Percy Jackson and The Olympian Anthology:
The Prince and The Praetor
*Authors note: I realize I may be opening myself up to criticism but the homosexual aspect of Nico in the Heroes Of Olympus series felt super rushed and not thought completely through by Rick Riordan, leading to poor writing that felt forced and unnatural, unlike the majority of the rest of the character behaviors throughout all of his numerous books and series. Not to mention, he announces this just in time for him to start a quest with just Reyna and Nico with a third wheel and totally demonstrate how compatible those two really were for each other. It really made me mad, especially considering that Reyna ended up screwed any way you look at the way that Blood of Olympus ended: with her alone and everyone else seemed to be happily sailing their ships off into the sunset. Well fuck that. I think this story should touch the hearts of those ReyNico shippers who are still out there. Also, this may be a multiple shot thing, but not as much due to the ReyNico (Unless you guys like it that much, then please review and tell me so!) as it is due to the fact that some other aspects, like Leo and Calypso returning and things happening with Rachel. So please Read and Review! I need the encouragement and I also need the feedback to know what my fans expect of me as a writer.
Nico di Angelo stood at the edge of the firelight, his back to the warm glow of the Camp Half-Blood bonfire. He panted softly and wiped his nose with one dirty arm as he dug a small hole. Behind him, inside his leather jacket, sat a soda and a bag of chips that he'd taken from the camp store as they had all come to see the bonfire. He looked down at the hole in the ground that he'd just dug, briefly, before he poured out the bag of chips and dumped the soda over that. The disgusting stew soaked mostly into the ground leaving little standing above the surface as he began his incantation to call for the spirits.
He called out the name of the ghost he was summoning softly, nearly whispering it, so no one could hear him.
As he watched, a swarm of misty figures floated near the area of the food and drink but all wisely kept their distance except one that began to take the form of a teenage girl as it strode up to the offering, bending over briefly and a slurping noise could be heard before his sister stood, brushing her hair behind her right shoulder. She looked at him with an odd combination of frustration and pride.
"I thought I was clear after the last time," she spoke, softly, and with no true hostility. "Honestly... I oughtta kick your ass."
Nico smiled softly, finding himself unable to look his sister in the eye.
"I'm sorry for breaking my promise," he said, softly, a small tear running down his right cheek. "I know I should've let you rest in peace, but I just... I miss you..."
Bianca's spirit approached him, tentatively reaching up to his face, but her hand disappearing as she tried to reach out and touch his cheek. A sad smile spread across her face and a silvery tear slid down her face and rested on her chin.
"I'm so proud of you, Nico," she said, softly. As his eyes still remained cast downward, she bit back her own tears and said, "Look at me."
Nico obeyed and found his sister glowing with a brilliant radiance he'd never seen a ghost give off before. His vision blurred with the tears and his body shook with the held-in sobs. He found his legs growing weak as he looked into his sisters beautiful eyes. He smiled and heard a choked sob escape his lips as he looked at her.
"You did such amazing things!" she whispered loudly, smiling as her tears flowed more rapidly down her cheeks. "You've grown so much and you're so strong now!"
Another sob escaped his lips.
"You faced your fears," she said, her voice softening again, her eyes still locked onto his own as both of them cried. "I never left you, Nico. I saw it all. I couldn't be prouder of you."
A movement in the periphery of his vision caused Nico to look over and notice Hazel staring at him and Bianca, her golden eyes wide. He couldn't tell how long she'd been watching the exchange, but he could tell that she'd heard at least part of it, because her own eyes were full of tears and a few had already begun to run down her cheeks. Then, he noticed the large hand in hers and saw Frank Zhang holding her hand and, behind and beside the couple, stood all of the rest of his friends, from Percy and Annabeth, to Reyna and Will.
"Bianca?" Percy said, his voice cracking a little. "It's been a while..."
"Hey Percy," she said, her teary eyes meeting his. "I'm so glad to see you two finally figured it all out."
He and Annabeth met eyes and he turned back to Bianca, a single tear sliding down his cheek as he gave her his best smile.
"Took us a while," he said, trying not to show how sad he was at seeing the girl he'd failed to save. No matter what he did, he could never stop seeing that night playing over and over in his dreams.
"And you have so many new friends!" Bianca said to Nico, spreading her arms and indicating to all of them. The entire bonfire had gone silent as campers and hunters and Romans had all stopped and were now watching the emotional moment. "And you even found our sister!"
