

The corner of Reyna’s lips lifts into a smile, and she gestures to Percy and Annabeth, who are immediately distracted by something else out of earshot. “You think you can detach them?”

“You think Percy would let me sit by anyone else?” Nico asks tiredly. He jerks his head to Jason—who perks at the gesture.

“Let’s just meet up afterwards,” Jason says. “I’m not sure I could finish off eight courses anyway.”

“Fine—but you’re missing out on premium seafood.” Thalia holds onto Reyna’s hand, and they disappear into the restaurant as two of the youngest attendees.

Piper perks at the sight of an all-vegan restaurant only a few doors down. She excitedly asks if Bianca wants to split a meal—and charmspoken or not, Nico’s sister willingly follows her inside. Annabeth drags Percy aside for a Cajun seafood restaurant with crazy colors and funky architecture.

‘Which one of these restaurants do you think is a trap?” Jason muses, when it comes down to the two of them.

“Definitely Percy’s,” Nico remarks, as the rest of their party scampers off. “Though all of the above is usually a pretty good answer, too.”

Jason laughs. It’s only then that Nico realizes they’ve been left alone.  The boardwalk is bustling with people, but it’s the only sound Nico takes in. No Percy to worm his way between them. No Bianca to give them odd looks—or Reyna to lift an eyebrow in their direction. Nico’s hoping to delay the day Thalia starts giving him that look, too.

They opt to split a large carton of seafood nachos and make their way down the pier—where the crowd of people becomes a few fishermen at the edge of the dock.

“Can’t believe we waited this long to go to the beach.” Jason remarks. He reaches to their carton and chomps on two chips.  

“Percy will find a way to put it on the calendar, even if the rest of the world has been blown into oblivion,” Nico says. He shrugs. “I think being on the west coast makes him feel close to both his parents. They met out here.”

“Must be nice.” Jason hums and leans against the guardrail. 

Nico shrugs. “It’s definitely one of the happier love stories with a better ending. Neptune even sent dolphins to Sally and Paul’s wedding.”

The corners of Jason’s lips raise into a smile. “Glad to see someone got the better end of that deal.”

“Percy’s named after the one Greek hero that had a happy ending,” Nico says. He flashes a wry look and plops another nacho in his mouth. “A son of Zeus. I don’t think Dad’s had a happy child in ages.”

“What happened to calling him a sperm donor?”

Nico shrugs. “It comes and goes.”

Jason laughs again. “My mom liked the name Jason. Not for the Argonauts—that guy died by—”

“Promising to love Medea forever before getting crushed by the weight of his own ship.”

“Uh, yeah.” Jason stares at him quizzically, one eyebrow arched in the air—and Nico’s cheeks stain red. “You knew that right off the dome?”  

Nico plucks another nacho from their carton and shrugs. “I used to be really into the stories.”

“Used to?”

“When I could read about Greek and Roman heroes on the back of a Mythomagic card and not have it apply to my life.” Nico shakes his head with disdain and rolls his eyes in exasperation. “Jason was one of those heroes. Favored by my mom, too.”

“I…don’t think we have that in common.” Jason smiles sheepishly and rubs his forehead. “Last time I saw your mom, she told me I needed a haircut and some sun.”

“She doesn’t always know what’s good for her.” Nico shakes his head dismissively. “That Jason also died sad and alone. It’s probably best you don’t have a lot in common with him.”

There’s a beat, where Jason doesn’t answer right away. Then—“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m happy and in good company.”

Nico glances in the other demigod’s direction and finds Jason smiling.  It’s unbridled and relaxed against his lips. His necklace shines at his collarbone—lacking of the bead both Annabeth and Percy earned at the end of the summer in Camp Halfblood. It’s proof of the months of his life past the war. Jason is handsome when he smiles, with his short hair wavy from the ocean water.

Red creeps across Nico’s cheeks again.

“I—” He starts. Stops. “Yeah. Me too.”

He absently reaches for a chip—and startles, as Jason reaches for one too. There’s a featheriness to the way Jason grazes his knuckles. Nico’s heart skitters as they glance back at each other.

To his surprise, Jason reaches out with his other hand. He brings it close to Nico’s face. Hesitates. “May I…?”

Nico’s heart suddenly somersaults in his chest. “May you what?”

Jason’s eyes are as dark as the evening sky, with the same twinkle of every star. Nico holds his breath, following Jason’s sight.

The son of Hades leans close—closer than he should—then he settles, just a hair away from Nico’s proximity. “You have sand in your hair. Can I get it?”

Oh.

Nico clears his throat. “I—” Shouldn’t feel so disappointed. “—yeah, go for it.”

He lowers his head and tries not to focus on how close Jason is. Jason’s fingers brush against his hair gently, and he suddenly looks even more content than before. There’s even an airy chuckle above Nico’s bangs as grains of sand fall from the crown of his head.

“It’s been bothering me since we left the beach,” Jason whispers warmly. “Weird, huh?”

Nico twitches. He inches back slowly and feels his face flush scarlet. Hopes Jason doesn’t notice. “Must’ve been when I faceplanted getting the ball.”

“Didn’t realize you Romans could get more competitive than the War Games.” Jason finally inches back to his own side of the guard rail, a look of satisfaction across his face. “Pretty fun though. I’m sure Percy will appreciate the ice cream.”

“He certainly appreciated the smacktalk.” Nico fiddles with the edge of the guardrail, still flustered. He tries to focus on their game earlier. “Where did that come from?”

Again, Jason laughs. It’s a sound Nico normally enjoys—but his heart is still trying to find a calm. “Dunno. Life’s been pretty relaxing since moving to New Rome. Guess I just wanted to see how he’d react.”

“Keep it up. It’s a good look on you.” Even if it makes Nico’s heart rattle against his ribcage. The more he demands it to stop, the faster it seems to beat. “With or without a haircut, pasty skin and all.”

Another chuckle flutters from Jason’s lips. He touches his hair again, clearly musing a thought—but he hasn’t reached for his neck once. Nico doesn’t think he’s seen Jason look more at ease since they’ve met.

Then—because of Nico’s rotten luck, three things happen.

One—as they finish up the last of their nachos and ready themselves to find their friends, a crab scuttles across the guardrail. Nico wouldn’t think much of it—especially on a day off—but this one seems to stare at them pointedly, clacking its claws together as it foams at the mouth. It chatters in a way Nico’s heard from birds.

“Oh,” Jason says with surprise. “Kind of weird to see one of these so far off the coast, don’t you think?”

“Yes,” Nico agrees slowly, his gaze narrowing warily. He looks over to Jason, who flashes the same doubtful look. “But we’re having a day off.”

“Yeah, but—does this one seem like it’s singing?” Jason reaches for the crab, and it immediately snaps a claw at him aggressively. “Crabby little thing, isn’t it?”

Nico stares at Jason—who smiles.

“Um. No pun intended.”

“Maybe it’s more into a solo performance,” Nico muses wryly. He reaches for the crab, which waves its arms like a Broadway performer, foaming more from its chest and stomach. Then, Nico reaches to guide Jason out before the son of Hades can lose a finger. “Maybe we should—”

“Hey, Neeks!”

Second—Percy and Annabeth appear. Just as Nico’s reaching for Jason’s hand and the crab is singing a passionate melody of…whatever.

“There you are. You two missed these awesome po…” Percy, of course, catches sight of the two of them together, and has the most exasperated look on his face. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, not at all.” Nico glares at the son of Neptune, in a desperate demand for him to can it.

“This crab is…doing something weird,” Jason admits. He looks to Percy, oblivious to Nico’s irritation. “Can you tell what it’s saying?”

Percy makes another face—though he’s clearly as tentative as he was earlier in the day.

“This thing’s just belching about monsters,” Percy says dismissively. He reaches for the crab, which seems to stretch its claws for the son of Neptune’s embrace. “He’s probably too far from his own. Like—super far. He’s got an accent.”

“Crabs have accents?” Annabeth arches an eyebrow, amused.

“If birds can have accents, so can crabs.” Percy gestures to Nico knowingly, as though settling the debate—then gently tosses the crab back in the ocean. “Don’t worry about it. We’re on vacation.”

Third—because all things happen in threes—the boardwalk begins to tremble. The sounds of ocean water meeting the coast suddenly ceases—and the sky blackens into nothing. A sharp pulse shoots through the length of the pier and jolts through Nico like a lightning bolt. He grabs the closest thing to support, which just happens to be Jason. 

ZZZZZZZZZZT!

“I think we might need to worry about it,” Annabeth says dryly. She yelps as she stumbles into Percy’s arms, who shakes his head vehemently. 

“No way. Totally separate,” he insists. “That crab was singing nonsense!” 

“Your dad having indigestion again?” Nico asks. 

Jason makes a noise. “Wait—you’re serious?”

The fishermen are gone. Whether a coincidence or not, Nico isn’t sure. The ocean below them across the ocean air, before the sea begins to spin in a vortex.

WHOOOOOOOOOSH!

“Starting to think chucking a questionable crab might’ve been one of your worse ideas, Kelp Head,” Annabeth shouts.

Percy makes a noise. There’s a gleam as he uncaps Riptide, and he keeps himself steady with Annabeth at his side. “Look, if I had a nickel for every crab I’ve chucked back into the ocean coming to bite me in the ass—”

“You’d be as rich as Thalia,” Nico snaps with deadpan. “Now help me get rid of this thing!”

Through the flurry of howling winds and screeching ocean, Percy nods in agreement. Nico detaches himself from Jason’s side and summons a counterwind. Percy waves both hands, forcing the whirlpool to spin in the opposite direction. The winds deafen Nico’s ears. They spill past his hands, bristling against his hair as it pushes back against the violent current caused by some serenading crab.

Then it stops.

The ocean water comes to an unnatural calm, reflecting the moon off its surface. There isn’t a sound—not even a ship off the coast.

Fangs break through the surface tension of the water. A six-foot head rises from the ocean, with a long cantankerous body of a sea serpent, stretches from the water and raises towards the horizon. Four eyes larger than Nico’s head narrows at all of them before the beast lets out a blood-curdling scream.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH

“Look out!” Percy immediately yanks Nico back to join Annabeth. Jason isn’t so lucky.

The monstrous sea serpent thrashes about, carrying the water with it, and splits the pier in two—throwing Jason straight into the water.

*

The sea serpent rips through the air with a loud croon—then dives back into the water with a scaly arch.

“JASON!” Nico launches towards the water—only to be yanked back by his centurion.

“Hello, Neeks,” Percy says, “water’s my department. Let’s not get carried away and lose two demigods!”

