Hello all of you beautiful readers! Today I'm insanely happy because after working on this story for month -literally since October and it's been totally crazy-, I can finally -and proudly say- it is finished!
You see, this is no regular story! The idea came plainly because I felt like getting some Leo-related feels and I think this has not yet been tried (or at least I have not seen it), but I was having some problems with the ending, and this is how a very good friend of mine DWGolondor (whose profile you should totally go and check!) and I started discussing this plot until we finally decided to work on this together, giving this story as the final result.
As I said, it has been a total madness, but I enjoyed every minute of it, and I really hope that you do too! This is filled with feels and more feels and you might want to get a tissue (I did tear up a bit while writing it) and, in other news, this is also exactly how Gondolor and I decided we needed to find our time a name and ended up going for Feeling Destructurs!
I guess I'm just ambling at this point, please go ahead and read!
Mother's Day
If Leo was feeling anything as he stood in front of the doors of Cabin 13, debating whether or not if to call for the one and only demigod inside it, it was stupid. Stupid and idiotic, and neither of them seemed to be a good thing to feel.
It was Mother's Day, not Leo's chosen one since some years in the past, which probably explained what he was doing standing in front of a cabin he usually avoided in the first place. He sighed heavily, not daring to second-think what he was about to do. Too late to back off now, he thought as he knocked the door slowly, almost shyly. This was probably the longest he'd stay still, he grasped distantly.
When he didn't hear any movement inside the cabin, he almost dared to hope Nico di Angelo was not even there. Good, he thought. For crying out loud. That was until the black door opened abruptly, with more strength than it was necessary and revealed a not very happy looking son of Hades. Sure, the guy didn't even make a sound as he walked, Leo had almost forgotten that little detail.
"Hi" Leo said weakly. "Nico, I…" he started, but just to trail off when he dwelt on the son of Hades' piercing gaze.
"Valdez" he greeted, more like stated dryly. "What do you want?"
Want? Leo asked himself. Really, what did he want apart from running in the exact contrary direction of where he was standing at the moment? Instead, he forced a nervous smile to his lips, even when that didn't seem to ease the tension in his shoulder blades.
"I‒" he finally said, clearing his throat. "I'd like to ask you something".
When Nico didn't so much as stared back at him, slightly raising his black eyebrows, he continued uneasily. "So… can I come in?"
This time yet again, the son of Hades just looked back at him unblinking, but he moved to his left so Leo could enter the place, closing the door at their backs. The son of Hephaestus took a brief moment to look around the tenebrous building, the light that should have entered through the windows was blocked by thick, black curtains. For a moment, Leo almost wished he hadn't asked to enter the cabin. He tried to push away the thought that Nico could literally murder him in there and no one would ever find out when the son of Hades spoke again.
"You still haven't told me what you're doing here, Valdez" Nico cut his train of thoughts –which was a good thing–, while he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against one of the black walls, immutably.
"I– Jason said something" Leo blurted out, rather unceremoniously. On his side, Nico had to refrain an exasperated sigh—nothing that ran by Jason's name could be good for him. "Something you can do" the son of Hephaestus continued. "And I was… I was just wondering whether if it was true…" he let his voice trail off, almost expecting Nico to ask aloud what he meant, but the son of Hades remained perfectly quiet.
Clearing his throat again, Leo dared to continue, shrugging a slightly.
"It's going to sound a bit weird but―"
"Anything that you say does" Nico pointed out matter-of-factually".
"Touché" he agreed, finally smiling genuinely. "But this is on a different level. Jason, he… he said that you could know where the spirit of a person is only by having its name and things like that."
"What if I could?" Nico questioned, still immutable, even when Leo could have sworn he'd seen a flash of anger cross his dark eyes.
Maybe Nico's piercing gaze should have made Leo even more nervous, but the son of Hephaestus could almost feel his tongue being freed from that clutch that had been holding his words back ever since he had planted himself in front of Cabin 13.
