Chapter Text
Technically, Nico didn’t need to go to Atlantis. After all, Poseidon’s only son was Percy, and Nico didn’t think they were the type to exchange news daily. Additionally, Poseidon was Poseidon: if he wanted to find a way to send a message, he would. His reason for going was mostly to check on the situation there: they were about to be cut from the exterior after all, and that could trigger so many problems.
Nico was greeted at the door of Atlantis’ Palace by a stingray, who was also an attendant. The sting ray was very polite too, and if it scowled at him, he had no way to know. Was it weird to prefer fish attendants to spirit ones?
“His Majesty is already in a meeting and cannot see you right away, but you are our esteemed guest,” his guide explained, leading him through the colorful corridors. “We weren’t aware you were visiting, or we would have prepared in advance. His Highness is available, if you wish?”
Gods, he really needed to stop this whole ‘future courting’ thing before it blew out of proportion.
“I came without sending word first, I can wait,” he assured. “I wish I could have done things the proper way, but… I got somehow rushed.”
“Of course, your Highness. We are aware of the situation’s emergency.”
The attendant left him in a large sitting room, richly decorated and with a view on the palace’s gardens. He didn’t have to wait long before Triton joined him.
“Niccolò,” he smiled widely, the door closing behind him. “What a pleasure! Welcome back to Atlantis.”
He hadn’t changed since the last time they saw each other; emerald scales covering his lower body and his side, long dark hair that was braided today, sharp features, and caramel eyes.
“Hello, Triton,” Nico smiled politely. “Thanks, how are you?”
“Pretty busy, as you might imagine. What about you?”
“Same,” Nico grimaced, before smoothing his expression. “I would like to thank you for your gift, in Greece. It was very kind of you. I don’t have anything to repay you, but-”
“Please, do not insult me,” Triton gently shook his head, sitting on the sofa in front of him. “A gift is only a gift if it doesn’t call for payment back. If it does, then it’s a transaction, and that was not my intention.”
Damn, he was sweet. Now, Nico wasn’t sure how to talk about the courting think without hurting him. He felt like an asshole.
“Thank you so much,” he mumbled, fidgeting with his ring. “I came to check on the situation, with the decree and all that… Are you gonna be okay, isolated like that?”
Triton smiled, revealing teeth that were sharper than that of a human’s.
“You have nothing to worry about. We are ready for what is to come, and the Ocean doesn’t fear the Land.”
“What about… those raised specifically to fight you?” Nico hesitated.
“There is only one, and he cannot fight us all. Fear not, Niccolò, we will be fine. Unlike Olympus, we are not looking the other way.”
“Thank you,” he breathed, leaning back against back rest of the sofa.
He didn’t stay in that position too long though, because he could hear Persephone hissing at him about proper posture in the back of his mind. He straightened.
“I’m creating a network so Gods can continue to communicate with demigods. It’s the only way to beat our enemies, after all,” he explained. “If you need anything, please send a letter to Persephone; she will know to give it to me.”
Triton’s eyes widened, and he leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice.
“You are circumventing the decree? It hasn’t even been implemented yet,” he whispered.
“It was so stupid, I didn’t have a choice.”
“Father was extremely mad about his brother,” Triton nodded with an annoyed frown. “He only relented because we cannot afford internal strife on the verge of a war.”
“Oh, I can relate,” Nico sighed. “Your Father is wise. I’m glad you all are prepared.”
He hesitated then, wondering how he should bridge the topic back to the courtship.
“I can see something is troubling you,” Triton remarked, cocking his head curiously. “You can speak freely here.”
“Thanks, I just don’t want to sound rude,” he winced. “I wanted to talk about the courtship you offered me. I’m incredibly honored, and I can see you’re great, but…”
“Was I too forward?” the God worried, his expression twisting bashfully. “I didn’t mean to come across as forceful-”
“No! No, I know, you were just enthusiastic,” Nico blushed. “I totally understand where you’re coming from, and the usefulness of an arranged marriage and all that. I was surprised, but not uncomfortable, I promise.”