The anger broils from Nico’s ears. He gestures emphatically at the crumbled dock in front of them. “You didn’t think to grab him too?!”

Percy stares at him, puzzled—but is quick to recover. He gestures to the ocean. “Sorry, I only have two hands.”

“I can fly!”

“He’s, like, indestructible!”

Nico seethes, his hands curling into fists as he inches towards the ledge. “Somehow I don’t think that extends to drowning, Percy.”

Annabeth quickly wedges herself between the both of them. “The torrent stopped.”

“Yeah. Because Nico and I stopped it by magically getting along,” Percy grumbles. “Who knew that’d be a freaking feat these days—”

She clamps a hand over his mouth, and gestures down below. “Calm down and look.”

Sure enough, Percy relinquishes his irritation towards Nico. They both follow Annabeth’s line of sight—to find one pale blond head peeping above the water. Jason looks up at them tiredly, sopping wet. He waves.

Nico can’t help his sigh of relief. He’s amazed how it flows through his entire body.

“Jace!” Annabeth shouts below. “You okay?”

Nico doesn’t understand how—but Jason manages to muster a smile in his direction.  He wades in the water against one arm and gives a thumb up with the other.

“Sorry, man,” Percy shouts, following Annabeth’s cadence. “Need a lift?”

“I’ll be down in a sec,” Nico promises. He collects the winds at his feet. Nico wants to wrangle Percy for grabbing his arm again.

“Dude,” Percy says. “Let me get down there.”

Nico tries to stifle the frustration bubbling in his chest. Tries. “You need to stop this weird thing you have with Jason.”

Percy stares at him in disbelief. “What weird thing?”

“Percy—come on.” Annabeth actually places a hand between them, her eyes narrowing with exasperation. “Even I know about the weird thing.”

“Guys?” Jason suddenly calls from below, “I think you’re going to want to see this one.”

Against all frustration, Nico exchanges a look with his Fifth Cohort centurion. Percy passes a huffy look—but like most mythological scenarios, simply extends an arm for him. They plop from what’s remaining from the pier into the water. Jason wades around in the calm of the storm, unharmed.

Annabeth swims over and inspects him. “You okay, Jace?”

“Yeah—just a little waterlogged.” Jason flashes a tired look and tilts his head. He gestures below the surface. “We need to go below.”

Nico stares at the son of Hades.

Percy asks the question for him. “You want to go after the sea monster—”

“Trojan Sea Monster,” Jason corrects. He rubs his forehead.

“—the Trojan Sea Monster who snapped the pier in two and took you with him,” Nico finishes. He can’t withhold his disbelief a second time.

“Her, actually,” Jason says—and then he looks to Percy. “I can’t stay down there too long. Any way you can help with that?”

The water vibrates around them. Nico shivers as it creeps up his spine and wrinkles his nose.

Percy flashes another exasperated look—but nods. Not before ranting, “Just once, I’d like to have one of these beach days actually go as planned.”

“It could have been worse,” Annabeth points out. She flashes a dry look. “We could have brought eight demigods to the boardwalk and thrown one demonic crab at the Trojan Sea Monster.”

“Hey—that crab was completely unrelated,” Percy retorts. “It was literally just singing K—”

“Guys?” Nico interjects. “Jason’s request?”

Percy looks back at the both of them. Jason looks torn between amusement and uncertainty. Finally, Percy heaves a sigh and wades into the center, Riptide still in fist. “Yeah. Let me make a bubble.”

Seafoam flutters around them. Nico doesn’t realize how long it’s been since he’s quested with Percy until they’re covered in an orb of oxygen. They sink below the ocean water with a quiet sigh from Jason that makes Nico’s skin crawl. He pushes aside the panic he felt when Jason fell—knowing it’s been a long time since he’s felt that dread too. A buzzing whistle between Nico’s ears.

The sea serpent—Trojan Sea Monster—as Jason corrected them, howls and vibrates ocean water around it as it swims around the ocean floor. Each wail bounces off their bubble—and this time, Jason purposefully reaches out and latches onto Nico.

“Listen,” he says.

There’s a way the sea monster’s voice pulses and howls like the crab before it. Then—Nico finally hears it—THEY’RE COMING! THEY’RE COMING! OOOHHH THE GODS!

“That could mean anything,” Percy grumbles.

“Trojan Sea Monster, ma’am?” Jason shouts. If the situation didn’t feel dire, Nico could’ve laughed. Any other demigod getting smacked into the ocean would’ve drowned immediately—and here Jason was, still very formal in the eyes of danger. “How close together are the contractions?”

Contractions. Nico freezes.

As soon as that’s out in the open, Nico can distinguish the wails—the pained cries of a soon-to-be mother twisting as she combats labor. As clear as day, the Trojan Sea Monster’s stomach protrudes out more than the rest of her, pummeling and wriggling for freedom.

The Trojan Sea Monster sobs in pain, twisting and writhing like a lone spaghetti noodle. Years? Months? Seconds?

“How on Gaea did you figure out she was pregnant?” Nico hisses.

Jason shrugs. “Some…individual threw a wailing sea crab at her while she was trying to sleep off contractions.”

Percy makes a noise behind them. He’s quick to clamp a hand against his mouth.

“The screams just sound different. There’s a serpent that lives in the canoe lake in Camp Halfblood.” Jason doesn’t look the least bit alarmed. “Eventually you figure out that I want Diet Pepsi and I’m in the mood to kill are two different tones.”

Nico stares at the son of Hades in dismay. Then he turns to Annabeth for a further explanation—but she only nods like the day Nico explained Laistrygonian giants weren’t evil. Even if they were estranged at one point, Jason’s propensity for monsters only grew with age.

“The sea’s your domain,” Jason continues—and he turns Percy. “You hear it, don’t you?”

“Yeah—of course,” Percy mutters. He cups his hands over his mouth. “Trojan Sea Monster? Cetus Troi? Uh…can I call you Cate?”

Some insensitive jerk threw a crab at my head! Cate sobs. She wriggles about, and their bubble of air ping pongs within her proximity. I was finally having the most peaceful slumber!

“Wow,” Nico mutters. “What a jerk.” 

Percy rolls his eyes and claps a hand against Nico’s back. “Well—you’re in luck, Cate! We’ve got a son of Juno here that’ll knock your socks off!” 

Gods. Why. 

I haven’t worn socks in a millennia, sobs Cate. My feet have been far too swollen! 

“What feet?” Percy grumbles—at the same time that Jason nods in sympathy. 

“Nico’s pretty good at delivering kids,” Jason says. “He’s delivered a satyr before.” 

Cate stops bellowing in the water. She swims taut, until she’s only inches away from their bubbles. She takes a long whiff of all four of them—and her four eyes narrow. I smell Jupiter. I was slain by a son of Zeus, ages ago! 

Percy waves another hand. “Well, can you really go anywhere these days without smelling Jupiter, Cate? He’s—well, you know. He gets around.” 

She snarls in their direction and swims around their bubble again. Not a soul with his ichor is pure! That scoundrel Heracles cut me open from the inside! How can I trust you won’t do the same?! 

The four demigods look at each other curiously.

“Just...don’t eat him?” Percy supplies helpfully. 

Cate’s four eyes dart to Percy. 

“Jupiter was a sperm donor,” Nico says quickly, before Percy can interject again. He thinks he hears Jason stifling a laugh behind a cough. “Believe me when I say he was more than willing. I care to honor his name.”

Still, the Trojan Sea Monster looks reluctant. Cate opens her mouth and bares her teeth—but immediately, a shrill, pained cry erupts from her throat. 

“Looks like your contractions are getting closer together,” Nico says. He pokes a hand out of the air bubble and places a hand on Cate’s head. Tries not to grimace at how slimy it feels. “I’d say it’s about time to deliver.” 

He tries not to startle when Jason wraps an arm around his shoulder, still clearly in his element. “Nico’s all son of Juno, Cate. Favored by the queen herself. You’ll never have a cleaner birth.” 

At that promise, Cate’s ferocity wanes. Her tail ripples behind her, protruding belly obvious from below. Promise it won’t hurt?

Absolutely not. Nico doesn’t know how people make a career out of this after hearing Mellie’s own screams. “I’ll make sure it’s as smooth as possible.” 

*

Two hours later, Cate, the Trojan Sea Monster, gives birth to two beautiful sea serpents and a bear. 

“Most favor the dad,” Percy muses. 

Annabeth presses a hand to her head and sighs. “I just don’t understand mythology. I don’t.” 

The bear, of course, can breathe underwater. Because why not? 

It’s the size of an adult, with four eyes to match its mother, wiggles its limbs tentatively to swim. Nico’s sure that in a hundred years, it’ll aid some unfortunate demigod on a quest. Someone will tell tales of a son of Juno bravely delivering the children of the Trojan Sea Monster—rather than following the footsteps of a pompous older brother God of Heroes. Right now, Nico can’t tell if he’s wet from ocean water or sinewy from delivering triplets. 

Jason seems to have a good time as the baby monsters swim about. The bear roars happily in his direction before going to nurse on Cate the Trojan Sea Monster. He flashes a dimpled smile in Nico’s direction. “Good job, son of Juno.” 

Nico’s face blooms scarlet.

Demigods, Cate’s voice comes in a less cracking melody as her head rears in their direction. I can’t thank you enough for delivering my spawn! The sea will know your name—Nico di Angelo, sperm of Jupiter! 

Nico twitches. He hears Percy choke on a laugh behind him. 

“Son of Juno,” Jason corrects helpfully. He touches Nico on the shoulder. 

“You’re welcome,” Nico says politely. “Don’t mention it. Ever. Please.” 

“Let the whole sea know,” Percy says. “Dad would be proud—ow!” 

“Ever,” Nico echoes emphatically. 

Cate, the Trojan Sea Monster and her three children swim westbound and away from the coast. Percy ushers them back to the surface—where the mist continues to veil the pier broken by a sea monster. Jason surprises them as he stumbles back on to the surface, rubbing his forehead.

“You okay?” Nico asks.

“Yeah,” Jason promises. He flashes a sheepish look, hair still wet from their sea adventures. “Bubbletravel is just a new one for me. Don’t think I had that pleasure when we were on the Argo II.”

“Consider it part of Percy’s weird skillset,” Nico says. “Along with talking to horses and translating crabs.”

“You can talk to horses?” Jason turns to Percy.

Percy stares back at him in disbelief, then gestures with his own hands. “You can tell when a monster says I want a Diet Pepsi and I’m in labor, and I’m weird?”

“Well.” Jason blinks, his eyebrows knitting together. “Yeah. You’re the only son of Neptune I’ve ever met.”