"Well, I was… I wanted…" he blurted out as he started to nervously clap his left foot on the floor, fidgeting with his fingers. "You know my mother has been dead for some years, right?" he asked, struggling to find any words that transmitted his idea as he turned away from Nico's dark orbs and placed his own eyes in the floor. If Nico had been a machine, chances were he would have already made himself understandable. Bad news―altogether, Nico was still human.
In all honesty, Nico didn't know a thing about Leo's mother, but then again, he didn't really care either. Maybe Hazel had mentioned it once or twice, but really, who at Camp Blood was not an orphan? He nodded anyways.
"Well, I was… just… I just" the son of Hephaestus slumped his shoulders in defeat, raising his eyes again. "I just want to know what field she's in, alright? That's all" he admitted, straining to stop his hands from moving. "Please" he added, noting Nico's unblinking eyes on him.
Upon everything that the son of Hades could have said, like expose how sick and strange such a request was or simply kick Leo out of the room, all that Nico did was look at him intently.
Great, Leo thought, he had just infuriated one of the most powerful demigods of the century. Nico would probably not want to see him in months, or he would stop talking to him altogether. Great. Simply great.
"What's her name?" Nico finally questioned, cutting off Leo's musings.
"Sorry?" the son of Hephaestus asked, blinking confusion clear on his voice.
"Her name" Nico repeated emotionless as he straightened himself, sighing. "I need her name".
"Esperanza Valdez" Leo answered, almost without thinking, his heart either dropping or racing, he was not sure.
"Fine" the son of Hades answered, sighing once again before he closed his eyes, his brow slightly furrowed, as if he were in deep thought or as if he tried to remember something he'd learned long ago.
When he opened his black orbs again, he still had that look of concentration upon his features.
"María Esperanza Valdez?" he asked, almost bluntly.
"Just Esperanza." the Latino replied in a whisper. This time, with a pounding heart.
The son of Hades nodded and closed his eyes once more for a minute of two before shuddering slightly. Before Nico opened his mouth for a second time, the room was in a silence so thick that a needle falling to the floor would have been heard.
For the second time in the day, Leo's heart stooped and raced at the very same time, and even when he really was interested in trying to explain himself how that was even possible, his brain too stopped functioning when he heard what Nico said next.
"Esperanza Valdez. Born in Texas, 1973. Died in Texas almost nine years ago at the age of 34. She was given Elysium. She's died twice a hero's death, which means her spirit is just a life away from the Fortunate Islands. She hasn't chosen to reincarnate yet and she's still in Elysium" Nico recited, in a way very similar to that a child studying for a difficult exam, his voice sounding almost mechanical.
When Nico had finally finished and his grim voice had trailed off, the son of Hades opened his dark eyes again, unconsciously expecting Leo's features to be contorted in disgust or revulsion, but instead finding the son of Hephaestus smiling softly, a look that somehow seemed between relived and pained in his dark-brown yes.
"You mean she's still there?" he asked, his voice slightly high-pitched, almost shaking with emotion.
As Nico nodded slowly, the son of Hades couldn't help but widen his smile, letting out a sigh.
"Thank you" Leo finally whispered, nervously playing with the fabric of his shirt and his fingers. "Ever since I knew the Underworld and the other life existed I just―I needed to know" he admitted, allowing himself a grin that seemed slightly lopsided to the right.
They stayed silent for an amazing long time for two ADHD people, just before Nico fidgeted violently, raising his gaze from the floor so rapidly that sent the son of Hephaestus wincing in surprise.
"I can summon her" Nico blurted out, rather suddenly, only for then realizing what he had just said. "Summon her spirit, I mean" he cleared out.
"Wait, what?" Leo questioned, too surprised to even dwell on how strange what Nico had just said was. "You can do that? That's… that's…"
"Creepy? Weird?" Nico offered, sending him an almost sarcastic glare.