“Oh, alright. I’m glad,” Triton hesitated, still subdued.
“The thing is… I’m not sure I’m ready for such talks yet,” he admitted. “I’m sorry, I should have told you immediately. If I could, I would like to… to date someone. For real. I don’t know if it will ever happen, but…”
“Oh, I didn’t take you for a romantic,” Triton blinked, expression clearing. “I understand. You are a lovely gentleman, Nico, and I do think we could build an affectionate relationship if we entered an arranged marriage, but I admit I cannot promise you love.”
That was… surprisingly honest and sweet of him, and Nico blushed brighter. He wasn’t used to discuss those topics.
“I didn’t mean to lead you on,” the demigod grimaced. “I hope you can find someone who can help with your situation. At least the war will give you a break on that front, right?”
Triton snorted humorlessly.
“Well, I’m not sure that was the kind of solution I was looking for, but I guess I will take it. Not that I have a choice.”
He looked at Nico pensively.
“Say, Niccolò. Would you be amiable to an offer? A favor to me, if I’m honest.”
“If it’s reasonable, of course,” he nodded cautiously.
“I wasn’t courting you anyway, since you’re not yet of age, so there is no need to break things ostensibly,” he explained. “I will not pursue you actively in the future either, if you do not give me your permission, but would it be okay if we simply… do not openly deny anything? Only as long as you aren’t involved with someone else, of course; I wouldn’t want to tarnish your reputation, or look like a fool. Neither I nor the Court have made any official statement either way, so people are just assuming things; if we let them go on, it would keep me from being drowned by suitors again, and it would give your status more credibility too. What do you think?”
Nico thought about it for a moment. Strategically, it was a pretty good plan.
“Wouldn’t it cause quite a stir when we will finally have to openly deny it?” he wondered.
“Oh, it will,” Triton scoffed, rolling his eyes dramatically. “But I don’t think we can escape that no matter when we do it.”
Yeah, that made sense too. Gods loved nothing more than gossip, after all.
“Alright,” Nico nodded with a smile. “As long as things are clear between us, I don’t mind. I’m looking forward to this new kind of partnership! Maybe we could be friends?”
Triton grinned, and offered him his hand, that he shook. The God didn’t try to give him a hand kiss like last time, which was a relief.
“Friendship it is, then,” the God nodded eagerly, no trace of regret on his face. “I am looking forward to it too!”
“I don’t think I will be able to visit again for a while, but good luck for the war.”
“Thank you,” Triton sighed, standing up with Nico. “To you too. Be safe, above all.”
“I will do my best.”
It was a surprisingly recurrent request people had for him, after all.
After successfully wreaking havoc on Olympus, more or less inciting a revolt among the Olympians, breaking a potential courtship, and forming a new friendship, Nico’s next stop was Camp Half Blood. But first he had some calls to make.
He dialed the number registered in his phone as ‘Oracle of Delphi’.
“Hello, Rachel?”
“Hi, Nico,” she answered pleasantly. “Need more shopping advice?”
“I wish,” he scoffed, zigzagging between passers-by. “I don’t know if Apollo told you, but Olympus is going on lockdown, courtesy of Zeus. Communication with mortals will be strictly forbidden, so you won’t get any vision for a while. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”
He heard her swear profusely, there was some unidentified noise on the other side of the line, and then she whispered with urgency.
“Wait, I’m with my parents.”
Nico raised an eyebrow when more noise came through the speaker. Was she wrestling with her parents? Throwing the phone back and forth with them? It sure sounded like that.
“Hello?” he tried, unsure if the line was still connected.
“Yes, yes, wait-”
After a few more seconds of suspicious rustles, some indistinct yelling, the noise stopped and he heard her sigh.
“Okay, go on, I’m in my room,” she breathed as if she had done a military trek to reach it.
“You good?” he checked.
“Annoyed and exhausted, but that’s my default state these days,” she scoffed. “My father is on my back non stop, singing praises about you and arranging our wedding. Just saying.”
Nico wanted to ask if she hadn’t tried to tell him she was ‘lesbian’, but didn’t dare say the word out loud in the middle of the street.