Despite his exhaustion, Nico can’t help a snicker. Annabeth joins him in laugher—forcing Percy from another smart remark.

They find the rest of their party hanging on the other side of the boardwalk. Bianca zooms straight into Nico and almost knocks him over with a hug. “Nico! We’ve been worried sick! Are you hurt? Why are you so wet? And…sticky?”

“I’m fine.” Nico’s cheeks fluster red. He doesn’t realize how sore he is until Bianca jostles him.

“Nico gave birth to triplets,” Percy supplies helpfully.

Bianca keeps her hands latched to Nico’s shoulders. She stares at Percy, speechless.

“Nico helped deliver triplets.” Annabeth rolls her eyes—but looks far less annoyed with the son of Neptune than Nico feels. “Jason figured out the Trojan Sea Monster was having contractions and asked Nico to deliver her babies. Two little serpents and a bear.”

Again, the rest of their group stares at them at a loss.

“Percy threw a crab at her head,” Nico finishes helpfully. “She went into labor.”

“I can believe that.” Thalia glances in Nico’s direction—then looks over to her brother. “You okay?”

“Oh, yeah.” Jason smiles at her, still undeterred by the day’s turn of events. “Helping Cate give birth was way more fun than slaying her.”

Thalia stares at her brother blankly. Then she turns to their resident son of Neptune. “You named the Trojan Sea Monster Cate?”

“Cate is way less of a mouthful,” Percy reasons. “Trojan Sea Monster probably isn’t even her real name. I hope the Papa Bear knew her better than we did.”

“A…real bear?” Piper asks reluctantly.

“What else is there?” Percy asks—to which she doesn’t she doesn’t argue.

Reyna touches Nico’s shoulder, holding the same amusement as she did at the beginning of their reunion. “You should’ve just agreed to lobster and a heart-shaped dessert. It was crème brûlée.”

Nico sighs.

At the very end of the night, they retreat to their SUV.

Piper stops short of entering. She smiles at them amicably, but Nico can tell it’s mostly aimed at his sister. “My dad’s probably home by now, so I should head back to the beach house. Thanks for letting me tag along.”

“Oh,” Bianca says—and Nico can practically feel the nervousness in her voice. She pushes a lock of wavy beach hair behind her ear. “Yeah—it was fun having you around. So was that salad—I’ve never had salad like that before. I mean—I’ve had salad. Just. Not like that salad.”

“We get it,” Nico says with deadpan. “You liked spending time with Piper.”

Bianca mimics the same look Nico had not too long ago—one of horror and ready to kill someone.

“He said you liked pasta salad,” Jason says halfheartedly.

“Pasta salad,” Piper repeats—and the corner of her lips raise into a smile. “I like pasta salad, too.”

As the smile reaches her eyes, Bianca’s face seems to glow redder. She matches Piper’s demeanor—and Nico decides to tune them out. He’s already dealt with one disaster this evening. Jason and he load into the far back row of the SUV, while Percy reaches for the driver’s door. Reyna snatches the keys out of his hands.

“I think you’ve already steered everyone into enough crazy adventures tonight.” Reyna arches an eyebrow in his direction, then gestures to the back seat. “Rest easy, soldier.”

“Fine by me.” Percy makes his way to the back and pokes his head towards the far back. “Got room for one more back there, Neeks?”

Even in the dark, Nico can see Percy staring at him pointedly. He snaps the middle seat in place, blocking anyone else from joining them. Beside him, Jason bites back a laugh.

“Looks like you’re stuck with me,” Annabeth remarks before Percy can protest.

As usual, his temper withers under the daughter of Athena. Percy peers back at her, Nico far from focus. The rest of their party loads the car, with Piper in the distance. Bianca reenters the car—and for the first time, Nico sees his big sister giddy.

“I got her phone number,” Bianca whispers in awe.

“Great,” Nico remarks. “Now you need a phone.”

That declaration only makes Bianca sillier. She turns to Jason, grinning from cheek-to-cheek so contagiously that it looks good on her. Jason laughs beside Nico—and beneath the rumble of the car, it’s easier to hear than on the pier.

“We can go first thing in the morning,” Jason promises.

Bianca squeals with glee—then makes a point to lean over the seat and kiss him on the cheek.

“Bianca,” Reyna calls from the front. “Seatbelt, please.”

“Oh—sorry.” Bianca settles back in her seat with a graceful flounce. In the darkness, Nico hears the soft click of her belt.

As Reyna drives them away from the beach, Nico sees Thalia reach out from the passenger’s side to caress her girlfriend’s hand. Annabeth leans her head into Percy’s shoulder without warning. Bianca is content in her window seat, thumbing a small slip of paper between her fingers.

His head thuds against Jason’s shoulder before he realizes what he’s doing. Nico startles awake on contact, his cheeks flushing pink. “Sorry.”

Nico can’t quite see Jason’s eyes—but feels his gaze beneath the shadows of the car. The cadence of Jason’s voice only makes Nico sleepier. “I can wake you up when we get home.”

It takes a long moment for Nico to muster a no. “It’s okay. I. Snore.”

“Really? Because—”

“I snore,” Nico repeats, and his cheeks grow hotter. He leans into the window to the right of him, cheek pressed against the cold glass.

Jason laughs again, quaint and soft. It takes a minute for Nico to realize Jason’s laughing to himself.

“What?” Nico asks.

“Just wondering if this weird quest would’ve been easier if we had Zora armor,” Jason whispers softly. “Then I remembered—”

“Zora armor helps you go up waterfalls and swim faster in Breath of the Wild,” Nico interjects. He wakes up a little more as the amusement lifts in his chest. “Don’t think that extends to delivering children.”

Even at the end of the evening, he can’t help the smile on his face as Jason laughs. “Maybe Breath of the Wild isn’t as close to real-life questing as I thought it was, then.”

“There’s always room for improvement for the next one,” Nico says. A titter of his own flutters from his lips.

“Angering a sea monster by throwing a crab feels very Zelda-esque, though.”

“Very,” Nico agrees. “And probably easier since Link’s mouth doesn’t get him into nearly as much trouble.”

Jason laughs again, and it’s joined by a sweet snicker of Nico’s own.

“I heard that,” is the loud grumble in front of them. Before Percy can protest a second time, Annabeth nestles closer.

With one last chuckle, Nico rests his head against the window and shuts his eyes. The car hums at his cheekbone, with the sound of the ocean growing quieter with distance. The glass is cold against his forehead.  

The car makes a jolt as Reyna turns. Nico twitches as his forehead hits the glass, and he tries his best not to scowl.

“Seriously,” Jason whispers in the darkness. “I don’t mind.”

It’s harder to find his face in the darkness than it was at the pier. Nico thinks back to the evening before the Trojan Sea Monster. To Jason’s cold, but gentle fingers brushing up against his hair. His face, only a breath away from Nico’s own.

There was nothing romantic about that, so there isn’t anything romantic about this, either. Nothing to insinuate.

“Okay.” Nico settles against Jason’s shoulder after much reluctance—more comfortably than the car window. His heart flutters as the scent of sea water and sunscreen—but there’s something else mixed in there. Nico’s used to Percy’s affinity for the ocean from quests—but he’s quick to relax against Jason. His heart is, too.

There’s nothing there, he reminds himself. Just Jason being Jason. In this case—a comfortable body pillow. Literally.

Eventually, he finally falls asleep.

And some point in the ride, he feels a heaviness over his head as Jason drifts into slumber, too.

*

Chapter Text

High school comes in the days following the beach. According to his record at Camp Halfblood, Jason’s supposed to be a senior…ish. Whatever that means. Thalia handles all of his paperwork—the only paperwork she’s had to handle ever since retiring from the Legion. Jason’s only ever been homeschooled by the satyrs and occasional Chiron. Thalia tells him it’s the best way for him to make friends. After all—most of the people his age are legionnaires, waiting to serve the same ten years as his sister.

Bianca’s more excited than he’s ever seen. For the first time since they’ve met, school is something she can finally enjoy and be normal. Even if she’s in the grade below.

(Apparently missing out on a full eight months of school makes it harder to graduate on time—quest or otherwise. Who knew?)  

Jason’s never seen a more mundane setting filled with so many demigods. It’s hard for him to wrap his mind around: a school filled with all the demigods like Camp Halfblood, freely using their powers to charm (flirt), steal (prank), and engineer in a classroom setting nine months out of the year, while also receiving a baseline education.

No wonder Nico criticized Camp Halfblood so much.

It pushes Jason into a new routine—a seven-and-a-half hour day filled with school, and evenings filled with homework. He meets demigods who are familiar with him from the war against Gaea and her giants—and far too many teachers who don’t believe he’s Thalia’s little brother because obviously, she doesn’t have a last name.

Jason meets one familiar face in his AP Calculus class. Leo Valdez splits into a grin when they make eye contact and ushers him to sit nearby.

He shares AP Roman History with Reyna, who prefers to sit in the front of the class rather than the back, like the son of Vulcan. Their teacher prefaces that class will try to be more conscientious about addressing Greek demigods now that they’re no longer at war. Reyna promises to keep track of every instance their teacher accidentally slips up.

Lunches are with Bianca, where she gushes about normal classes and normal assignments, and how excuses involving fauns stealing backpacks and classes getting cancelled because a Ceres kid accidentally overgrew a tree are normal. She’s in better spirits these days. Jason catches her occasionally texting Piper under the table, with a gleeful smile at her lips.

Gym class proves to be more fun than Jason anticipates.

“I didn’t think there were a lot of cross-grade classes,” Jason admits, when he runs into Nico in the locker room. He’s seen Nico in the principia, in praetor armor, tangled in the Eiffel Tower of all things—but a school locker room is a new one. Nico genuinely doesn’t look like he belongs there, dressed in civvies with only a peek of the peacock tattoo beneath his sleeve.

Nico shrugs as he wrestles with his locker. “Gym class. Survival outside of New Rome, 101. Evil doesn’t really terrorize based on when you’re graduating.”

“I guess that’s fair.” Jason’s still taken aback at how there are just as many kids that aren’t in the Legion as there are. Reyna and Nico explain that many students are legacies, like Octavian, who had parents or family members who made their way through the Legion and then chose to settle down.

There are still too many demigods who come to New Rome as a safe haven—where Camp Jupiter provides room and board, and weekly allowances for them to have fun either within the city or in San Francisco. Leo happened to be an in-between—someone who found a family with the blacksmiths and earned his keep with his weapons shop.

Nico stares at him thoughtfully. He warns, “We do spar in gym class. If you want me to write a praetor’s note—”

“What—like a doctor’s note?”