"No" Leo stuttered hurriedly. "Well, it is, but no! That's not what I meant! It's weird, sure, but in an awesome kind of way!" he said, riddling the son of Hades with his rapid words.
Surprised by Leo's eagerness, Nico almost stepped back, blinking at the excited son of Hephaestus with a slight look of confusion in his dark orbs. Awful, unnatural, disgusting, creepy, useful―those were the things that his powers were commonly described as. Incredible, amazing were not.
"Yes, I can" Nico nodded, recovered from his amusement as he cleared his throat quietly. "Get some food, doesn't matter what, and meet me at Zeus' Fist" He commanded. Maybe the son of Hades was really into creeping people out, or maybe he simply liked to be dramatic, but before Leo could even reply something, Nico conjured the shadows in the room –which were a very good number, by the way– to his sides and instructed them to swallow him, leaving a very confused son of Hephaestus behind.
When less than ten minutes later the two of them finally found themselves in the accorded place, hidden away from the nymphs and campers thanks to the whimsical geology, Leo was holding two Happy Meals in his hands, same that he had acquired from the Stoll brothers. In all honesty, Nico couldn't help but find that extremely ironic.
Finally catching up with the son of Hades, Leo extended the packages to him. When Nico didn't do so much as raise an inquisitive eyebrow in his direction, all that the son of Hephaestus could do was smile.
"Hey, I figured you hadn't eaten breakfast. Sorry it's just this, but when I reached the dinning pavilion breakfast was over."
Still holding a suspicious glance in his dark eyes, the son of Hades took the small, smiley boxes that were being handed to him and then turned to his right. Only then did the son of Hephaestus noticed the huge, squared pit that had been dug into the ground and that he was sure hadn't been there when he'd visited Zeus' Fist two days earlier. He decided to not ask a thing about it.
Even when he strained to not let his show surprise and bit his lower lip to stop his mouth from forming an amused 'o', Nico must have noticed his astonishment, because the son of Hades smirked mischievously at him.
"Now, Valdez" Nico finally warned. "Things are about to turn really weird, are you sure you can handle that?"
In all sincerity, Leo wasn't, but he nodded nevertheless. As answer, Nico simply bent down to leave one of the cardboard boxes in the floor and threw the remaining one to the hole in the ground. When he straightened himself up again he took out his black sword and firmly buried it in the ground next to the dug hole, singing between his greeted teeth in something that Leo could only suppose was Ancient Greek, as the boy spoke too fast for him to make out the words.
As he did so, the pit of the ground started to fill with a black, dense mixture of the gods knew what, same that slowly turned around itself, in what reminded Leo of the cartoons in which an old, horrible witch cooked a boiling potion.
Only a couple of minutes had gone by before the temperature around them dropped suddenly, unnaturally. It almost resulted hard to believe that only seconds before the summer sun had been lazily shinning at that very same place. It became especially hard to remember that they were still at the happy, cheery camp when the actual spirits started appearing in truth.
It took a good part of Leo's self-control to not yelp in surprise when countless, faceless shadows manifested themselves around the bubbly mass. On the other side, the son of Hades was far too concentrated in his chore to even pay attention to the flabbergasted demigod next to him.
Finally, after what seemed like a very long eternity, one of the spirits walked up from the crowd and knelt to the ground in front of the pit, just so it could extend its hand and bring a handful of the black mixture to its lips. When she straightened back up, Leo's throat went dry—in front of him stood the spirit of his mother, as vivid and lucid as in his most treasured memories.
Slowly, the Latin woman blinked a couple of times, as if she were trying to match her current location with a place she might have known during her life, giving the two demigods enough time to take in her sight.
She was tall for a Mexican, Nico noted absently as he stepped backwards, realizing his only job now was to keep the other ghosts at bay. She had long, curly hair, only a few shades darker than Leo's own, same that was pulled back on a tight braid and she wore an oil-stained shirt that had once been white, her chocolate eyes shining more than the ones of a common ghost.