“He must have been overjoyed that I called you last time,” he guessed instead.
“Over the moon!” she exclaimed mockingly. “I never heard him praise me so much!”
There was an unmistakable bitterness in her voice, and Nico understood the sentiment. Even if she acted unbothered and sarcastic, the fact that her father would only look positively at her for marriage prospects must hurt her a great deal.
“Do you need an escape route?” he offered kindly. “I’m going to Camp Half Blood soon, I can take you with me.”
“Really?” she gasped with so much hope in her voice, it was pitiful.
“I can try to convince your father,” he shrugged even though she couldn’t see him. “Since he loves me so much…”
“I would owe you my life!”
“Careful with what you vow,” he warned playfully. “I might take you up on it.”
Having the Oracle of Delphi owing him was undoubtedly a plus. Her life was a bit too much, but he wouldn’t forget.
“I’m in New York right now,” he went on. “Let me dress properly, get a car, and I’m coming. Can you text me your address?”
“Yes! Thank you so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you-”
She made disgusting kissing noise against the phone, and Nico leaned away from it, scrunching his nose in disgust.
“Ugh, don’t do that. You will make me rethink my offer.”
“Don’t say that, Darling,” she cooed, her voice joyful and posh. “I will tell my father we’re going on our honeymoon.”
“I’m hanging up,” he snorted with a smile. “Prepare your suitcase.”
He put his phone back in his pocket and took off in the probable direction of his family’s house in New York. He wasn’t sure where it was exactly, but remembered the view from his room: he needed to search in the Center Park area.
His phone pinged with Rachel’s address less than three seconds later; a testament of how eager she was, waiting for his rescue.
He walked down a few streets before catching a taxi, and fifteen minutes later, he was staring at the southern end of Central Park. He looked around at the high buildings that all looked the same, regretting that he didn’t ask for the address the first time. He wondered why his parents had an apartment here, in New York. He highly doubted they would want to take vacations here, or that they would need a mortal home so close to Olympus. Shrugging internally, he wandered around, trying to remember the view better. He hadn’t paid great attention, unfortunately, and the buildings were so close to one another, it was hard to pinpoint the right spot.
After some hesitation, he decided he could try to shadow-travel to his room, since he had already done it once. Usually, he needed to be a little more familiar with the place (least he missed his jump and landed in the wrong spot). Worst case scenario, he would materialize in a nearby tower and freak mortals out.
He focused, recalling as many details as he could from the room he had visited not so long ago, and called forth the shadows. He landed on something soft, unstable, and lost his balance, face planting on his bed. He huffed, embarrassed, and rolled out of the mattress to stand. If his Father had been there, he would certainly judge him for that ungraceful materialization. Was he watching? He hoped not. It wasn’t his fault he didn’t have eons of training!
He quickly went to his dressing room, struggled to decide what to wear, hesitated to call Alexis (but had too much pride to do it), and choose a simple burgundy shirt paired with navy blue linen pants, and black loafers. It would be weird if he showed up randomly in a suit, and it wouldn’t be comfortable either.
Satisfied with his appearance, he walked out of the room to search for a member of the staff. He scared them shitless since they hadn’t known he was here, but eventually he got a car and a chauffeur. It was time to go rescue the Princess stuck in her tower!
The address was in Brooklyn, so he relaxed in the car, watching the city pass by the window. Once he would have rescued Rachel, they would go to Camp Half Blood together—by shadows, not by car, as the latter would take too long. He would need to check how things were going with Chiron, and make a call to the Hunters too. He wasn’t thrilled about that, but if he was honest, he wasn’t thrilled by anything that was coming.
He sighed, exhausted.
At least, it would be an opportunity to see the kids, make sure they were settling well into their respective Cabins, and to say hi to Will and Clovis. He could look forward to that much, but those small opportunities paled in the face of all the work before him. It was great to have a solution for Zeus’ bullshit, but he now had to play postman in addition to everything else. His only hope was that the Olympians had never been keen to communicate with their children, so he shouldn’t have too many deliveries to make. That being said, now that it was a ‘forbidden’ act, would they be more inclined? That would be just his luck.