Hazel's eyes widened even more, if it were possible.
"Sister...?" she said, lifting one hand to cover her mouth as the revelation hit her.
Bianca smiled warmly at her little sister and nodded.
With that, Hazel's dam broke and she collapsed into Frank's arms, sobbing. It wasn't fair. How could she die and be allowed to come back and live her life, but Bianca couldn't be afforded the same chance?!
As Nico cast his eyes from his friends back to his sister, he saw her form beginning to fade.
"Nico," she said, softly, her tears flowing in earnest down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, but this is it. This will be the last time you can summon me. I have to go now. Father is calling."
With that, she closed the distance between the two of them and wrapped her ghostly arms around his neck, and, for a moment, Nico could almost swear he felt her arms on his shoulders and her hair brushing into his face and his chin on her shoulder. He squeezed his eyes shut tight, sobs wracking his body as he collapsed to his knees. As his knees hit the dirt, his eyes popped open and he could see the misty form of his sister sliding away between his fingertips for the final time. All of his strength left him and he collapsed, shouting with all his might with one last strong sob.
As his strength began to fail, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, pulling what felt like a blanket over his shoulders as he cried until he passed out, all of the heroes he'd struggled with reaching out to him or speaking to him as he sobbed.
**********************Olympian Anthology*******************************
A gentle knock rapped on the door of the Hades cabin, where Nico sat, clutching his knees to his chest while Hazel had gone off to help Frank finish packing for their return to Camp Jupiter, but not before she'd checked to make sure he was okay.
"Who is it?" he spoke, his voice raspy.
"May I come in?" a feminine voice rang out, surprising him.
"Fine," he said, peaking out from under his arms to see a beautiful young woman in armor and purple clothing standing in his doorway. "Good day to you, praetor."
"Nico," she said, softly, not walking into the cabin any further. "I came to ask you once again, will you please reconsider coming with us?"
Nico looked up at the praetor that stood before him. He found himself momentarily captivated by the sheer presence she commanded, but also by her regality and beauty. He blinked and buried his head back in his arms before she could see him blush.
"I have made my decision," Nico said, softly, not daring to look at her again. "I greatly appreciate your offer, but I feel like my place is here with Camp Half-Blood."
"I respect your wishes, then," she responded, her tone noticeably less commanding and much gentler. He could almost swear he heard disappointment in her tone, but he, still, refused to allow himself to look back up. "I do wish to give you something, before I go... As a token of my appreciation as praetor of Camp Jupiter... And... as a symbol... a symbol to remind you that you will always have a home in Camp Jupiter."
He looked up and saw her standing frighteningly close to his bed. As she cast her strong, brilliant eyes down into his own, he felt his strength and confidence failing him. As she knelt down beside his bed, her face just slightly below his, he saw her reach behind her to some unseen pack she was carrying and she withdrew a small box. The box was a simple wooden box covered in velvet, but, across the top, were the golden letters SPQR. He looked at the box and tentatively reached out for it. Reyna took his hand in hers, causing him to blush as she turned his palm upward and set the box down in his palm.
"Always remember," she said.
Nico looked back up from the box and as their eyes met, he saw a slight blush sprinkled across her cheeks before she did something that caught him so off-guard he thought he was going to fall out of his bed: she kissed him! Before he even had time to register what had happened, she'd stood and spun on her heels, quickly marching strongly out of his door and shutting the door on her way out. He found himself frozen for a few minutes while his mind raced to catch up with what was happening.
He looked down at the box in his upturned right hand. It was small so there were few options of what it could be, and he confirmed his suspicions as he opened the box, revealing purple colored velvet wrapped around a Camp Jupiter class ring. As he inspected it, he found the date on one side and a representation of his Stygian sword on the other, a purple stone in the center, and, engraved on the inside of the band, in Latin, were the words: "Camp Jupiter Alumni: Always remember that you can come home."
He smiled softly at the ring and slid it on his right ring finger, admiring the feel of the beautiful jewelry.
***************************Olympian Anthology***************************
Nico roamed the camp aimlessly for a while, kicking stones here and there as he thought about her. He'd seen the black SUV's take everyone back to Camp Jupiter. He felt his chest tighten in confusion as a familiar blonde came into view.