“Of sorts,” Nico says. “Then I can get you out of those. We do those for our cadets who get chosen for quests.”

Jason recalls Annabeth’s time almost a year ago, when she stood before the Senate and agreed to go on a quest with Percy and Frank. “Don’t you need a majority vote for that?”

Nico waves a hand dismissively. Jason can’t help but laugh. He takes off his t-shirt—a crisp tee that Bianca insisted he get to spruce up his school wardrobe—and reaches in his locker.

“I appreciate it,” Jason admits. He looks back to Nico as Nico turns an eye. “But let’s see how far I get in school before I decide I need to skip class.”

“Right. Yeah. Sounds…uh. Good. Yup.”

Thalia spent the entire summer saying most students would adore the amount of free time Jason’s had. Time to stay up late, not worry about homework, and game all night between drills if you were one son of Juno with your best friend on the other coast.

“So what’s the justification for our art class?” Jason asks later, once their gym class is over.

Nico waves a hand dismissively at that, too. “Open to interpretation.”

Jason only laughs. He thinks he’s going to enjoy school.

*

“Hey, Bee.”

“Hi.”

Four days into the school week, Bianca comes by to do homework. She’s a lot more downcast than lunch time, dragging her feet across Jason’s carpet before throwing her backpack on the couch and slumping against the cushion. Jason wouldn’t put it past her for a dreary cloud to appear over her head. She pulls her phone out of her dress pocket and stares at it forlornly.

“Something on your mind?” Jason asks—only half-joking. He settles into an armchair adjacent to the coffee table and tucks his pencil behind his ear. Then, he reaches for his calculus book.

Bianca buries her face with her phone and delivers a muffled answer.

“One more time?”

She unsticks her phone from her face with an odd squelch and peers back at Jason despairingly. “Piper asked me out on a date.”

“That’s awesome, Bee!” Jason grins—but it wanes as Bianca doesn’t look any more gleeful. “Uh…trouble picking out an outfit?”

Bianca stares at him, scandalized. “Jace, I can’t go on a date with Piper—I have no idea what to say to her!”

“I thought you guys were getting along swimmingly since the beach.” Jason’s eyebrows knit together in confusion. “Haven’t you been texting all week?”

“Well—yeah,” Bianca protests. Her cheeks glow a heavenly pink as they have been since Piper McLean became an…issue. “But I can think about what I’m saying over the phone. I can’t do that in person.”

“Didn’t you two go on a date at the beach?” Jason asks, which makes Bianca even more flustered. “You know—bright and full moon, dinner for two—”

“That wasn’t a date,” Bianca hastily retorts. “If those were the only requirements, then everyone was on a date that night. Including you and my little brother.”

“Well—I don’t think dates normally end with helping a sea monster give birth.” Jason crosses his arms over his chest, the corners of his lips raising with amusement.  “But—that’s probably not going to go over well with Nico if you phrase it like that.”

Bianca groans. She takes one of his throw pillows and shoves her face into it.

“Not that I’m placing myself between you two,” Jason interjects. “I’ve been told I’m not allowed to do that.”

She pulls the pillow away from her face and studies him carefully. Then Bianca sits back up and stares him straight in the eye. “I need a chaperone.”

Jason stares at her in confusion.

“Jace—” Bianca scoots to the edge of her seat and touches him on the leg. “I need a chaperone at my date, so I don’t say something stupid. You need to chaperone.”

“But I’m doing calculus homework,” Jason says. His eyebrows furrow together and he gestures to the textbook at his lap.

“It wouldn’t be until next weekend—she and her dad are out of town for some movie thing or whatever.” Bianca stares at him pleadingly. “Pleeeaaaase?”

*

Shockingly, it gets brought up again during first period. Jason gets his homework done the night before—but it’s after an hour of Bianca listing off reasons why the date will go wrong if he isn’t there. He takes out his homework and places it on his desk. When he looks up, Leo Valdez is staring at him with the same effervescent amusement that Jason’s grown used to.

“You figure out the answer to number six?” Jason asks. He scratches his head and tucks his pencil behind his ear.

“I heard Piper finally worked up the nerve to ask Bianca on a date.” Leo’s hands jingle with…something. Screws and bolts, probably for shop class later. “After months and months of me kindly telling her to go for it.”

“Kindly?” Jason peers back up, and the amusement is clear on the son of Vulcan’s face.

“Months and months of annoying her into asking so I didn’t have to worry my ears shut,” Leo revises—which makes Jason laugh. “Not gonna lie—thought they were going to be joined at the hip this summer.”

“Bianca’s…been nervous about saying the wrong thing to Piper,” Jason says. He rubs his forehead. “Something about…calling her a misogynist…pasta salad…and swimsuits.”

Thinking about it again, the swimsuit thing might’ve been a Nico thing.

“Believe me, I’ve been on that side of the conversation.” Leo sniggers and makes tick marks with his fingers. “Something about coming off as a woman hater, accidentally charming someone into eating a three-course vegan meal—”

“I didn’t hear about that part.”

“She’s very self-conscious about dating people susceptible to charmspeak,” Leo says.

.

Jason resists the urge to touch his neck when it tingles. “I, uh. Can’t imagine.”

“Anyway—“ Leo waves a hand. “—di Angelo said yes, and I’ve been asked to mediate.” 

“Mediate their date,” Jason repeats. 

“Just in case something goes awry. You know—when one of them says the wrong thing at the wrong time and they talk about pasta salad instead of their feelings.” 

“I thought they were texting.”

“You can’t charmspeak over text,” Leo points out. “No one can read each other over text. Even memes are open to interpretation these days, Ghost Boy.” 

“But they’re going on a date. For sure,” Jason says. He can’t help feeling puzzled. 

 “Oh yeah. If Piper’s two hour call last night was any indication.” Leo rolls his eyes emphatically. “And trust me, she’s hoping they make it to a second date.”

“f it makes her feel better, Bianca wants to make it to a second date too.” Jason scratches his head. “She was hoping I’d chaperone.”

The conversation last night ended with Jason’s agreement—but mostly out of reluctance. Jason doesn’t like putting himself in other people’s love lives as much as other people have been in his own.

“So—I’m mediating and you’re chaperoning.” Leo flashes a look of amusement in Jason’s direction. “On a date that neither of us are a part of.”

His demeanor twists wryly in a way that reminds Jason of Nico—but it’s mixed with a chaotic energy of its own. Jason can’t help but impart a smile. “Well—I’m pretty sure I still owe you coffee.”

The bell rings. Jason too buried in his textbook to notice Leo’s grin inching wider.

*

Thalia shakes him awake later. She’s dressed in her normal ensemble of worn black jeans, denim vest, and graphic t-shirt. Over her shoulder is a duffle bag filled with clothes for the weekend, with Reyna at her side.

Jason rubs the sleep out of his eyes and smiles tiredly. “All packed for your trip?”

“Yup. Rey and I will be back by Sunday night—provided we don’t get stopped by some monster or a pissed off god.” Thalia waves a hand around dismissively—as though saying, could go either way. She studies him carefully, then the corner of her lips lifts into a smile. “You taking naps now, baby brother?”

“Yeah. I guess I am.” Jason looks around their living room, their afghan strewn across his shoulders. He’s not sure how it got there. Jason closes the textbook in his hands and gives Reyna a short wave. “Say hi to Hylla to me. Um—if she remembers me.”

“I’ll be sure to,” Reyna promises. “It’s not often the Amazons welcome a man in their facilities and let them go.”

Jason blinks. “What normally happens to them?”

“Enslavement,” Reyna says casually. “How else are the Amazons supposed to keep costs down?”

“Oh,” Jason says, trying his best to hold back his astonishment. “Uh, cool. Glad Nico and I, um. Didn’t fit that criteria.”

Thalia laughs as she notices the discomfort on his face. She claps a hand to his shoulder and shakes her head. “Don’t worry—once in a while, Hylla actually takes no for an answer from Reyna. She’s also got a soft spot for Nico.”

Jason tries his best not to make a face. He’s not sure he likes Hylla’s idea of a soft spot—considering that involved kidnapping Nico and tying him to a chair—but he reminds himself that was under Zoe Nightshade and the Huntresses. Hylla was at least nice to him for the five seconds they were there.

He snaps out of his thoughts when Thalia gives his shoulder a squeeze. She flashes a steady look. “You gonna be okay on your own for a few days?”

“I don’t see why not,” Jason says. Then, after a moment of thought, he adds—“I…haven’t had a nightmare in a while. If that’s what you’re worried about.”

Those have been few and far between since his birthday, when Nico gave him Breath of the Wild to play. His console sits beneath their TV, where he’s charged it during the school day and plays it close to bedtime if he still struggles to fall asleep. Jason’s not sure how far he’s gotten—but there’s something more appealing about collecting apples without anyone’s life in danger.

Plus—school has also kept him engaged. Jason likes the monotony and routine of it all. It…certainly beat a couple of months ago—when Thalia really had a reason to worry.

Talking about it aloud with his big sister is still weird. Thalia—for all of her spikes and hard edge—kisses him gently on the forehead. “See you Sunday, baby brother. Try not to spend the whole weekend doing homework.”

The edges of Jason’s lips lift into a smile. He rubs the spot where Thalia kissed him. “Will do.”

Then, Thalia and Reyna both melt into the shadows.

After another hour of homework, Jason returns his books to his backpack and makes the short trek to Bianca’s place.

Nico opens the door a knock later, looking bewildered. He’s out of the civvies that Jason’s grown used to seeing during passing periods and before gym, and back in Camp Jupiter clothes. “Oh—Jason. Hi.”

“Hey, Nico. I didn’t expect to see you.” Jason’s sure the surprise is clear on his own face, too. Seeing Nico outside of something planned is near impossible. Between praetor duties, wedding duties—and school on top of all of it, gym class is the only time he gets to have Nico’s company—but basic self defense and what to do if you get gorgon’s blood in your eye lessons don’t leave much room for catching up.

“Tell me about it,” Nico grumbles—and the exhaustion is clear on his face. His hair sticks up on ends, as though he just woke up from a nap, too. Nico yawns. “Bianca’s not home.”

“Did she end up going on that date?”

Nico blinks. He peers back at Jason, looking a little more awake. “Bianca had a date?”

Oh. “Maybe not. She told me she had one coming up next week,” Jason says. “Piper finally asked her out.”

“That’s news to me.” Nico smooths out his hair and leans into his door frame. “No. Hazel invited her to Vancouver for the weekend.”

“Really?”

“She didn’t tell you?”