As she noticed she had company, Esperanza's features pulled into a confused smile. That was until her gaze fixed upon her son, surprise and unbelief nearly palpable in the air.
"Leo" she breathed out, rather tentatively seconds before she opened her arms to the boy, almost by instinct. For what Nico could tell, Leo tried with every fiber in his body to not run to her, but he failed miserably after his second step, when he gave up and threw himself into his mother's arms with no second thoughts.
The son of Hades looked away ashamedly. He knew how it felt to crave for his own mother, even when he hadn't been allowed to see Maria. Maybe it was exactly because of that that he made use of his newly discovered powers and allowed Esperanza to actually take a physical, tangible form, making it possible for Leo to circle the woman's waist.
"It's really you" Esperanza let out with astonishment, pulling herself back a little so she could see her son in the eye. "You've grown so much" she murmured, almost to herself, her eyes shining with unshed tears. They remained in silence for a moment, until, finally, confusion clouded Esperanza's dark eyes. "Wait a minute, how did I even get here?" she asked suddenly, taking in the whole scenario.
"This is Nico" Leo explained, pointing to the other half-blood with his head, thankful that his voice didn't shake as he spoke. "He's a son of Hades, lord of the dead and all and he summoned you. Sort of" the son of Hephaestus explained, almost tripping with his own words, unsure of how much about mythology did his mother really know.
"A son of Hades?" Esperanza inquired curiously, turning to look at the other boy, to what Nico's entrails tied themselves around each other uncomfortably, more used than he'd liked to admit to the despise that would then be coming from the woman's voice.
However, when Esperanza spoke again, her voice was soft and her smile was still warm.
"Hades?" she said, smiling. "The one with the three headed dog, right? Man, I always wanted a perro bravo* like that one to keep the workshop safe at night" she admitted, laughing at her own statement.
In all response, Nico simply nodded as nonchalantly as he could manage, even when his first instinct was to raise an eyebrow at Esperanza's cheery tone of voice.
Most ghosts respected him, but only because they feared him, and one thing was not the same as the other; even he knew that. He was used to ghosts bowing their heads down at him and looking away when they tried to stand his gaze. What he was not used to, though, was to a ghost joking around with him, especially not about his parentage.
On his side, to say Leo was at a loss of words was an understanding. Of course he was. That morning he'd never thought of the possibility of ever seeing his mother again. Being held by her or hearing her voice? Those were simple impossibles.
He'd imagined a possible reunion with his mother for years, but never in his wildest dreams had he dared to believe that he would actually stare into her beautiful eyes again. And yet, there she was, smiling down at him fondly, her dark eyes beaming intensely as they had when he'd been a child, sitting in her lap, totally oblivious to the challenges he'd have to face. There she was, not only smiling at him, but holding him in her arms too.
After imagining how it would be to see her again for years, after praying to be allowed to see her once –only once again, he never dared ask more– for years, now that she really was there and that he could have been able to tell her anything, everything, he'd been left with not a word to say in his brain and all that he could actually do was stare into his mother's loving eyes.
Unable to stand Esperanza's dark orbs, he looked down to the ground fidgeting violently. And it was those very eyes that brought everything back. Of course he'd been trying to see his mother again for half of his life—he had to tell her a lot of things. Among them, an apology for the murderer he was.
"Má*" he finally said, breathlessly. "I—the fire. I started it. It—it killed you. The fire—I'm so sorry. I didn't want to—I never. I—" he stuttered as he started shaking, his nails biting deep into the skin of his palms.
"Leo" Esperanza cut him off with gentleness, even when her voice was still commanding. "I know, I knew about your powers. Your father warned me. Some said that I should fear you. Fear my own baby. Idiotas*" she said, the hate throbbing in her words, even when she was not mad at her son, but at anyone who thought that a woman could really hate and be scared of the baby she'd given birth to and held in her arms. Taking Leo's chin, she forced him to meet her loving gaze once more. "You didn't start the fire, mijo*" she said. "And even if you had, you've suffered enough with your own guilt, haven't you, my son?" she guessed softly.