Will Solace noticed Nico wandering around aimlessly and cocked an eyebrow curiously. He smiled at him and waved as he saw the younger boy look at him.
"Yo, Nico!" he shouted, getting his attention.
"Oh.. Uh. Hey Will," Nico said, blushing a little.
"What's up?" Will said, taking note of the blushing. 'Odd,' he thought. 'Why's he blushing like that?'
"Not much," Nico said, still not quite meeting his eyes.
"Hey, Death Boy," Will said, wrapping an arm over Nico's shoulders and rustling his hair. "Come on, is that any way to talk to me? Not looking me in the eye, much less not looking at me?!"
Nico blushed even harder as they spoke and still refused to meet his eyes, much to Will's confusion.
"Look," Will said, letting go of Nico and stepping back, crossing his arms as he went. "We've both had long days. I've been pretty worn out... you know.. trying to heal people..." His eyes seemed to age significantly as he said this, before he brightened and slapped Nico on the shoulder again. "Anyway, I'll go let the others know that I'm headed to the beach and I'll grab us some lunch at the camp shop, okay?"
"Wai-" Nico began, before Will interrupted him.
"Alright, it's settled," he said, grinning. "Go put on some sandals and shorts or, at least, take off your shoes and roll your pant-legs up. Unless you want sand in your cabin for weeks to come."
Nico knew there was no arguing with him when he got his mind set on something, so he simply smiled softly and nodded. With that, the two began preparing for a beach lunch.
As they walked to the beach, Nico couldn't help stealing glances at Will. He found himself uncertain of what to say to him.
"So what's been with you, lately, Death Boy?" Will said, breaking the ice as they walked. He cast his eyes over to the younger man, who blushed furiously as their eyes met and he looked away.
"N...n-n...nothing okay?" Nico stuttered while he blushed red all the way down his face and neck.
"Uh-huh, sure," Will said, shoving the younger man lightly.
They walked in silence until they got to the beach and Nico laid down the cliche picnic blanket. As he laid it down, he felt vague memories of his time with his mother and sister stirring inside him. He saw himself in a goofy-looking swimsuit from the World War Two era, while his mother wore a modest swimsuit, along with his sister, and they all ate small sandwiches and drank Cokes his mother had brought with them, although they were warm.
"You okay?" Will asked as he sat the basket down in the center of the basket. He sat down next to the basket and pulled out the sandwiches he'd bought and some Coca-Colas.
"Uh.. Yeah," Nico said, shaking his head lightly, before sitting down next to the basket opposite the older guy, who handed him a sandwich and soda.
"Seriously, man," Will said, at last, frowning and looking at Nico. "What's going on with you? Is it because of... you know... your sister?"
"What?" Nico looked at him, quizzically. "No. I have finally found my full peace with her passing. Whether I like it or not, she's gone. And she's at peace, and that's all that matters."
"Then what is your deal?" Will asked, exasperatedly. "You've been acting weird with me since you and that Roman leader girl showed up here. Do you have a crush on her or something?"
"What?" Nico said, looking at him. He felt his cheeks heat up as he saw how close Will was leaning.
"Do you like that Roman girl?" Will said, his eyes brightening with a mischievous glint. "I'm sure Percy could get a pegasus to fly you over there."
"I chose to stay here," Nico said, turning away from Will.
"But she seemed like she really wanted you to go with her," he responded. "What made you stay?"
"There's someone here..." Nico replied, feeling his face flush.
"Wha-Really?! Who?!" Will practically shouted.
Nico turned to face the older blonde and met his eyes, his cheeks burning furiously. As they sat in silence for a moment, Will's eyes widened slightly and he leaned back slightly.
"Who is it, Nico?" Will asked, again; calmer this time.
"Do I have to say it?" he complained.
"Nico..." Will said, again, his expression becoming unreadable.
"It's you, okay?" Nico said, blushing furiously.
Will's expression remained unreadable for a moment, before he sighed and he shook his head.
"Why?" Will said, looking out over Long Island Sound as the breeze blew his hair around.
"What?"
"Why are you staying here for me?" Will clarified, still not looking at Nico.
"Because... I like you..." he answered, softly, casting his eyes down, nervously.
"Nico..." Will said softly. "No..."
"What?" Nico said, his eyes widening and he felt a moisture building in his eyes again.