“No—I guess that’s news to me, too.” Jason stares back at Nico, whose eyes suddenly twinkle with amusement.

“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Looks like neither one of us are our plus ones anymore,” Nico says. He rolls his eyes, but there isn’t nearly as much irritation towards his sister as there normally is. “You know—after a whole spat about your birthday party and not having time for her.”

“I—well, I did enjoy my birthday party.” Jason smiles faintly. “Do you have any plans?”

Nico stares at him, surprised.

“I mean—I’m sure you do. Busy guy and all.” Red climbs Jason’s cheeks and he crosses his arms. “Bianca’s in Vancouver and Thalia and Reyna are up in Seattle visiting Hylla. I’m not really used to having so much free time to myself. Kind of too early for my 2AM runs.”

A dark eyebrow arches in the air, and Jason’s greets it with a wider smile.

“Gotta find an extra place to squeeze some exercise in now that school’s in session,” Jason explains. “No bad dreams. I promise.”

His chest swells at just how much Nico cares—especially given how skeptical Nico is to believe him. Nico smooths out his bed hair, clearly mulling over Jason’s request. “Reyna being gone for the weekend means I’m out one praetor for the War Games tonight.”

“I could join you,” Jason says helpfully.

Nico’s eyes narrow carefully, his lips contorting into a frown. “You don’t fight.”

“I could spectate.”

“You don’t like to watch fighting,” Nico revises.  

“I could do my homework in the watchtower,” Jason rebuts—though the son of Juno looks unconvinced. Jason shrugs when Nico doesn’t move right away. “I—just. I’m just not really sure what to do tonight. Most kids my age are…well, you.”

“Me,” Nico echoes—which is when Jason realizes the farce in his sentence.

“In the Legion,” Jason corrects. A sheepish smile inches across his face. “Just…mind if I tag along?”

Which is how Jason finds himself in the watchtower at the edge of the Field of Mars, with his game console tucked in one of the pockets of his backpack. Nico still seems wary—like when he warned that gym class still involved sparring—but Jason promises to be on his best behavior.

The watchtower is just one of two tall buildings, where people are allowed to spectate. In a way, Jason thinks the War Games are Camp Jupiter’s version of football at other high schools. Even the campers seem livelier—reignited with classmates and siblings back from summer vacation.

“Beth!” Jason catches Annabeth lingering near the Fifth Cohort, dressed in a regal purple shirt and a chestplate.

She cocks her head in surprise and looks between Nico and him curiously. “Hey. Don’t tell me you’re participating.”

“He’s not,” Nico reassures—and he’s quick to place a hand in front of Jason.

“I’ve been instructed to stay put at the watchtower,” Jason informs. He smiles at his best friend, who continues to sport the same look of amusement.

“Nico’s instructing you now?” Annabeth asks.

“We’re hanging out after the War Games.” Jason turns to Nico, who still looks reluctant about the whole debacle.

“Okay,” she says.

“Bianca’s out of town,” Nico continues to explain. “It was either me—or…”

“Or Breath of the Wild.” Jason pulls out his game console and waves it near Annabeth. The daughter of Athena nods slowly, while Jason’s smile widens. He turns to Nico. “I can do both. I like this better, though.”

Nico stares back at him—looking both flustered and nauseated by the thought.

“You can do games and Nico?” Percy interjects from nowhere. He flashes a wry look and inserts himself into their conversation. “What a catch—ow! Nico—”

Before he has the chance to elaborate, Nico drags him off elsewhere, emphatically slapping a hand over Percy’s own.

Annabeth touches Jason by the wrist, a tentative look on her face. It makes him think of Thalia earlier. “You gonna be okay?”

“So far so good.” Jason rubs his forehead thoughtfully, the corners of his lips rising into a sheepish smile. “I won’t stay long if it starts to bother me. I promised Nico the same thing.”

Annabeth smiles—albeit reluctantly—before wandering off to pull Percy away from his praetor.

The last time Jason was on the Field of Mars, his amnesiac best friend had just made an appearance at Camp Jupiter. They weren’t on speaking terms before the swap before Reyna and her—so Jason expected nothing more with a daughter of Athena who hardly knew his name.

Thalia had asked if he wanted to watch in order to understand Camp Jupiter better. Maybe in hopes of him joining. Jason remembers hovering over the edge of the tower, speechless that after a war as bloody as Kronos’s, that there were demigods who celebrated war games as a sport. Camp Jupiter certainly took the fun out of being a demigod and focused on the practical side of things. Camp Halfblood hardly ever let him have fun at all.

Now—Jason sits in a watchtower with his game console in hand and a TV tuned into what’s going on below. Thalia and Annabeth both check up on him more after his birthday—Jason just has to remember to speak up, too. It’s still a little weird for him.

Every once in a while, Jason clenches when he hears an explosion—but it’s hardly as anxiety-inducing as the other war game he attended.

BOOOOOM!

One particular explosion makes him drop the console in his lap. Jason’s hand flies to the back of his neck—and he rubs the curse thoughtfully. Fretfully.

“You okay?”

Jason startles at the sound of Nico’s voice. He turns around to find the other demigod floating across from the open window, one wary eyebrow arched in the air.

“Uh—yeah.” Jason reaches out and picks up his console from the ground. “Shouldn’t you be moderating?”

“It’s early enough. Most of the legionnaires are still at the edge of the field. No one’s breached the fortress yet,” Nico says. He floats carefully, a gentle gale brushing against his bangs.

Jason can’t help but shake his head in disbelief. Early, and so many mines going off already.

“Jason—”

“What happens if someone gets injured during the War Games?” Jason asks. “No one actually dies, do they? Or like, miss school?”

“They get a good heaping of ambrosia and unicorn draught, and a praetor’s note if they’re still not feeling well on Monday.” Nico pulls into the watchtower. His demeanor shifts, looking a little more sympathetic. “No one dies during the War Games. Anyone who even threatens malintent gets thrown out of the Legion. Like Bryce Lawrence and his family.”

Right. Like Bryce.

“How about we meet up for dinner afterwards?” Jason asks finally. He flashes a sheepish smile—but it comes out far more embarrassed than he intends. “Maybe War Games aren’t the scene for me yet.”

“Sure,” Nico says. Then, “War Games don’t have to be the scene for you at all if you don’t want them to be.”

“Right.” Jason sucks in a breath and rubs his neck thoughtfully. He almost misses the way Nico reaches out to touch his hand.

“A burger sound good?” Nico asks.

“Yeah. A burger.”

*

Nico meets him later at the New Roman In-and-Out Burger. Jason perks from his booth when he sees the other demigod. He offers a wave and a smile, while Nico tentatively waves back. 

“Sorry—the game ran late.” Nico smooths out his hair as he comes to the booth. He’s missing part of a sleeve—scorched by some event or another, with his knife at his hilt. Jason studies the son of Juno from head-to-toe, examining him for injuries before he realizes it. He hardly hears Nico’s next question. 

“Did you already eat?” 

“Not yet.” Jason scoots out of their spot and starts their trek to the cashier.

“Let me get it,” Nico says quickly before they make it to the register. “Legionnaires get a discount.” 

“Oh—yeah. Sure.” 

Once the order’s in, they settle back into the booth on opposite ends. The restaurant is quiet. Most customers seem to be civilians with their families, with the occasional faun or nymph. Some wear New Rome University sweatshirts and fiddle away at their laptops. Other booths have highchairs with young children. All of them, without a doubt, are affiliated with demigods in some shape or form. 

“Sorry,” Jason says when they finally settle back in the booth. He fiddles with his hands and tugs on the sleeve of his shirt. “I didn’t mean to bail on the War Games.” 

One of Nico’s eyebrows arches into the air and he stares at Jason in surprise. “You didn’t have to go. I wasn’t expecting you to.” 

“I know.” Jason’s ears flourish pink. He dabs a French fry into his ketchup. “Maybe I was overzealous. I…was looking forward to spending the evening with you.” 

There’s a hiccup in Nico’s next response. Jason almost doesn’t notice. Nico vehemently shakes his head and waves a hand. “You should know by now that I’m the last person to drag you to the Field of Mars, Jason.” 

“I know,” Jason says again—and a ghost of a smile lifts against his lips. He’s careful as he takes a bite into his next fry. “I appreciate you looking out for me.” 

“I. Yeah, any time.” Nico quickly shoves a handful of French fries in his mouth. He sits upright in the booth, eyes at the tray in front of him. 

“Who won?” Jason asks--to which Nico shakes his head in disbelief. 

“The Fifth. Annabeth turned them into a well-oiled machine,” Nico says. “I know how Percy trains a cohort—I was a part of it for a long time. Last time I saw them do one of these together, they were biting each other’s head off. I think this game will get rid of any remaining tension against Minerva. She and Percy bounce off each other really well.” 

“Sounds like Annabeth.” A sliver of pride blooms in Jason’s chest. “She was always good at that.” 

“I’m sure.” Nico plucks a French fry from his pile and peers back up. “You, she, and my sister used to team up for these kinds of things, right?” 

“Not always. There were always enough kids between Athena and Hermes to pit against each other.” Jason smiles faintly. Before his French fry meets his mouth, he sets it down and crosses his arms over his chest. “But…yeah. For quests, it was normally the three of us.”

“So Annabeth and you were still close. Before…what happened last summer, I mean.” As always, Nico’s careful not to pull Luke into the conversation.

Jason shrugs and brushes a hand against the back of his neck. He thinks back to a few days prior, when Percy asked how Sally Jackson could know Bianca and him, but not their resident daughter of Athena. The Lost Years was a perfect way to put it. “We were closer when we were younger. Luke let me tag along with him, and Annabeth liked to tag along with Luke. Once he left camp and all, we didn’t really see eye-to-eye, but we were really the only ones who understood why he did it.”

He hesitates.

“I’m,” Jason says, “really the only person understood why he left. He’d tell me a lot. Annabeth was convinced we could change his mind. We were the only ones who wanted to get him back. So every quest that involved me, Annabeth insisted on going on, too. But once those were done, we always went our separate ways. Just Bianca and me, and then Annabeth with her siblings. Sort of like semi-friendly coworkers.”

“Trust me—you’ll get plenty of group projects like that now you’re in school, too.” Nico snorts and flashes a wry look.

“I’m sure that’s something to look forward to.” Jason struggles with his next smile. He doesn’t realize he’s still rubbing the back of his neck until Nico taps his other hand. There’s a warm spot beneath his palm from the friction.

Nico curls the edges of his fingers, his lips twitching.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring him up.” Jason’s face burns sheepishly. He rubs his temples and props a hand to his cheek. First he bails on the War Games after his suggestion, then Luke finds his way into the conversation.