He sighed again.
The car stopped in a wealthy neighborhood, in front of a luxurious mansion comprised of red brick, where a doorman was already waiting to open his car door with a small bow, escort him to the entrance, and open that too. Inside, the hallway had a Victorian style, with high ceilings, wooden furniture and a marble floor. Mr. and Mrs. Dare immediately came to greet him, bright smiles on their face as if he were Santa.
“Mister Larthy, it’s such an honor to receive you in our humble home!” Rachel’s father beamed. “May I introduce you to my wife; Melissa.”
“A pleasure, Madam,” Nico nodded politely, hoping to see Rachel run in with her suitcase as quickly as possible. “Niccolò Larthy, I’m one of Rachel’s friends.”
Whether this was the truth was still unclear to him. They were more acquaintances than friends, but they had both helped each other in some way, and could do it again in the future depending on the situation… More than acquaintances, maybe allies? That sounded right.
“I’m so very glad to meet you at last, Mr Larthy,” the woman smiled too sweetly. “My daughter told me so much about you! All good things, of course.”
Nico highly doubted that.
“Please, come in. May I offer you some refreshments?” Mrs Dare gestured for them to go further in. “We would have prepared more if we had known you were coming!”
How? With fireworks? Dancers? A marriage contract, perhaps? Nico didn’t ask.
He stopped listening as Mr Dare continued to babble about how honored he was and so on, glancing around to find Rachel. What was she doing? Wasn’t she ready?
“Do you know why I am here?” he checked, cutting off the man.
The couple froze for a second.
“Oh- Uh- Rachel was a little unclear about that,” her mother hesitated, her smile wavering but still there.
“Was it not for a conference at your… camp?” the father wondered, clearing his throat awkwardly.
He needed to think quickly now. He had no idea when the war would start and how long it would last; his excuse had to cover a long enough period for Rachel to stay at Camp without being bothered by her parents. Why had Apollo chosen a mortal for the job? It might have been no problem back in the day, but mortals nowadays were such a headache!
“Oh, no,” he shook his head. “The camp is going to open exceptionally for the school year. I will ask the director to send you the information; your name must not be in the register yet.”
“How very kind of you!” Mr Dare grinned, elated to have his name on a ‘list’ of VIPs.
“What about school though?” Mrs Dare worried. “Rachel is attending the Clarion Ladies Academy this year…”
Just the name sounded dreadful, and Nico could understand why Rachel wanted to run away.
“I have never heard of it,” he smiled politely, adding just a hint of disdain/contempt for good measure. “But I’m sure they have a program for home schooling?”
“Of course, of course!” Mr Dare exclaimed with a little tense laughter. “We’re lucky that Rachel get the chance to attend Delphi, and if her current academy does not provide a program that can accommodate her, we will change school. It’s no problem!”
“Darling!” Mrs Dare protested.
“Do not embarrass us, Dear,” Mr Dare smiled between clenched teeth.
“I’m glad to see how committed you are to Rachel’s future, Mr Dare,” Nico praised. “She is entering a world very different to your own, and I understand it can seem frightening from the outside. I’ve seen a few people losing opportunities like that, and it’s always a shame.”
“Rachel’s happiness and future is the only thing that count!” Mr Dare assured hurriedly, failing to hide his glee.
It was sad, frankly, to see how fast he had accepted to throwing his only child into a place he knew nothing about, without asking for any details and showing not even a hint of worry. At least, Mrs Dare seemed more hesitant, but it was clear she wouldn’t stop her husband.
“As a friendly gesture, I will cover Rachel’s attendance for the year,” he offered.
“Oh, please, we can pay!”
“No, I assure you, you can’t,” he chuckled as if they had made a great joke. “But it’s no big deal, I promise. Noblesse oblige, as they say.”
Persephone would be so proud of him… He might tell her about it; he was sure it would make a funny little story to share around tea.
“We’re grateful then,” Mr. Dare stammered, a little red in the cheek.
It was Rachel’s cue to hurtle down the stairs with a heavy suitcase, her eyes shining in excitement.