The stubborn tears that he had been holding back so successfully finally streamed down Leo's cheeks, as Esperanza wrapped her arms around his thin shoulders gently once more, bringing him to her chest so that the boy could bury his face into the curve of her neck.
"It was not your fault, Leo" she whispered, gently running her hands through her son's curly hair.
"Te extraño*" Leo finally let out after a couple of minutes where all to be heard was his own strangled sobbing.
"I know, mijo" the Latin woman answered, pulling back slowly. "And I miss you too. You can't imagine how much. But hey" she said in a low voice, "that's what Underworld is for, isn't it? You just make sure to meet me at Elysium in some decades, alright?" she said, wiping away her son's tears with her fingertips as she smiled, she herself biting back tears even when she should have been unable to cry anymore.
Both of them remained silent for a couple of minutes, and Nico couldn't help but notice how they didn't really need to use actual words to understand what the other one was thinking. He'd heard that, sometimes, when two people loved each other enough, they couldn't even express themselves in simple words, and that words failed to transmit the real feelings of such an immense fondness. Eyes were the only thing that could let go of the raw emotions of a heart and, with all honesty, that was all that he could see in the picture in front of him, Nico thought as he watched Esperanza and Leo when they stared into each other, just before he looked away with shame, feeling like a naughty child eavesdropping a conversation that wasn't for his ears to listen.
A part of him really just wanted to turn around and leave mother and son to their own devices, but he knew that if he so much as stepped back, Esperanza's form would vanish, and he couldn't do that. There was really no reason that forced him to stay, but he just didn't want to take Esperanza away from Leo just yet, not even when he knew how strenuous it was for him not only to keep a ghost outside of the Underworld for more than fifteen minutes, but to give it a physical form too at the same time.
Trying to block the image in front of him as hardly as he could, he leaned down to pick up the smiley box Leo had given him earlier and started eating the hamburger inside it, knowing that the son of Hephaestus was right—he hadn't even eaten breakfast and he was already using the strength he didn't have.
He knew that the reason why Esperanza and Leo had stopped talking wasn't the fact that he was still standing there —they had completely forgotten about him–– and, for once, he wasn't bothered by that, but thankful, even when his heart couldn't help but crave for his own mother to have looked down at him with such loving eyes.
"Talking about Elysium" Esperanza said suddenly, clearing her throat. "I heard what you did with that dragon. I'm so proud of you. You're a hero, mijo".
"The dragon?" Leo stuttered, slightly confused by the sudden change of topic.
"Yes, the dragon and that whole saving the world thing, boy" Esperanza nodded. "That was amazing. The spirits haven't stopped talking about the war against Gaea. A bit late, son, but thank you for saving the world" she laughed, managing to make her son smile, which was already making her last six years dead worth it.
"I didn't do much…" Leo tried to say, blushing.
"Oh, c'mon" Esperanza giggled. "You're a hero! As I always knew you'd be. If you fixed that dragon nothing will be impossible for you" she said, as she unwrapped her left arm from Leo but continued to hold him closely with her right just so she could raise her other hand over her head and gesture as if she were reading a billboard. "I can already see it. Leo Valdez, the boy who surpassed Einstein".
"¡Mamá!*" Leo said, rolling his eyes, even when he busted out laughing right after.
"Oh, what? I can't be proud of my boy?" she argued. "Nothing is irreparable, mijo, you know that. And you're big, baby, I'm proud of you" she said, and even when there was a stop of joke in her voice, Esperanza's words were so sincere that the boy in front of her found himself unable to reply anything to her, yet again.
And so they did the only thing that was more meaningful than spoken words and said all that was left to say with their eyes.