“Don’t worry about it.” Nico skirts his gaze. He reaches for his burger next.

“This…was easier on the beach.” Jason sighs. “No explosions. No awkwardness. Just—”

“Three Big Three demigods delivering the babies of the Trojan Sea Monster?” Nico finishes for him. He arches an eyebrow, looking somewhat less amused. Jason knows Nico left that whole experience exhausted.

“—the two of us without anything camp-related,” Jason says instead. He smiles self-consciously as Nico blinks. “I liked that.”

“Well.” Nico blinks again. “We can do that now, Jason.”

“Don’t you have praetor stuff in the morning?”

“That’s in the morning.” Nico places his burger back on his tray. “And not a lot. The Legion treats camp stuff like an extracurricular during the school year. Otherwise no one would ever graduate. I’ll probably go into the office in the morning and finish up some paperwork and homework. Then I have a wedding in the evening.”

“So you’re busy,” Jason finishes for the other demigod. He can’t help the disappointment bubbling in his chest.

Nico’s nose wrinkles. His cheeks bloom a mild pink. “Maybe a tad.”

Jason laughs softly, which seems to make Nico glow darker. It’s what he gets for wanting to be friends with the most popular demigod in New Rome—whether Nico enjoys that title or not. “It’s okay, Nico. I’m sure I can find something to—”

“Would you want to sleep over?”

*

Jason can’t recall the last time he was in the di Angelo residence with Nico. Normally Nico is shooting down the hallway, on his way to another event of sorts between praetor and wedding duties. It’s gotten to the point that Bianca says hi and bye in the same breath without ever looking up from her computer.

Once they finish dinner, they part ways so Jason can pack his clothes and Nico can clean up. Jason almost doesn’t notice the scorched sleeve until Nico gestures to it again. When he arrives at the front door of the di Angelo residence for a second time that night, Nico’s hair is damp from a shower. He’s dressed in a pair of shorts and a graphic t-shirt with some cartoon character that Jason doesn’t recognize. Both the peacock and eagle tattoos seem to stare at Jason from across the doorway—the emblems of the King and Queen of the Heavens.

Even from a distance, Jason can smell the airiness of Nico’s shampoo. He can’t help but smile. “You sure it’s okay if I sleep over?”

Nico arches an eyebrow. He opens the door wider. “I won’t tattle if you won’t.”

Jason’s smile unfolds into a quiet laugh. Per Nico’s request, he sets his stuff on the living room couch. Bianca’s camera and laptop are gone—likely in Vancouver with her. Some anime plays on the TV—a boy with red hair and green-and-black checkered outfit. He looks towards the subtitles—but Nico is quick to lower the volume.

“There are chips in the pantry. Cheetos and Doritos. I think gummy bears, too. Neapolitan ice cream in the freezer.” Nico eyes him carefully. “You hungry?”

“We…just ate?”

“Right,” Nico says, and he lowers his head into a steady nod.

“Did you go shopping?” Jason blinks in surprise as he watches Nico stuff junk food back into storage. They’ve hardly been separated half an hour.

“No. I just—I keep an extra line or two on the grocery list for other people.” Nico pauses as he shoves bags of chips back in the pantry. “Mostly Percy. My grandmother always believed in keeping a prepared household.”

“She must’ve gotten along with Juno really well then.”

Nico shuts the pantry, his demeanor shifting into something of a grimace. It very much reads no, not at all as he shakes his head. He plucks two Gatorades from an incredibly well-stocked fridge and places them on the kitchen counter. “Nonna was upset that Mammina never committed to my mom.”

Jason’s eyebrows knit together. “But she’s married.”

“That doesn’t stop Jupiter or any other god,” Nico points out—and he says it in a way that Jason surmises can only be an echo of the di Angelo matriarch. He punctuates it with a disbelieving shake of his head. “Don’t underestimate the wrath of an angry mother-in-law.”

After seeing the Queen of the Gods at work, Jason thinks he pities anyone who has Juno for a mother-in-law. He decides not to say that aloud. Instead, his gaze fixates on a yellow bag in Nico’s hand. “What’s that?”

Nico follows his gaze. “Chocolate chips. Percy rearranged my pantry when he was over earlier. I haven’t had the chance to put everything back in its place.”

“Chocolate chips,” Jason repeats. “Like, as a snack?”

For some reason, Nico looks as confused as Jason feels. “Once in a while, I guess. Bianca hoards the bag in her room every couple of weeks. I was going to make cookies sometime this weekend.”

“Cookies,” Jason repeats—and he blinks in surprise. “You can make them at home?”

Nico’s eyes widen. He sets the chocolate chips on the counter. “Jason—have you not had homemade cookies?”

“I—” Jason pauses, pretending to mull over any time he’s had anything homemade. “I haven’t had a lot of homemade anything. Thalia doesn’t really bake. We eat out most nights, or I make something simple.”

“How simple?”

“Peanut butter and jelly?”

Nico continues to stare at him in disbelief. Before Jason can say anything else, Nico presses a button on the stove top. “Cookies it is.”

Which is how Jason finds himself dressed in a frilly pink apron. It’s a little too small and feminine, clinging to him in strange places when Nico ties the waist back for him. Nico walks around the short space, before returning with every ingredient imaginable on the kitchen counter.

Jason lifts a container labeled brown sugar. He opens his mouth—

“It adds a depth of flavor,” Nico answers before he can ask. “Trust me. It makes the cookies taste better.”

“I…didn’t think the barracks had a kitchen to experiment with.” Jason sets the plastic container back on the counter and watches as Nico flies above the stove to grab a hand mixer.

“They don’t.” Nico plants his feet to the ground and peers back. “Sally—Percy’s mom—likes to bake a lot. So did my grandma and Mammina. I spent a lot of time hanging around the kitchen when I was little. I liked to watch the cookies bake.”

“You can do that?”

The corner of Nico’s lips lifts with amusement. “With just about most things, Jason.”

Jason can’t help feeling his cheeks glow red. He rubs his head thoughtfully and watches as Nico begins to separate ingredients. A few cups of flour here, some softened butter there. Nico stares into a recipe written on an index card so easily—but Jason still takes it in with astonishment. He’s seen Nico on the battlefield and commandeering armies, but baking cookies feels foreign.

“The satyrs tried to keep me on a vegan diet for a little while,” Jason confesses. He rubs his forehead again. “Though maybe not necessarily vegan. I think Uncle Gleeson tried to feed me dirt out of a can once.”

Nico raises his head. “Topsoil?”

“Loam, mostly. He said it had a lot of healthy minerals.” Jason shakes his head. “The tin can had a nice powdery taste to it.”

He smiles faintly as the son of Juno flashes him another look.

“Kidding,” Jason says.

“You better be.” Nico ties his hair back. Flour blankets his hair in light smudges—but before Jason can fixate too long, Nico shoves the eggs in his direction. “Why don’t you whisk the wet ingredients together?”

Jason watches Nico sift flour through a strainer and combine the “dry” ingredients. Nico lets him mix everything together, which is when Jason also watches Nico use dark chocolate chunks and semi-sweet chips from the bag earlier.

“I don’t think I’ve noticed what kind of chips Fabiano’s uses,” Jason confesses. Nico’s even careful to cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in the fridge. Something about a better toffee flavor.

Nico shrugs. “I prefer their pie.”

“You and Ms. Jackson must be close.” Jason watches as Nico set a timer—then follows the other demigod to the living room. “That was her handwriting on the recipe, wasn’t it? I saw it sometimes at the candy store.”

Nico unties his hair and shrugs. “Percy took taking care of me pretty seriously. He…dealt with all of the nonsense that came with being a demigod and a son of Neptune—but I think he always felt worse for me. With—the whole casino and all.”

“He…was a mess after Thalia and Reyna fell,” Jason confesses. He watches Nico cocks his head, lips pressed into a grimace. The Percy Jason knew on the Argo II and the one in college are almost night and day. What binds them together is just how loyal Percy is to his friends.

“Percy said he couldn’t replace my sister or change who my dad is,” Nico mutters, “but he was more than happy to share a mom. I visit a lot.”

“That’s really sweet, Nico.”

At that moment, Nico flourishes red. He rubs the inside of his forearm self-consciously, and Jason can’t help but smile. The son of Juno sits straighter. “I’m sorry he’s been a jerk.”

“Don’t be.” Jason shrugs. “I don’t expect everyone to like me, you know. He has his reasons.”

“Stupid, lousy reasons,” Nico grumbles.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” Nico says. He erupts from his seat on the couch and makes his way towards the entertainment center. “What do you want to do while we wait for the cookie dough to settle? We could watch tv, or go hang out outside, or—”

“Actually,” Jason interjects, “I’ve been stuck in one of the labyrinth temples for the last two days. Do you think you could help me?”

He reaches for his bag and pulls out his switch. When Jason looks back up, he’s met with a look of surprise across Nico’s face. Red creeps across Jason’s face as he realizes Nico’s staring.

“Is…that cheating?” Jason asks. “If I ask?”

“No—not at all.” Nico pulls out the switch dock. It’s only then that Jason notices the assortment of consoles Nico owns. He recognizes an old Nintendo 64 and some newer consoles—but they’re packed tightly with the rest of Nico’s game collection. There’s a bookshelf taller than Jason filled with videogames and boardgames alike—all in cases of different sizes.

“Percy got you most of those games?” Jason asks before he can help himself.

Nico peers over his shoulder. He follows the son of Hades’ line of sight, then shakes his head. “Some. Not all. He used to bring me back a game from one of his quests. Sort of like a souvenir. A, hey, I made it back mostly alive gift.”

“Some of these look old.” Jason stands up and stares at the game collection. His lips spread into a smile as he sees one game in particular. “You have Ocarina of Time?”

“Yeah—both versions.” Nico grabs it from the shelf. “The 64 version was trickier to find. Percy snagged it from a Vintage Stock in Missouri.”

“Camp Halfblood’s had its copy for years. The sticker’s completely faded on it.” Jason continues to look through Nico’s game collection. They’re organized by console first—then alphabetized. He sees Smash Bros., and Mario Sunshine—and a few names he’s not familiar with, like Monster Hunter and Dark Souls. His gaze stops when he finds another Zelda title. “Wind Waker?”

“Oh—that’s a good one.” Nico reaches for the game case, fingers thumbing the binding, before he flips it over for Jason to look at. “Not as open world as Breath of the Wild, but—”

“He’s so cute.” Jason stares at the artwork, shocked to find a much younger, more animated looking Link on the front. “This is a game?”