"I'm sorry," Will said, again. "But no..."
"Wha... Wai... Why?" Nico said, his confused emotions spilling out.
"Look, Death Boy," Will said, looking at him again. "I'm sorry, but I don't like you like that... I think you're a great kid and all, but... Well... I don't really think of you that way..."
"But..." Nico said, anger and sadness welling up inside him. He felt his lungs constricting and his heart racing as listened to the older boy speaking to him.
"Nico, I'm sorry for leading you on... I didn't intend to confuse you... I honestly didn't realize that you preferred men either..." Will said, softly, casting his eyes away again.
For a long time, the only sound that could be heard were the gentle waves on Long Island Sound and the breeze blowing through the beautiful landscape.
"No," Nico said, after a long time, picking up the sandwich and opening it. "It was my mistake... I totally misread the signals I thought I was getting.. I'm sorry for all this."
The two sat in the light of the setting sun, no further conversation passing between the two as they finished their food and walked off on their own, separate paths.
***************************Olympian Anthology**********************************
Two years had passed since Nico had chosen to remain at Camp Half-Blood. He'd worked non-stop, night and day, until he was nearly a ghost himself, for the first few months, redesigning and redecorating his cabin, with the help of Annabeth whenever he needed an architecture consultant. He'd thrown himself into his work so hard for months, driving himself to forget his feelings for Will and ensuring that he maintained his space from the Apollo Cabin member. Whenever they ran into each other, the moments were very strenuous and awkward and they usually just ended up ignoring the other as they continued on with their days, or Will would ask and see if Nico had been eating and sleeping right.
After the six months of reconstructing and redecorating the area of the Hades Cabin, he had poured himself into training and spent large amounts of time with Rachel Dare, trying to find ways to communicate with the gods and, even, to test and see if the vision of the Oracle had left her. She'd even come to him one night, only a few weeks ago, after she'd had a dream.
She'd described to him a dream of Apollo showing up right outside her window, in a very ill mood and looking less powerful than he had once been. He'd told her something about needing to, since the war, start over new, along with all the other Olympians; meaning she had to find someone to take up the mantle of being the Oracle of Delphi, to start over his cycle.
This had devastated her and, ever since, with the permission of Chiron, and with the construction of a girl's section, aided by Annabeth, of course, Rachel had come to be a cabin-mate for Nico and she would share with him any and all information she received in her days leading up to her being relieved as the Oracle. She had cried so hard after the ceremony that it pained him, as well as all the other campers, to see her hurting so much. He knew, though, that her tears stemmed from more than just her newfound lack of purpose. It also stemmed from her no longer having any reason to deny herself the feelings she had.
Chiron had reassured her that she was still, officially, an honorary member of Camp Half Blood, and became the first mortal to gain the right to access the camp, despite having no real purpose there.
As Nico watched, the doorway to the 'girl's' half of the cabin went dark and he knew that Rachel was quickly falling asleep. He'd had to install a heating system for her because the temperature that he usually maintained for the room ended up being far too cold for her to stand. He looked up at the dark ceiling as the lights died away.
'Wow,' he thought. 'Today's the two-year anniversary of our victory over Gaea. Hard to believe.'
As his mind wandered to that day, he found himself remembering his companions he'd shadow-traveled an entire statue with, halfway across the planet. He felt his heart flutter slightly at the thought of Reyna, and how strong she'd been when he'd been so weak and how much she'd confided in him, despite only just knowing him. He felt his hand moving, seemingly on its own, and he looked down to see the class ring still resting on his finger.
He remembered last year's festival, he'd still been so torn up about Will that he'd been nearly completely absent from the festivities. He even remembered Reyna coming out to look for him as he continued to work on his cabin. He remembered seeing her standing on the ground beside his cabin, holding up two drinks. He'd forced himself to continue working, ignoring any distractions that might come along.
When he'd looked again, all he saw was a cold soda can sitting in the grass, all alone. He'd forced it out of his mind and continued to work, only stopping when the party had died down and going down to the ground where he quickly drank the soda and admired his own hard work.
'I should've talked to her last year,' he thought. 'At least to say hello and see how she was doing...'
He felt a twinge of shame at the memory and found himself indulging in self-doubt as he lay in the bed, tossing and turning.
