Reyna shut the door behind her as she and Nico left the Principia. "Don't worry about your sister; Jason will make sure she's comfy in the barracks. In the meantime, what about you?"
Nico shrugged. He was still worried about Hazel. After all, she had never been anywhere like the 12th Legion before. Hades, he'd just brought her out of Asphodel!
"What ever happened to the apartment I was staying in?" He inquired.
Reyna shrugged. "Some genius allowed a new couple to move in there. I wasn't expecting you to come so late at night, so I don't know any place that's vacant right now. I could check if you want."
"Don't stress yourself, I know a place."
"The alley out behind David's café hardly counts." Nico looked as though he was about to interject when the praetor added, "Even if it's accompanied with a heater unit."
Nico scowled the same way he always did. "Fine then. What do you suggest?"
Reyna sighed heavily. "It's nearly three in the morning Nico! I'm sure Dakota wouldn't mind if you snuck into the Fifth's barracks."
"No way." Nico complained, shaking his head. "They'll kill me in the night."
"Yeah. Because the Fifth Cohort is chalk full of maniacs and killers."
"Of course it is."
"I know! Why don't you talk to Jason? He seems to know everything that goes on in the city."
"Mm-kay" Nico started to head off down the main road when he turned back around. "Hey Reyna!" He called.
Reyna spun on her heels to look at Pluto's Ambassador, "What?"
"When I burst in with Hazel, you were working on something." He began to jog back. "Are you going to need help finishing that?" He stood in front of the daughter of Bellona.
"Will you keep asking if I say no?" She retorted, cocking an eyebrow.
"Well yeah, duh."
"Come on then." Reyna sighed.
Jason walked into the Principia the next morning and found quite an odd sight. Nico was working diligently on filing a dwindling stack of papers, and Jason's co-praetor slept soundly seated at the desk. Nico barely glanced up at Jason.
"Hey." Nico greeted, finishing his project.
"Did you sleep at all last night?"
"Nah." Nico shrugged. "I'm still on Central Time."
"I don't think that has anything to do with the situation." Jason slowly shook Reyna awake, careful not to anger her.
"Whatever. How's Hazel?" It was obvious what Nico cared about.
"She's getting to know the Fifth."
Jason flinched at Nico's reaction, "The Fifth?! Only weaklings go into the fifth, and you've already grouped her in with them? No one else is going to want her if they see—"
"Geez, Nico—calm down! Maybe you should get some sleep." Nico scowled furiously at the son of Jupiter. "Plus, I came from the Fifth. It's nice there—a lot better than being stuck in Octavian's cohort, at least." Jason reasoned.
Reyna groaned and sat up at her desk, "Anyway, it's unlikely that any cohort will take a child of Pluto, of all the gods."
That set Nico off. He jumped up from his seat and would have hit Reyna if not for Jason's quick reflexes. Jason tackled Pluto's Ambassador. Nico yelped in shock, which rather confused Jason. It was just a tackle, right? "What was that all about? What were you about to do, hit her? Over a fact on how the legion thinks? Well?"
"You're lightning…" Nico cursed a few nasty things before continuing, "Control your stupid electricity, Sparky."
"Oh." Jason flushed, "Heh. Well… Next time, don't attack my friend." Behind Jason, Reyna sighed, disappointed that she was—yet again—just a friend. Nico stared back at her sympathetically. "Seeing as how the two of you didn't sleep at all, why don't you just go to bed." It wasn't a question—an order, if anything.
"Uhhh…" Nico said, clueless as to where to go.
"Just sleep in my place." Jason suggested helplessly.
And finally, Nico found he was able to sleep. He even slept right though Hazel joining the legion, which was probably for the best.
a/n: I know I should be working on Doctor and di Angelo, but have this for now.