Probably less than two minutes had gone by before the woman's form flickered, like a flame of a candle that has been violently blown on and she grimaced even when she couldn't feel pain anymore.
Understanding fell on her heavily and all she could do was smile sadly at her son.
"Our time is up, isn't it, Nico?" she murmured, turning to the son of Hades.
"I'm sorry" the boy admitted weakly, turning his eyes to the ground. "I can't keep you here anymore."
Esperanza nodded knowingly, sending one last glance to her son.
They didn't say anything aloud, but there really was no need for that once they had locked their eyes.
Esperanza's chocolate eyes showed simply everything that she felt. They meant 'Take care', 'I'm proud of you', 'I love you', but, most importantly, they didn't hold a good-bye, but an 'I'll see you again, I promise'.
She'd said that so many times aloud when she'd been alive that Leo could actually listen to the resonance of the words being sent in Morse Code through the walls and furniture of his mother's old workshop.
He smiled at her reassuringly and nodded, letting her know that he had understood what she meant just before she leaned down to his forehead and then turned to Nico, walking up to the son of Hades, same who was trying very hardly to pass by unnoticed, with a smile on her face,
"Thank you, Nico" she said, placing both her hands on the boy's shoulders as she smiled down at him. "You don't know how much I owe you. Gracias*" she whispered before leaning to kiss Nico's forehead too, in the same slow motion she'd used with her own son.
Nico shuddered slightly, surprised by the uncommon touch. Ghosts were supposed to be cold, as well as intangible in the first place. Esperanza's touch, however, was warm, as warm as the light that shone in her eyes and as warm was her smile.
"Gracias" she repeated before she vanished, not giving Nico the time to dwell on how she was talking in Spanish and not in Italian, even when the words sounded so similar in both languages that he didn't need a translation, and especially not when the words were plainly too obvious for him to not understand what they meant.
"Non c'è di che cosa*" Nico muttered, although she couldn't hear him anymore.
It was only a couple of minutes later, when Nico finally managed to pull himself back from his stupor that he could look back at Leo again.
Tears were streaming down Leo's face as he knelt down on the floor. He didn't know what to feel. His feelings were now overwhelming him. He felt sad and depressed, but at the same time happy and relieved that he'd see his mother again after all that time.
Leo had always imagined how his conversation with his mom would be if he ever saw her again. The scenario went through his mind over and over again, but of course the reality was different. In his dreams, his mom would always come to life again, but here he had to let her go again. He felt disappointed, like a failure that hadn't been able to save his mom from death, although the experience also brought him joy. His mother... his mother was proud of him. After all that time where his guilt over his mother's death almost eaten him up alive, he felt so relieved and full of joy when he'd heard his mother said those words. That meant more to him than any presents or technical devices in the whole world.
He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and slowly turned around. Between his tears he could see Nico smiling at him sadly and comfortably. Never would Leo have imagined a few months ago that he'd be doing the things he was currently doing. But he didn't mind that. He hugged Nico tightly and leaned his head into his chest. Tears fell down his cheek on Nico's shirt making it wet.
"Thanks... thank you so much Nico...Y-you don't kn-know how much that means to me" he said sobbing into his shirt. After a while he felt how Nico hugged him back.
Nico didn't say anything, but Leo didn't need him to say anything. He couldn't express his gratitude towards him in words now. Tears were just streaming down his face as he continued to hug the son of Hades.
After a few minutes he broke up the hug looking at Nico's orbs with red puffy eyes. "Tha... thank you again. You don't know how much meant this to me" he said.
Nico smiled at him sadly. "I do understand, Leo. You must know that I lost my mother too when I was young" he said.
Leo looked at him in pure shock. He'd never known that Nico's mom had died. The guy had literally always been a mystery to him.
"I'm sorry, Nico" he said softly looking him into his eyes.
Nico smiled at him softly. "Don't be. It happened a long time ago. I sometimes miss her, but I learned to let it go" he explained.