'What if she doesn't want to talk to me because I blew her off last year?' he thought, his heart racing in his chest. 'What if she already found the mortal that would repair her heart, like Venus told her? How can I defy that prophecy?'
He felt his heart pounding so hard in his chest he was sure the entire camp could hear it. Then, a hand gently touched his and he sat up, about to shout, until he saw Rachel looking at him, her gentle eyes piercing him.
"Wanna talk about it?" she said, with a smile.
Nico felt his heart slow and he calmly explained everything to Rachel who sat, her stunningly green eyes seeming to cut straight through him and absorbing his every word. Her eyes shown with a gentle light as she listened, something he could swear was some strange form of excitement.
"What?" he said, after the curiosity and annoyance of that light in her eyes finally got to him.
"Oh nothing," she said, softly shaking her head and closing her eyes, before pulling him, gently, into a hug. "You're such a unique kid."
"Hey!" he complained from the hug. "I'm practically a man."
"Oh yeah," she said, sarcastically and rolling her eyes. "Sixteen. Such a manly age." She laughed softly.
He blushed slightly and buried his face in her shoulder.
"I am a man," he muttered into her soft red hair.
"I know," she whispered into his ear softly and pulling the hug tighter. "Stop growing up so fast."
Nico smiled softly as he pulled the older girl closer into his hug and buried his face in her shoulder deeper.
***********************Olympian Anthology****************************
Nico stood nervously among the other heroes of Camp Half-Blood in greeting of the Camp Jupiter campers. The black SUV's pulled into the parking space next to Argus's van. As the last SUV parked, all the doors on the left hand side of the vehicles opened simultaneously and the Romans all marched forth, proudly in armor or togas. The front SUV had not yet opened and Nico, not seeing her among the other Romans who'd poured out, reasoned that she must be in the front seat of the first SUV. As the door opened, a sandal and tan leg appeared from the car and, soon, Reyna, female praetor of Camp Jupiter, stepped into the light, a regality emanating from her.
On the other side of the vehicle, Frank Zhang, the male praetor of the Romans, stepped out and quickly took his place in front of the Romans, who'd formed ranks before their leaders. He scanned them all and gave them an approving nod before turning to Reyna and speaking to her briefly. She nodded to him and they soon rotated positions. The ranks stiffened slightly as she stepped forward.
"Alright!" she shouted, her eyes scanning the ranks briefly. "Romans, enjoy the festivities and show these Greeks what it means to celebrate!"
With that, the Romans all shouted excitedly and their formation dispersed and began mingling with the Greeks who stood at the entrance to the camp.
Hazel quickly joined the praetors, Frank taking her gentle hand in his and smiling like an idiot. Reyna looked approvingly at the young couple briefly before the three of them began walking together to the remainder of the group who stood at the gate, waiting for them. Reyna's eyes briefly met his, but the emotions, if there were any, were so well-hidden and/or unreadable that he couldn't quite make out what she felt seeing him again.
"Good day," she said, curtly, addressing the group of Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, and Nico.
"Hey, Reyna," Annabeth smiled, and briefly hugged the other girl, who seemed to warm up and even smiled slightly as they embraced. Once the embrace had ended, Percy came up to her along with Jason and Piper.
"Welcome back, Praetor," Jason and Percy said, in unison, smiling, but, for once, not making a joke.
"Percy... Jason..." she said, looking at both of them as they spoke and smiling softly. "I am glad to see you both again, and that you're well. However, my praetorship is nearing its completion."
Jason and Percy nodded, solemnly, in understanding.
"It is time to pass this great title to the next woman who was justly elected only last week," Reyna said, turning to look at young Hazel, who was blushing furiously and had her eyes cast down at her feet. "We came to the mutual decision to hold the ceremony here," she said, looking at Nico for the first time since she'd walked up to the group. "Among friends."
Something about the way she'd said that made Nico's mind go blank and his heart did strange formations in his chest.
"Nico di Angelo," she said, still looking at him and he felt the rest of the groups eyes on him. "Do you not wish to congratulate your sister, newly elected praetor of New Rome?"
"Oh... uh... yeah..." Nico said, finding himself unable to think straight. He turned to his half sister, who was smiling, her golden eyes glowing with pride, seemingly asking him for approval. "Congrats, Hazel. You deserve it."
With that, Hazel leapt on her brother, wrapping her arms around him and nearly squeezing the life out of him. They quickly broke the embrace and she was smiling so wide, he thought her face was going to split in two.