“I’m ready!” she yelled, stopping in front of him, out of breath.
She grabbed him in a quick hug he hadn’t expect, whispering a thank you in his ear before releasing him.
“Is there an internship at this school?” her mother worried. “We don’t even know where it is!”
“Dear-”
“Please, don’t worry, Mrs Dare,” the demigod reassured her. “I can’t disclose our camp’s precise location for security reasons, but we are at a driving distance from New York. Cell phones aren’t allowed, but we have a fixed phone available in the community center.”
“Could she come back on weekends, then?”
Nico glanced at Rachel, whose eyes were screaming ‘no’.
“Well…” he hesitated. “We often have conferences on weekends, but I guess it would be possible from time to time? I’m not sure about the schedule, so I will let you arrange it by phone with your daughter.”
“I see,” the mother breathed, a little relieved.
“Should we go, then?” he invited Rachel, before any problematic question could arise.
“Yes, please,” she breathed, relieved.
Teary goodbyes didn’t seem in order, her father almost applauding her departure, and Nico couldn’t help but throw one last little remark.
“What are you doing?” he gasped at Rachel. “This look awfully heavy! Do you really carry your luggage yourself? Where is the staff?”
He looked at Mr Dare with pity.
“Do you need recommendations? The house does look a little empty. Don’t worry, our camp is fully staffed, but if you are in need-”
Rachel’s father blushed bright red this time.
“Of course not! I mean, we have staff, of course, it’s just- Rachel likes to do things on her own!”
“Really?” Nico hummed sceptically, as if he didn’t believe him.
He turned to Rachel, who was watching him with fascination.
“Please, allow me,” he sighed, clapping his hands.
A servant appeared from the shadows, bowed, and took Rachel’s luggage to the car. It probably looked like he came from outside to the mortal couple, who was gaping nonetheless.
“Great, now we can go,” Nico smiled. “Mrs. Dare, Mr. Dare, I wish you a pleasant evening.”
He gallantly escorted Rachel to the entrance, and the car, where the doorman was holding the door open. Rachel slipped in with a quick wave at her parents, and then they were off.
“Oh my god!” she half screamed the moment they were out of sight. “That was awesome!!!”
She grabbed his hands firmly as if she wanted to pray with them.
“I never saw my father make that face! He’s so used to flaunting his money in other people’s faces! Oh, I LOVED it!!!”
“Uh, yes, I’m glad you liked it,” Nico smiled awkwardly, detaching his hands from her.
He didn’t remember her being so hyper.
“Can you drop us off in the nearest park, please?” he asked the driver.
“Of course, Sir.”
“Dude, you dressed old money and you came in a Bentley?” she gushed. “I was ready to invent an excuse for why you were in a hoodie and by taxi!”
Nico snorted, throwing her an unimpressed look.
“My mother didn’t raise a pauper,” he retorted. “I have standards. Not yet at my parent’s level, but still.”
“I’ve never loved a rich guy so much,” she grinned.
They stopped in a park, got her luggage out of the car, and Nico sent away the driver.
“It would take too long to drive there,” he explained, guiding her to a quiet area.
He whistled, and Mrs O’Leary jumped out of a shadow, yapping loudly.
She took Rachel’s suitcase, covering it in slobber, and he helped the girl to climb on the giant puppy.
“Alright, hang on tight,” he instructed her before giving the hellhound a pet. “To Camp Half Blood, girl!”
He dived in the shadows behind her, and they reappeared behind the Big House a second later. Rachel threw up the moment her feet touched the ground, and Nico guessed Apollo’s Blessing didn’t do well with powers from the darkness.
“You good?” he checked, patting her back.
“I’m good,” she lied in a gargle, green in the face.
Then, the operation ‘Rescue the Princess from her Tower’ was a success in Nico’s books.
Their arrival at Camp was not discreet. Bringing the Oracle of Delphi flanked by a giant hellhound was kind of noticeable.
“Nico!!!” someone squealed as they passed the strawberry fields.