Leo nodded sadly. He admired Nico for his strength with dealing with his loss. "How... how did she die?" he asked softly.
He saw Nico sighing and he wondered whether if this was the wrong question. But Nico wasn't angry at him.
"Zeus killed her with lightning. Me and my sister Bianca survived, but she didn't" he explained calmly.
Anger started flowing through Leo's body. What the hell was Zeus problem? He even forgot to be surprised to hear that Nico had a different sister than Hazel. "What the hell is wrong with this guy? He just kills your mom and tries to kill two innocent children?" he asked angrily. Sometimes he swore, that Zeus wasn't much better than Gaea.
Nico chuckled at that. "Don't say that too loud. Zeus could here you" he laughed.
"I don't care whether he hears me!" Leo shouted furiously. He just couldn't believe that he was so cruel. Sure he'd heard some stories, but killing a mother with children was hitting a nerve in Leo's body. "He killed your mother and tried to kill you and your sister too! What kind of guy does that?!" he cried.
He looked at Nico waiting for his angry reaction, but there was not one. Instead he looked tired, defeated, as if he'd given up on life. It actually hurt Leo to see the son of Hades this way.
Instead of giving him an answer to his question Nico surprised him with his next sentence: "You know, I always thought that we were polar opposites. You were the cheery, funny guy whereas I am the depressed creepy guy that nobody wants" he said.
Leo flinched at that. "That's not true, Nico..." but his own words sounded shallow to him. He himself had been weirded out by Nico.
Nico raised his eyebrows. "You think I never noticed how you guys seemed to be uncomfortable around me and tried to avoid me?" he inquired calmly.
Leo looked down at that. He knew that his behavior had been wrong towards Nico.
He heard Nico sighing. "Look, I am not judging you Leo. It's already over. I just wanted to say that I first thought that we are maybe more similar than it seems" he said.
Had Nico told him that a few months ago, he would have been surprised, but now, after all that had happened Leo knew that he was right.
"I am sorry..." he said. "That... that you had to be like me" he added softly. Leo could hear Nico gasp a bit at his statement, but Leo knew that it was true. He was a walking time bomb. Every second he could hurt another person.
"This is bullshit!" Nico said angrily. Leo looked at him surprised. He never expected him to burst out that much.
"Nico..." he tried to calm him down, but Nico cut him off.
"Why would you be sorry for me being similar to you?" he said.
Suddenly Leo couldn't bear it anymore. Everyone thought he was just the happy, cheery guy, but no one saw behind his facade. "Because I hurt everyone!" he cried. "I killed my mom, because I was too weak to control my powers! I ran away from every foster home I was in! And I made so many mistakes! Because of me the civil war started! Because of me Percy and Annabeth fell into Tartarus! I am just a stupid mechanic who can't even fix himself! I am and will always be the damn seventh wheel!" he cried and suddenly tears were flowing down his cheeks again. He didn't care if Nico saw that or not. He couldn't hold the pressure anymore.
Leo felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up with tear streaming down his eyes. Nico looked at him sadly.
"You are not worse than I am. It was not your fault that the civil war started or that your mom died or that Percy and Annabeth fell to Tartarus. That was Gaea. And you built Festus and the Argo II. You are definitely not useless. Me, on the other hand..." he said trailing off.
"That's not true Nico! You brought the Athena Parthenos back to Camp Half-Blood. You were a huge factor at reuniting Greeks and Romans. You did so many things for us!" he cried.
Nico looked at him and, to his shock, some tears were in his eyes. "Really, Leo? My sister left me for the Hunters because she didn't want to have to do anything with me. All of you avoided me and were scared of me. I went through Tartarus and came back only to see the guy I liked falling back into the same fucking pit with his girlfriend and then I even had to confess my damn sexuality to this stupid god Cupid" he spat.
Leo was shocked when he heard this. He never knew how Nico felt or what he gone through. And he didn't know that he was gay. But now as he thought about it, he did spent a lot time with Will Solace.