“One of the best ones.” Nico studies him, then he grins. “We can play it if you want.”

“What about the cookies?” Jason asks—and Nico looks more amused.

“Cookies and videogames, Ambassador Grace,” Nico repeats. “That’s what I call a perfect Friday night.”

*

“This Link seems sassier,” Jason notes, after he watches the tiny, animated Link grimace at his new green tunic. He bites back a laugh.

“This Link knows how to serve looks,” Nico agrees. He laughs as Jason mimics one of Link’s cartoon-y grimace. “What else is there to do when they design you as a silent protagonist?”

“Grunt, I guess,” Jason says—which makes Nico laugh louder. He reaches for a cookie and almost veers off course when he sinks his teeth into it. “Oh my gods, Nico—these taste amazing.”

“Thanks.” Nico reaches out for a cookie of his own, his expression light and lips pressed into an easy smile.

It’s enough for Jason to pull his attention away from the TV. He drinks in the relaxed composure, with Nico at the edge of the couch cushion. Nico’s eyes capture the pretty blue that this Link lacks, and there’s a brightness to Nico’s expression that makes him…magnetic. Makes Jason want to look.

Nico taps on Jason’s knee and points to the TV.

“Pay attention to the lights here,” Nico instructs. “Don’t move under the barrel when the light’s shining on you—you’ll get thrown into jail by the bokoblins.”

“Oh,” Jason muses. “Like in real life.”

Nico snorts, his nose wrinkling—but then a wry smile compliments his demeanor. “Yeah, like in real life.”

They have a timer set for the cookies every twelve minutes. Nico gets up at least twice, listing off helpful hints and instructions for Jason from the kitchen—even when Jason changes dungeons without Nico near.

When the last batch of cookies leaves the oven, Nico plops onto the couch snugly next to Jason. He’s quick to put distance between them. “Sorry.”

“For what? I didn’t mind.” Jason smiles as he reaches for another cookie.

“I just—I mean—I. Never mind.” Nico’s tangent ends quickly while Jason pats the cushion. He slowly inches back, and their knees bump together. Jason bumps it back, and smiles when Nico finally settles.

Again, he gets a look at Nico’s face. The vibrant blue of his irises, and the flurry of hair that frames Nico’s face. There’s a smudge at the corner of his lip, from all of the cookies. They sit close enough that Jason can almost smell the sweetness.

His fingers twitch with the urge to wipe it off, like with the sand last week—or the Styrofoam from his birthday. He can’t place why.

Nico sets a tissue box in Jason’s lap. “You, uh, have crumbs on your face.”

“Oh—I do?” Jason snaps out of his stupor. “Uh—thanks. So do you.”

With one gentle swipe, the chocolate’s gone from both of their faces, but Jason’s urge lingers.

Then Nico taps his lap once more—this time a little more violently. “Watch out for that bokoblin. The green one.”

Jason jolts back into the game. “Got it.”

The controls on the Wii U are similar enough to the Switch that Jason adapts quickly—but it’s still an overload of buttons. Nico rattles off the right buttons on the fly, and Jason eventually gets the hang of bobbing and weaving.

In the end—Link’s sister, Aryll is safe, but Link gets kidnapped by the same bird that took his sister. He gets saved by a boat—which feels a little pointed to Jason. A blond haired, black eyed hero with a sister Link loved dearly—and a plucky, grumpy companion in the form of Tetra.

Nico only grins at him—proud, despite the number of times Jason dies. “Now you’re ready for the real game.”

It’s so infectious that Jason can’t help grinning back.

*

Jason wakes up to the sound of birds in the morning. From the foyer, he sees the bright streaks of purple and orange—but it’s the birds that catch his attention—singing a sweet melody for all to hear.

“Stop that,” is the groggy response above him—which is when Jason realizes Nico is on top of him.

One of Jason’s arms is wedged in the crease of the couch. Of the three dozen cookies they baked last night, only eight remain on the coffee table in front of him. Nico’s face is buried in Jason’s chest, the scent of buttery brown sugar and rain filling Jason’s nostrils. He’s…softer when he’s asleep. Jason’s not sure how to describe it. From this distance, he can see the length of Nico’s eyelashes, and admire the definition of his cheekbones.

He traces the peacock painted over Nico’s forearm—and once more admires how soft Nico’s hair seems. This time, up close.

Jason readjusts when he realizes the Wii U controller is beneath him—evidently set aside when he dozed off last night.

When the birds chirp a second time, Nico swats an arm out and murmurs another complaint. It dispels the chatter at his doorstep, until all Jason can hear is Nico’s breath against his pulse. The son of Juno nuzzles closer to him with a sigh of relief.

On the TV, Jason sees Link laying down—fast asleep after being abandoned by his two players.

With a resolute smile, he moves the Wii U controller to the coffee table and settles back into slumber.

*

At some point, Jason has to get up and pee. He’s careful to inch Nico off of him and creeps to the bathroom. By the time he gets back, Nico’s already awake and putting things away. His hair’s a mess from burrowing into Jason earlier. Jason can’t help feeling disappointed to end their morning so quickly.

“You sleep okay?” Nico asks him.

“Best I’ve slept in a while,” Jason admits—and he watches as Nico glows a pretty pink. He doesn’t look close enough—but Jason thinks he sees Nico winding and unwinding the same controller. “What about you?”

“Uh, same.” Nico smooths out his own hair and turns to face the son of Hades. He studies Jason carefully. “You hungry?”

“Somehow, after all of those cookies.” Jason pats his own stomach—and smiles as Nico does.

“We used the last of the eggs for the cookies,” Nico says. He rubs his tattoo thoughtfully and turns towards the kitchen. “There might be Lucky Charms left, but I have a feeling Percy’s scalped all of the marshmallows.”

“As one does,” Jason jokes—just to see Nico’s lips twitch into a smile again. “How about I buy breakfast? You got dinner last night.”

Which is how they end up at an old diner that Jason’s convinced he’s only seen in movies. The floor tiles are checkered black and white. The inner walls are blue, and a pink neon sign at the window reads OPEN. There’s even a jukebox sitting near the entrance.

Jason stares at his bagel sandwich curiously.

“Something on your mind?” Nico’s quick to reach for a paper towel for his own face.

“Not really. Just—can you bake bagels too?” Jason asks—to which Nico laughs.

“You can,” Nico says, “but some things are just worth eating without all of the effort.”

He hums as he takes a bite of his pancakes. Jason stares at his own breakfast sandwich and smiles.

“Maybe I can make a breakfast sandwich as good as your cookies,” Jason says—and he watches as Nico’s expression shift with amusement. “Baking was fun last night. I didn’t realize what all could go into it.”

“It’s a good way to get your mind off things,” Nico agrees. He slices through one of his eggs. “Otherwise, you’re stuck with burnt cookies and no one’s happy with that.”

“You think we could put some walnuts in them next time?” Jason asks. “I think I’d like the extra crunch.”

“Next time?”

Jason looks up to find Nico staring at him curiously. “Yeah—next time I sleep over. If—that’s okay—”

“Yeah,” Nico cuts Jason off. He sits a little straighter in his seat, his lips etching a little wider. “Yeah, that’s definitely okay.”

There’s never a moment where either of them are ready to leave. They stop by Jason’s apartment to grab the rest of his homework, then he shadowtravels them to the praetor’s office. Manila folders filled with paperwork are stacked high on Nico’s desk. He doesn’t bat an eye as he flips through each page. Jason recalls seeing Thalia’s eyes glaze over more than once while filling out the paperwork for him to go to New Rome High.

(“You saved the fucking world—twice,” she’d grumbled. “Why the hell do you need a legal guardian?”)

Jason gets through the required reading for his chemistry class. Nico is three files in—and already ahead of the pile sitting on Reyna’s desk.

Eventually, they grab lunch. Deli sandwiches at some eatery near the Forum. Then they visit the shrines at Temple Hill.

“Wow,” Jason notes when they make it to Pluto’s Crypt. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen it in daylight before.”

Nico stares at him.

“I’m, uh—not joking.”

“Right,” Nico says. “One of your running stops.”

“Yeah,” Jason says—and he’s indescribably pleased with how Nico remembers. He places two of their remaining cookies from the night before on the brazier for his dad and prays for safe travels for both Reyna and his sister.

On their walk back to the principia, Jason notices the crisp white chairs lined up in front of the Juno Moneta, adorned in purple and red flowers. Several people walk around dressed in robes—looking akin to Roman senators, while a wedding cake sits on a table afar. Nico stops when he sees Dakota messing with records on a mix table. They have a quiet conversation, where Nico emphatically rolls his eyes, but is smiling the whole time.

Eventually, he makes his way back to Jason.

Jason takes in all of the scenery quaintly. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to a wedding before.”

Nico stares at him curiously—then shrugs. “You’re not missing much. They’re more fun when you know the person—so long as you’re not in the wedding party.”

“Wouldn’t you want to be in the wedding party?”

“Only if you’re ready to be at the bride and groom’s beck and call from the engagement all the way to the I do’s,” Nico says—and he snorts. His eyes teem with amusement as he crosses his arms. “It’s like working at your favorite restaurant. Once you know the secrets, the magic is gone.”

“You know that from experience?” The corner of Jason’s lips lifts into a smile.

“I’ve sat through enough of these now.” Nico shrugs, and they continue their stride. “You see the best and worst things from the wedding party—then they all make up right before walking down the aisle. Pretty standard for a rom-com.”

“You watch rom-coms?” Jason arches an eyebrow, his mind going back to whatever anime was on TV last night.

Nico stops in his trek, and his eyes glint mischievously. “Reyna’s favorite is 27 Dresses. Thalia loves The Proposal. Percy swears Good Luck Chuck is romantic.”

“I don’t think I’ve heard any of those.” Jason’s eyebrows knit together. “Are those movies?”

“All wedding related in one way or another.” Nico shrugs. “They make all of the drama look fun, at least. Ryan Reynolds makes a good plus one.”

Jason thinks about the name, then perks. “He was Deadpool.”

To his surprise, Nico’s lips twitch into a wider smile. “Like I said—a good plus one.”

Jason laughs—but another thought crosses his mind. “Do you get to bring a plus one?”

“The officiant?” Nico shakes his head. “No. Usually I’m there to watch them sign the marriage certificate and then try to exit quietly. There’s no reason for me to stay after that.”

“Really?” Jason asks. “Not to dance or eat cake or anything?”

“By myself?” Nico replies, looking even more confused. “The cake, sure—but there’s no one to—”

He stops for a second and Jason smiles from the other side of his desk.