"Don't you have anything you want to say to Reyna?" she said, softly, only barely loud enough for him to hear. At this, however, his ears turned red and he was sure his entire face and neck were fiery red.
"W-w-wh-what do you mean?" he said, stuttering as his sister smiled and walked back to Frank's side, who was looking between the siblings with an eyebrow cocked in curiosity. Hazel looked back at him and winked before everyone else said their hellos to Frank and Hazel, congratulating her on being elected Praetor.
********************Olympian Anthology*********************
Night descended quickly on the camp and the dinner had just ended. Will Solace called all of the camp and its guests to follow him to the bonfire pit where they would start the fire and join in song and dance and just generally enjoy themselves.
As the Hephaestus cabin members came forward to light the fire, a sound rang above them, like metal being smacked by a stone, and a blast of fire ignited the massive bonfire instantly. Nico felt a familiar tingle swing through his body and he cast his eyes up to see a massive bronze dragon with two silhouettes aboard the back of the creature.
"Did anyone call for some S'mores?" a familiar voice rang through the assembled warriors, who'd, some of them, drawn their weapons to face the unseen opponent.
Piper was the first to drop her weapon. She quickly covered her mouth and tears began streaming down her face. Percy, Annabeth, Frank, Hazel, Jason, and Reyna all followed suit, leading to the rest of the campers to lower their weapons as the massive bronze dragon landed lightly on the ground beside the fire, two massive saddle bags on its back hips.
Atop the dragon sat a beautiful young woman with beautiful eyes, chestnut hair, and a light sprinkling of freckles on her gentle features. A scent of cinnamon drifted from her, it seemed and, when she smiled, she was absolutely enchanting. In front of her sat a young man, with messy brown hair and a light sprinkling of facial hair across his well tanned face. His body was still slim but his muscles were more defined from years of, well, doing whatever it was they'd been doing for the past two years.
"Leo...?" Piper said, softly, as he slid down the dragon, landing on his feet nimbly before helping Calypso off the dragon.
"The one and only!" he said, smiling as he caught Calypso in his arms. He smiled at the group of campers before him and held up two grocery bags full of Graham crackers while Calypso held up a shopping bag full of marshmallows and another bag filled with Hershey chocolate bars. "Now, like I said, anyone call for some s'mores?"
Piper leapt on him, causing Calypso to have to catch the bags before they fell and broke the crackers. She watched as Piper tackled him and nearly squeezed the life out of him.
"What's wrong with you?" she shouted, as she shouted. "We thought you were... were..."
"I was," he said, smiling at her as she briefly lightened her stranglehold on him. "I would be a goner if it weren't for ole Festus here!" He pointed to his dragon who, Nico could swear, smiled at Piper.
"You jerk!" Piper said, releasing him only to punch him in the solar-plexus, hard. He reeled from the strike and grimaced in pain as he held the area he'd been punched. She walked away, crossing her arms and muttering about him.
"Hey man!" Jason shouted and came forward. "Welcome back! You made it just in time!"
"For what?" Leo said, rubbing his hand on his chest and abdomen a little more. "A golden-gloves tournament?"
"For Hazel becoming praetor," Nico said, walking up to Leo.
"Woah! Really?!" Leo shouted, holding his hand over his brow and scanning for something, until he saw Hazel standing beside Reyna and Frank, who were all preparing for the ceremony. He quickly ran up to them, ignoring Reyna and Frank and shaking Hazel's hand so hard her whole body jerked with every move of her arm. Her eyes were wide with confusion as he spoke up, laughing. "Congrats, Hazel. Finally get to tell everyone your relationship is 'strictly professional', eh, Zhang?"
Frank looked somewhere between embarrassed and infuriated as Leo clapped him on the shoulder.
With that, Leo walked back to Calypso who smiled as she watched him walk around and talk to all of his friends.
"Everyone who hasn't met her," he said, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close as he gave Percy a glance. "Everyone, except Percy, this is Calypso!"
Percy's eyes were hard to read as he stood, silently, beside Annabeth, who held his hand gently. Percy stepped forward and smiled at her, a slight moisture almost visible in his eyes.