"Nico... that wasn't your fault either. It was our fault. We should...we should have been there for you when you needed us" he said with tears in his eyes. He felt like the biggest shit on earth.
"I only hurt people" Nico muttered. At that Leo's heart broke a little. Leo thought that he was the only one who thought like that, but now Nico was breaking down right then and there.
He pulled the younger boy in a hug. "You... you are not. You do not do bad things. Bad things happen to you" he whispered to him. And as he spoke that he realized how those words could also apply to him. For years he thought everything was his fault, but now he was slowly convincing himself that it is not so. With the help of Nico, of course.
"If that is not my fault, then all the things you said are not your fault either" Nico said with a small smile.
Leo blinked at him and saw that Nico was giving him a warm smile. "But..." he said although he knew that Nico was right. He had no answer to that.
Nico chuckled. "Like I said, we are more similar than it seems" he said almost sadly.
Leo nodded. "Thanks... for everything" he replied with tears in his eyes.
"It's okay" Nico assured, but he also sounded like he was in the verge of tears.
For a moment they just stayed like that. It felt good to let out all of it. Tears were streaming down of both faces and their shirts were getting wet.
"I probably should go" Nico said when he broke up the hug. "Will is probably wondering where I am. Leo... don't forget that you are not alone" he said.
Leo smiled at him. "You too" he said smiling, then he grinned for the first day today. "So, is he your boyfriend?" he asked smirking a bit.
Nico blushed a bit. "No! Why does everyone think that?"
Leo laughed at that. Nico may be a mystery to him most of the time, but when it came to love the poor guy was way too obvious. "Alright, lover boy, whatever you say" he said.
Nico huffed. "As if you aren't like a lovesick puppy when you see Calypso" he said smirking at that.
Now it was Leo's turn to blush. "This is different!" he cried his face turning into a crimson shade.
Nico laughed. "Whatever you say. Well, I have to go! See you!" he cried running off.
"Wait, Nico!" Leo cried. He saw the son of Hades turn around and look at him expectantly. If somebody had told Leo a few months ago that he would do what he'd just done a few seconds now, he would have laughed and thought that they were kidding him, but now, as he stood in front of Nico, he didn't feel fear or angst anymore. He felt comfortable.
"Is... is it okay, if we hang out this weekend?" he asked almost a bit shyly.
Nico looked at him a bit shocked. For a few seconds he looked at Leo immutably and Leo feared that Nico might collapse in a few seconds. But then the corner of his mouth turned up into a warm smile, something that Leo had never really seen from the son of Hades. And Leo couldn't help but smile back.
"You have a PS4, right?" Nico asked.
Leo looked surprised, but nodded. He didn't expect that question.
"Alright, then you are going down whatever game we play?" Nico said grinning, the first one Leo ever saw from him. It felt good seeing Nico finally coming out of his reservation.
Leo grinned back. "Oh, you are going down!" he cried, laughing.
Nico laughed too and then ran away waving at him. Leo waved back, smiling. He and Nico may have not started off well, but in the end it appeared that they had much more similarities than he would have thought. Today he'd learned that Nico di Angelo had a whole different side. Today was the start of a new beautiful friendship. And Leo couldn't be gladder about it.
How did that go? Did you like this so far?
Oh, I almost forgot -I literally had to come back after saving the update-, here you have the translations!
*1-Perro bravo: fierce dog, as almost all of the list, Spanish.
*2-Má: short for "mamá", mother in Spanish.
*3-Idiotas: idiots.
*4-Mijo: Rick already said it, my son.
*5-Te extraño: I miss you.
*6-Mamá: mother.
*7-Gracias: thank you.
*8-Non c'è di che cosa: Italian, you're welcome.
*9-Mio figlio: Italian for "my son".
This is just the first chapter, I will publish an epilogue in a bit! Feel free to comment!