“You mind if I tag along?” Jason asks.

*

Which is how their day carries on with Nico dragging him to the mall. It’s the most Bianca Jason’s ever seen out of Nico—not that he’d ever say that out loud. Nico nudges Jason towards a shop and instructs him to find a nice button-up shirt and a pair of slacks. Then—they’re in and out in less than an hour.

(In other words—the least like Bianca that Jason’s ever seen.) They almost take a lap towards a game shop, but Nico mumbles something about not getting paid for another few days.

The longest Jason is away from Nico is when they get ready. Nico mentions needing extra time in front of the mirror to look more like his dad—which Jason doesn’t really understand, but he agrees to change in the bathroom. He combs through his hair, with the mental note to get it trimmed soon. Maybe Nico knew someone in New Rome who could take care of it for him.

He sits on the couch and toes on a pair of dress shoes. Then, Jason looks up when he hears Nico down the hall. “Nico, you look amazing.”

A golden wreath decorates Nico’s head, shiny even under the dull light of the house. Bangles of gold shine on either of Nico’s wrist—pristine with the warmth of his skin-tone. There’s an ornate design on his purple cloak to show his status. His sleeves stop short of his elbow, to show the vibrant peacock tattoo proudly on his arm, rather than shroud his status as the son of the King and Queen.

There’s a vibrance in Nico’s blue eyes—accented with the sheen of his jewelry.

Nico doesn’t respond right away. Then he clears his throat. “You’re…not wearing black.”

Jason looks down to the shirt he picked out when Nico was busy eying the game shop. “Black didn’t seem appropriate for a wedding—funeral colors and all. Does it look okay?”

“It’s…blue.”

Again, Jason glances at his button-up and navy dress pants. His dark leather belt matches his shoes. “Too much?”

“No,” Nico says quickly. “You look great. It’s a good color on you.”  

Jason sighs in relief. “Good. I was wondering if I should’ve asked about the pants before we left.”

“The pants look perfect,” Nico confirms—and he visibly twitches. “Snug at all?”

“They fit like a glove,” Jason confirms.

“Cool.” Nico quickly makes a beeline towards the door. “Let’s go before we run late.”

“I can shadowtravel us there,” Jason reminds him.

Nico shuts the door quickly. “Right.”

The wedding itself is fairly intimate. Nico talks the two grooms into letting Jason sit off to the side in the front row—casually flexing his title as their praetor. He doesn’t call Jason his date—not at first—until Jason admits he’s Nico’s plus-one. Then they happily light up and request the usher set up another chair. Jason sits as far to the side as he can to stay out of photos. The grooms wear crowns of flowers—and based on the vibrant green hue of one of the groom’s eyes, Jason can only assume there’s a son of Ceres in their mix.

He has a hard time peeling his own eyes away from Nico.

At the foot of the Juno Moneta, Nico radiates with a poise befitting the Queen of the Gods. The robes seem effortless across his torso, and the bangles at his wrist chime with the same ease at the birds that woke Jason this morning. While Nico complained about looking like his dad, Jason only sees a son of Juno, as Nico’s laurel crown seems to mirror Juno’s pristine diadem.

He hardly hears Nico’s speech. Nico’s smile is even more radiant than the gold adorning his neck and earrings and crown and bangles.

“I don’t know how he manages to change it up every time,” mutters someone next to Jason. There’s a golden dove pinned to his lapel, and his skin drinks in a different warmth from the sun than what Jason’s seen from the di Angelo siblings. There’s something familiar about his face—but much like Jason, the demigod beside him is more focused on Nico’s grace as the grooms say their vows.

“You may now kiss the groom,” Nico announces.

Once the grooms kiss, the wedding guests erupt in elated applause. They ambush Nico with a kiss on either cheek—which is met with a decadent Awww from the crowd before the grooms and their wedding party march down the aisle as newlyweds.

Nico’s nose scrunches ever so slightly—and Jason covers his laugh with a cough.

When the wedding party is out of sight, people stand and stretch their legs. An aurae with a clipboard instructs everyone to transition to the reception in a big, billowy tent filled with warm lights of magenta, pink, and purple.

Jason startles when he feels Nico’s hand on his elbow.

“Now we wait for the wedding party to finish taking photos and then the toasts,” Nico says.

“Really? What do guests do in the mean time?” Jason peers back at the other demigod.

Nico shrugs. “Drink.”

“We’re underaged.”

“Then we sit and thank the gods that smartphones exist.” The edge of Nico’s lips twitch into a smile. He whips out his phone from who-knows-where, and Jason laughs freely now.

Once they make it to their table, something about Nico catches Jason’s eye. “Your badge is crooked. Want me to fix it?”

“Sure.”

Jason makes notes of the ripples and folds of Nico’s robes. For such a narrow frame, the fabric clings onto him well. It isn’t the first time Jason’s seen Nico in this outfit—he recalls something similar earlier in the summer—but didn’t get to enjoy it as much as he does now. Jason tries to focus on how Nico had it pinned to his cloak before the flurry of kisses from the newlywed couple.

“Right here,” Nico says. He taps his own collarbone gently, which invites the steady melody of his cuffs and bangles. “Not that I’m hard to miss at these things.”

Jason chuckles softly as he reattaches the pin. “What were the kisses for?”

Immediately, Nico’s cheeks bloom red. He twitches and smooths out the hair beneath his crown. “Longevity in marriage, I guess. Or the reminder every weekend that I’m single.”

“I’m sure you’ll meet Mr. Right someday,” Jason promises. “You’re a catch, Nico.”

He almost doesn’t catch Nico’s glance. There’s an ebony eyebrow in the air—but Nico doesn’t say anything more.

“Di Angelo,” calls another wedding guest. The boy from earlier comes to their table as Jason finishes with the golden pin. Up close, Jason notices that his width is also matched in height. His dress shirt is a ruby red—with the dove broach even more prominent now than before. He’s tall—taller than Jason, even, with barrels for arms.

It's a stark contrast to Nico’s lankiness. Nico turns away from Jason ever-so slightly and faces the other demigod. “Hi, Mike.”

“Some speech you gave there,” Mike says. He stops short of both of them, eyes darting between Jason and Nico.

“Jason, this is Mike Kahale. He’s one of the centurions from the First Cohort,” Nico explains. He gestures between them. “Mike, this is Jason Grace. Thalia’s little brother.”

“Pleasure,” Mike greets—and he extends a hand. His grip is firm around Jason’s.

“You’re in my chemistry class.” The corner of Jason’s lips lift as the realization finally soaks in.

The edges of Mike’s lips twitch into a smile, and his eyes glint.

“Your dog also saved my co-centurion from getting blasted into oblivion,” Mike says. “But yes—we do have chemistry together.”

Oh. Ohh. Jason’s eyes widen as he finally places Mike’s face. He thinks back to the forest surrounding Camp Halfblood, reuniting with his big sister for the first time since the Argo II—and the basketcase augur that tried to kill Thalia. Tried to usurp the entirety of the Legion.

“Yikes,” is the only thing Jason can muster—with evokes a wider smile from Mike Kahale.

“Mike’s invited to these as some sort of blessing,” Nico explains. He touches Jason’s elbow again. “We’re good now. Mike’s one of the centurions helping rebuild the Legion.”

“What’s more peaceful than the holiest union of love?” Mike asks. In his tone of voice, it’s hard to tell if he’s being genuine or sarcastic.

“Did they kiss you for good luck too?” Jason muses.

“No.” Mike’s eyes flash again. “But I can be persuaded.”

Nico nudges Jason in the arm once more—which is when Jason notices the wrinkle in his nose again. “We should take our seats for the toast.”

“Oh—yeah,” Jason says.

“Oh—my bad.” Mike looks between the two of them, one eyebrow lifted in the air. “Are you two together?”

“No,” Nico says sharply, at the same time Jason candidly says, “Yes.”

They meet each other’s eye, and Jason notices Nico is simmering now.

“Complicated?” Mike asks.

“I’m Nico’s plus-one for the evening,” Jason explains.

To his surprise, Mike doesn’t reply. Instead, Mike turns to Nico—who suddenly stands straighter to look like an officer addressing his subordinate. Nico arches an eyebrow—looking comically smaller than Mike Kahale, centurion to the First Cohort, but no less intimidating.

“Jason’s been keeping me company today,” Nico elaborates—though more tensely than before. “But no, we’re not together.”

“You keep handsome company,” Mike comments—to which Jason blinks. His eyes glitter again as he looks to the son of Hades. “Blue’s definitely your color. Join me for a dance when this one gets busy blessing babies, okay?”

Again, Jason blinks. “Um.”

Before he can muster a response, Mike Kahale disappears into the folds of wedding guests to watch the wedding party deliver toasts. Jason’s so dumbfounded that he doesn’t feel Nico tugging him towards a table.

“Was he hitting on me?” Jason finally asks when they settle.

He asks the question before he notices the sourness in Nico’s expression. Nico’s lips are pressed into a disdainful frown, his eyebrows pressed together. The moment the question leaves Jason’s mouth, however, Nico’s expression shifts into disbelief.

After a brief silence, Nico replies, “I can’t tell if you’re joking.”

Jason’s cheeks swell pink. He coughs into his hand and fiddles with one of his sleeves.

“You’re not joking, are you?” Nico sits straighter in his seat and stares at Jason incredulously. “He asked you for a dance and invited you to make out with him, Jason.”

“Is that what that was?” Jason asks faintly. He turns to find Mike Kahale—but the other demigod is lost in the throng of people. Jason’s cheeks grow even hotter. “I thought he was just being nice.”

Nico doesn’t respond right away. Jason turns back to face him—only to find Nico staring at him with even more disbelief than before.

Jason awkwardly shifts in his seat. “Should I go find him?”

“Is…that what you want to do?” Nico snaps out of his stupor shortly after, his demeanor looking less irritable and more skeptical. Jason has a harder time reading it for some reason.

“Not really, no,” is Jason’s honest answer. He touches his neck awkwardly, unable to look the other demigod in the eye. “That was a bit too much.”

He hesitates.

“He was a bit too much,” Jason corrects. He’s tempted to undo the first button of his dress shirt, heated in fluster. “I’m…uh. I’m not ready for…that.”

“That,” Nico repeats. Slowly. Jason doesn’t realize how roughly he’s rubbing the back of his neck until Nico catches his hand.

“Boys,” Jason says, the dread already filling his voice. “Girls. Um. Dating as a whole, and…the after dating parts.”

Nico snorts. He brushes a thumb over Jason’s wrist bone—which is when Jason realizes he hasn’t let go.