"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, Calypso," he said, reaching out and shaking her hand. Calypso smiled warmly at him and he wiped away a slight bit of moisture as they stopped shaking hands. With no warning, Calypso hugged him, causing many people to look at Annabeth, who stood calmly in the back with a warm, yet somewhat sad smile.
"I'm so sorry," Percy said as he stroked her hair and held her. "I'm so sorry, Calypso."
"There's no need for you to be sorry, Percy," she said, smiling and crying a little into his chest. "You turned down becoming a god to demand the gods set me free. In the end, whether they like it or not, I have finally achieved my freedom."
Annabeth walked up to Leo and punched his arm, lightly by her standards, but he still rubbed his arm and winced slightly.
"Thank you, Leo," Percy said, releasing Calypso, who walked over to Annabeth. He walked over to Leo, taking skinny craftsman into his arms and squeezing him until he squeaked.
"You must be Annabeth," Calypso said, smiling at Annabeth. "You're more beautiful than I thought you'd be."
"Thank you," Annabeth said, hugging the beautiful immortal. "You're just like Percy described you."
Calypso smiled and Annabeth pulled her hug closer and whispered into her ear.
"Percy's moonlace is still doing great," she said, softly, feeling the tears in the immortals eyes dripping onto her shoulder. "He's never forgotten to take care of it since he came back from your island."
Calypso gripped the girl tighter and buried her face into her chest as she cried.
The moment quickly passed and everyone seemed to have assembled their composure quickly as the formation was called and everyone turned to see the beginning of the ceremony for Reyna's retirement as praetor and Hazel's appointment.
**************************Olympian Anthology******************************
The moon had risen high into the sky as Nico sat on the beach of Long Island Sound, leaving behind the song and dance of the festivities for serenity along the shoreline. He held his knees to his chest and closed his eyes, focusing on the sound of the water lapping gently away at the shoreline, gradually eroding the already-small stones in the sand into even smaller, finer pieces of rock. The smell that seemed so signature of deep water drifted into his nose as he buried his face into his arms.
As he sat silently, he felt as though he were being watched and he heard a sound like extremely light footsteps behind him. He turned to see Reyna carrying something in her arms as she walked over to the water's edge. She sat down and cast her eyes at him, smiling warmly, for once, not in her armor. Nico decided, after much deliberating, to join her there and see what she was doing.
"Hello, Nico," she said, casting her eyes up at the sky as she held the bundle close to her chest.
"Hey, Reyna," he said, not looking at her very much.
"It's been a while since you and I could just sit down and talk," she said, softly, looking down at the bundle in her arms. As Nico looked down, he saw a tiny hand reach out for her outstretched pinky and a small, round face with wide eyes and huge irises.
"Wait!" Nico said, shock hitting him. "When did you have a baby?!"
"I didn't," Reyna said, looking up at him with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "This child was my best friend's... She passed away in childbirth..."
The air sat silently between them for a moment, before Reyna spoke again.
"I finally realized what Venus meant, when she said no demigod would fix my heart," she said, smiling down at the bundle in her arms. Nico watched and felt himself leaning in and looking down into the baby's eyes. As their eyes met, the baby started crying and Nico, startled, leapt backwards. Reyna laughed softly and held the baby up, patting its back and making soothing noises as she looked at Nico, a small, warm smile across her regal features.
Nico blushed a little and smiled, slightly, back.
"You know," said Reyna, after the baby had calmed down. "You might not be so scary if you got a haircut and wore some decent clothes, sometimes."
"I thought I looked, I don't know... Cool, or something," he said, blushing again and looking away.
"You do," she said, simply, swinging the baby gently in her arms.
Nico blushed again, furiously.
"So, Nico," she said, looking into the sky at the stars and the setting moon. "Have you finished what it was that you needed to stay here for?"
"What?" he asked, casting his eyes back on her to see her beauty shining in the dimming moonlight.
"Well, I was wondering..." she said, looking around, as though the right words were hanging around in the air around her and she needed to find them and pluck them down. "I was wondering if you might be willing to reconsider coming back to Camp Jupiter... But only if you're finished with what it was you wanted to stay here for."
"But you're not praetor anymore," he blurted, quickly.
"I am aware," she said, nodding and looking at him. "However, I am still a citizen of New Rome and an SPQR alumni. I'll be right there and besides," she said, looking down at the small bundle in her arms. "Bianca could really use someone else to help her out while I'm in college..."
