Nico stares, unable to comprehend what he's seeing until a face rises behind Will, dark as teakwood, dark blue and purple wings folding around Will's body, as the god of death embraces him. "Thanatos!" Nico screams as skeletal bodies and grinning skulls claw their way free of the earth. The god turns his amber gaze upon Nico, and then he grins.
The Person Falling Here Is Me
Nico
Nico thrums with his restored powers, his vision narrowing on the gleam of pure white teeth as the glen grows dark around them. Nico calls out with every ounce of his will, the shadows and the dead rising in answer to his summons. He draws his sword and points it at the god. He has nothing left to lose – either conquering Death or being conquered by him. The state of the world no longer matters.
The god laughs, a low and deep rumble that shakes the ground beneath Nico's feet, disrupting his concentration.
Nico has known Thanatos for many years. He's worked with him in service to his father, trained with him in the year after dispatching Dedalus. The death god has never laughed in Nico's presence before, never shown an inkling of even possessing a sense of humor. Nico furrows his brow as the god lifts his wings and holds his hands up in a gesture of peace. Will has disappeared.
"Who are you?" Nico demands, seething. "Impersonating Thanatos is a crime worthy of Tartarus!" His sword hand glows with a purple light, his breath steadying as his Underworld powers swell, adding weight to his authority.
The god rises from his kneeling position, narrowing his eyes, and Nico has to dig in his heels against the pushback of power the god sends his way.
"Oh no! Wait! Hold up!" another voice says, huffing and puffing as if the speaker is out of breath and running. "Nico, it's okay. It's my dad!"
Nico doesn't recognize the voice until Clovis pushes his way through a Mist barrier. Nico glances at Clovis's pale face, his huge brown eyes, his hair flattened on one side and sticking out in crazy tufts on the other, then looks back at the amusement on the god's face. Understanding hits him.
"Hypnos," he mutters, another thought jumpstarting his heart and chasing away his vitriol. Hypnos is the god of sleep, twin brother to Thanatos. "Is Will still alive?"
The god lifts his eyes skywards, but Nico doesn't even care. Instead, he looks at Clovis eagerly bobbing his head. Nico lowers his sword, the fight leaving him.
"Sorry, Nico," Clovis says. "It was the fastest way I could think of to help you get your powers back, and my dad said it wasn't too much trouble."
Hypnos hums under his breath, his nostrils flaring. Clovis turns to his father, his eyes so huge and sad, his lips pouting; he gives his father the best impression of a kicked puppy Nico has ever seen, and the god of sleep ruffles Clovis's hair, and then fades from view.
"My powers," Nico says, realizing that he has them back. "Oh gods, they're back. How can I thank –"
Clovis turns his head at an angle, a finger held up before his lips, like he's listening to something. "Don't worry about it. You need to wake up now, though, if you want to stop all this from actually happening."
Nico blinks. What in Hades is Clovis talking about? Stop it from …
The world disappears as Clovis snaps his fingers.
XxxX
Nico sits up gasping, cold trickles of sweat sliding from under his hair and down his back, but this time, he's still in the tent. He looks over at Will, watching his lips move as he sleeps, his chest rise and fall.
Thank the gods. It's not too late.
"Whaaaaaa!" Will shouts, making Nico's heart jump into his throat as Will sits bolt upright, staring all around the tent as if he's not sure where he is.
Nico recovers quickly. He pulls Will into a hug, more relieved to feel the weight of Will's arms on his back than he can even understand. He buries his face into Will's neck and blinks tears from his eyes, hardly noticing them. "It's okay. Just a dream."
Will shudders against Nico's chest, dragging in shaky sounding breaths, but he doesn't let go or try to push Nico away.
"I – I don't normally have prophetic dreams, Nico, but –"
Nico cuts him off. "I know. Lou Ellen. The Lotus Casino."
Will tenses, then relaxes in Nico's arms, and Nico smothers a smile against Will's shoulder when Will presses a kiss to his cheek. "You had the dream too? We have to help her, Nico. It's on the way West."
Nico takes a deep breath, strokes the back of Will's hair and down his neck, then pushes himself back enough to look Will in the eye. "Listen to me. Before we do anything, I need to tell you about a new prophecy. Rachel spoke it yesterday evening, and Clovis showed it to me in a dream as we were flying here. It's important you hear me out, understand?"
Will nods, and Nico can't stop himself from kissing him. He pushes Will back onto the sleeping bags, relieved beyond words when Will returns the kiss, his lips warm and very much alive. When Nico is satisfied that won't change anytime soon, he breaks the kiss, and – foreheads touching and arms embracing – recounts the dreams about Rachel and Zephyros.
XxxX
"So we can't do it since we're coming from the East," Will says, processing what Nico has just told him.
Nico hums his agreement. He stares into Will's blue eyes, as lost in them as ever, especially as the sun rises outside the tent and brightens their sleeping space. "I don't doubt Lou Ellen is at the Lotus Casino. I have no idea why she would be there, but it's entirely possible that she is in trouble. There should be a quest to help her, but it has to come from Camp Jupiter, not us."
Will looks back at Nico, his eyes softening, brow furrowing like he senses something wrong. "You all right?"
Nico's throat hurts as he swallows, but that hardly matters. He nods. "Yeah. I'm good. And I've got my powers back."
Will wrinkles his forehead, eyebrows rising, pursing his lips. He tilts his head, as if to say, Yeah? That's not huge at all. Care to explain?
"Long story," Nico says, breathing out. He's not ready to go over the dream he just woke from until he knows it won't become reality. "But we do need to go to Camp Jupiter. We can let the others know about Lou Ellen if Rachel hasn't already."
"What about your dad? The quest? You know, striking out for the Underworld without a clue about what we're getting into?"
Nico trails his hand over Will's chest, covering a small brown nipple with his palm and pressing it like a gentle suction cup. He half-giggles, watching Will's eyelids flutter in response, and then Will pushes Nico onto his back and holds him pinned with his body.
Face growing hot, Nico can feel his heartbeat in his lips, his blood thundering, his body calling out for Will all over again. He swipes his tongue over his lips. "Yeah. I know what's happening. And we need to go to Camp Jupiter …" his voice turns into a groan as Will pivots his hips against Nico's, brushing their renewed erections and turning Nico's bones into putty. "I have to help Hazel, and, and stuff. And Hades …" Nico stops, biting his lower lip as Will sucks a hickey into his neck. "Fuck. Hades has shit to do, too. Roll over. It's my turn."
Will holds Nico in place, forcing him to meet his eyes. "How much time do we have? Honestly? We're only in Illinois and Porkpie will need to stop at least one more time before we make it to California."
Nico shifts, trapping one of Will's knee with his foot, then tweaks Will's right nipple, startling him. He pushes as soon as the pressure on his arms lets up and flips their positions, his eyes smoldering hot. "I have my powers back. I'll get us there in about 10 seconds."
He stops Will's attempt at protesting with a tongue-filled kiss, grinding his hips until Will can only whimper, "m'kay."
High on winning that argument, Nico savors his prize.