The number of people who would ‘happily squeal’ when seeing him was rather low, so the demigod wasn’t too surprised when he saw Amelia run toward him, her blond ponytails bouncing and her face covered in strawberry juice. Finn was following her a few steps behind with a bright smile, albeit less exuberant.
Nico would have been tackled to the ground if Amy had been bigger, but luckily she was just an enthusiastic baby, eager to hug him.
“Hello there,” Nico smiled at her hesitantly, surprised to see that she was so careless about touching him. “How are you? Hi, Finn.”
“Hi, Nico,” the son of Hecate greeted shyly, stopping before him and hugging him after a second of hesitation.
“Well, would you look at that,” Rachel grinned. “Quite popular, aren’t you?”
He gave her a deadpanned look and refocused on the kids.
“I see you’re enjoying the fields,” he said, ruffling their hair and realizing once again how small and vulnerable they were.
“I love the fields!” Amy gushed. “And painting too!”
“I like archery,” Finn blushed.
“That’s great, you should have fun,” Nico nodded. “Don’t forget to train other weapons too, alright?”
“I’m going to see Chiron,” Rachel warned him, leaving them to go to the Big House. “Thanks for the ride!”
He waved her goodbye, and Amelia tugged at his shirt.
“Eve and Hugo missed you too!” she declared, pointing at the Cabins. “We need to tell them you’re back! And Clovis too!”
“Uh- Sure-”
He was pulled toward the cabins by the two eager kids, and the face the other campers made as they passed them was comical. Amelia didn’t notice it at all though, babbling non-stop about every new thing she had seen and done, about her super cool big brother who was the second coolest person in the world after Nico, and so on.
They found Eve and Hugo chatting together on the central place of the cabin area, and they turned when they heard Amy yelling their name. They looked way better than when Nico had found them in Chicago; rosy cheeks, their frame less thin, stronger, and overall looking more relaxed, too. It warmed Nico’s heart, even if he couldn’t ignore the whispers of guilt and wondering ‘for how long?’.
“Nico!” Hugo exclaimed, walking to meet them with his sister in all but blood. “You’re back?”
“For a short while, yes,” he nodded. “How are you two?”
“Better than ever,” Eve grinned.
Her smile was real, lighting her face in a way that would have been impossible a few weeks ago.
“Good,” he hummed, trying to push away the weight crushing his stomach.
Could he find a way to protect them completely from the war? Without exposing them to other pantheons? Maybe he could house them in the Underworld? But who knew if it would still be safe during the war? And what would he tell them? Why them and not the friends they had made? He couldn’t protect everyone!
“You don’t look so good,” Hugo frowned worriedly. “Did something happen?”
“No, I’m just tired,” Nico hurriedly lied, putting a shaky smile on his face. “A lot of work piling up these days. I hope you’re all settling in nicely?”
Eve nodded.
“It’s a little strange to suddenly get so many people calling themselves our brothers and sisters, but… it’s not so bad,” she admitted gruffly, blushing a little.
Nico smiled for real this time.
“I’m glad you changed your mind. Family should be treasured, be it family by blood or by choice,” he acquiesced seriously. “You can have both, and there is no competition to decide which is better.”
“What? Are you going to tell me ‘I told you so’?” she humphed, pouting a little while Hugo laughed.
“Am I?” Nico teased.
“Tell her! Tell her!” Amelia giggled.
“No, Nico is too nice for that,” Finn assured quietly.
The son of Hades looked at the four kids bickering, his heart swelling. He would protect them, no matter what. He didn’t know how yet, but he would fight Thanatos if necessary. Hopefully the God would take pity on him.
“Lucky you, Eve,” he smiled, ruffling the youngest’s hair. “Finn said I was too nice, so I won’t say anything.”
The son of Hecate brightened happily, proud almost.
“I need to go talk to Chiron, but I will see you all at dinner, alright?”
“You won’t leave too quickly, right?” Amelia worried.
“I…”
The four children looked at him with eyes full of hope, and he gave up.
“I will stay for a few days,” he sighed, defeated.
He got bright smiles as a reward, and it didn’t feel so bad, after all.