Nico froze, slightly, as his hand reached out and brushed the sleeping infant's. He felt moisture building in his eyes as he looked up at Reyna, who stared back into his eyes, still not being very easily readable.
"What did you say?" he said, his voice cracking slightly.
"I said, Bianca could really use someone to be at home with her while I'm in class..." she said, smiling softly at him.
"Whose decision was it to name her Bianca?" he asked, his voice cracking more as tears began to blur his vision and he bit back sobs.
"I had to make that choice," Reyna answered, sadly, as she held the small child in her arms. "Her mother didn't even get a chance to name her..."
Nico's first tear fell on the infant's blanket and, as he watched, the small hand reached out slightly and wrapped around part of his fingertip, holding onto him. Silently, he nodded. His nodding became more insistent until he finally looked into Reyna's eyes and smiled.
"Of course, I'll help you care for Bianca," he said, softly, finally allowing himself to cry but never allowing his finger to fall from the baby's grasp.
With that, Nico wrapped an arm over Reyna's shoulders and kept his finger in the tiny grasp of the baby, tears streaming down his face as he felt, for the first time in his life, the power of new life.
*****************************Olympian Anthology************************************
Nico smiled at his friends at Camp Half-Blood, including Will, and they all gave him a group hug as he told them of his plan to join Reyna and Bianca in New Rome, helping care for the child as Reyna went to college. Percy and Annabeth, mostly Annabeth, were insistent that, anytime they could, they spend a day or two every week together, all five of them, including baby Bianca. He blushed and told them that he'd let Reyna know and they'd certainly do what they could.
As the three-day celebration ended, Nico found himself sitting in a barber's chair with Chiron playing cards with Dionysus as Rachel Dare gave his hair a trim. Once done, she hugged him again and he held her tightly.
"The cabin's all yours until I come back," he said, patting her back. "I know you'll take good care of the place."
"Of course," she said, tears wetting his shirt as she held onto him. "Seriously, man... Stop growing so fast..."
"Thanks for all the great advice, Rachel," he said, smiling at her and gently patting her head. "You're always welcome in New Rome too."
"Thank you," she said, letting go of him as Reyna walked over to them, holding baby Bianca.
"Well, time for the real test!" Rachel said, as she stepped back so Reyna could show the baby what Nico looked like now. The baby looked at him, carefully scanning her little eyes up and down his face and body before she smiled brilliantly at him.
"So, Bianca Ramirez-Arellano," Nico began when Reyna cleared her throat slightly and he looked up.
"Actually," she said, blushing slightly; the first time Nico could recall her blushing like this. "Her name is Bianca Silena di Angelo..."
Nico's eyes widened in surprise again.
"Wh-" he began but was cut off when Rachel pushed him close to Reyna and Bianca before producing a professional-grade camera.
"Look at the happy family!" she said, causing Reyna and Nico to blush furiously. "Say 'Cheese!'"
She snapped at least ten photographs of them and smiled at them.
"Why?" Nico asked simply turning back to Reyna as the photo session was over.
"Well," she explained. "I was the godmother and given legal custody of her by her mom in the event... you know..." She looked down solemnly before she cast her eyes up into his. "Then I thought about who would be a great person to model her after and give her her namesake, and your sister's name was so beautiful..."
"I get why you chose 'Bianca'," he explained. "But why my surname?"
"Well..." she said, blushing again. "I figured that, if you weren't willing to come back to New Rome with me, then I could see if you wanted me to stay here and we could raise her here..."
Nico blushed furiously for a moment before he knelt down to the beautiful girls in front of him, kissing Bianca's forehead as the little girl reached up and tried to grab his face before he looked into Reyna's eyes.
"Well," he said, smiling warmly. "I guess I have no choice, since she's already got my last name and all."
Reyna looked into his eyes and smiled back, warmly, her queen-like beauty radiating and glowing as Nico saw her lean forward and she took his face in her free hand before she gently kissed him. Time seemed to slow down so much as they kissed, when, suddenly, he felt the sensation of being watched and looked up to find, plastered to one of the windows of the big house and starting an uproarious cheers, were all of his friends, from Percy and Annabeth, to Frank and Hazel and everyone in between, all clapping and cheering him on.
Nico blushed furiously and he felt Reyna's hand caressing his face again. He looked up, meeting her beautiful eyes.
"Let's go home," she said, smiling.