Time won't fly, it's like I'm paralyzed by it
I'd like to be my old self again, but I'm still trying to find it
After plaid shirt days and nights when you made me your own
Now you mail back my things and I walk home alone
But you keep my old scarf from that very first week
'Cause it reminds you of innocence and it smells like me
You can't get rid of it
'Cause you remember it all too well
- Taylor Swift,
"All Too Well"
Summer had come at last.
The first week of June arrived with sunny blue skies and an increase of temperature by ten degrees. It was now properly hot. Nico wasn't much of a heat person, but even he welcomed the change. It felt like the warmth dissipated the cool, miserable spring at last.
Nico thought of Persephone. Maybe her absence did have something to do with the changing seasons, even if it was smaller than the myths made it out to be. Nico had never been overly fond of his step-mother, but he hoped she was happy despite her circumstances. Jason should give her a TED Talk on finding happiness, thought Nico. He waited for the pain thinking of Jason always brought him. It didn't come. Nico smiled to himself.
Will nudged his shoulder. "What's so funny?"
"Hm?" Nico looked up. "Oh, nothing's funny. Just thinking.''
Will gave him a knowing look, but didn't press any further. Nico slid his hand into Will's. He felt Will's thumb automatically stroke his wrist bone. The two boys were on their way to the Big House to help Chiron with orientation. The day before, almost two hundred kids had arrived at Camp Half-Blood for the summer. The night before that, curfew had been pushed back a few hours so the finishing touches could be put on Camp. Nico had expected the harpies to be sulking, eyeing the campers hungrily, but they actually were rather cheerful. They'd lit a roaring fire and served hot chocolate. Nico couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun.
Inside the Big House, the campers were milling around chattering excitedly. There were a few new faces, but Nico recognized most of them from previous years. He scanned the crowd, searching for his friends. Percy and Annabeth hadn't arrived yet. His heart sank a little when he didn't see Piper or Leo either. Neither of them had been particularly close to Nico, but it would be good to see them back at Camp Half-Blood. They seemed to have forgone the demigod Camp for good though. It wasn't unexpected, but it made Nico sad. Jason Grace's best friends had entered the camp for the first time with him; without him, they wouldn't return. Some wounds never did heal.
Will tapped his shoulder. "Look,'' he whispered, nodding towards where Chiron stood in centaur form talking to a familiar satyr.
"Grover!" Nico was pleasantly surprised to see the Lord of the Wild. Grover was dressed in his normal jeans and CAMP HALF-BLOOD t-shirt. Despite wearing pants, he hadn't bothered to hide his hooves, although he was covering his small horns with a red ball cap. He had his hands jammed in his pockets. Based on the facial expressions of Chiron and Grover, the conversation seemed to be going a dark direction. Nico vaguely recalled Grover being stationed in California. It would be one hell of a coincidence, but if Apollo had been in California with Jason and Piper, and Grover was presumably there at the time . . . Grover had once been a protector. He had gotten Luke and Annabeth safely to Camp Half-Blood, but had lost Thalia on the way. He had redeemed himself in the eyes of the Satyr Counsel when he succeeded in getting Percy safely into Camp and back alive from his first quest. Nico had never considered how hard it would be for a protector to witness a half-blood's death. Especially since Jason was the sister of Thalia.
So much loss. And if Hades' warning had been any indication, it wasn't over yet. Nico looked around the room of excited new demigods. A storm was brewing. How many of these kids would lose their lives over the summer? With his powers fully returned, Nico could have focused and maybe gotten some hint. But he didn't try. Despite the troubling circumstances, these campers could still have a good summer. Apollo might take care of the Triumvirate himself. There might not be any need to go to war. However unlikely the prospect of Apollo dealing with his own problems was, Nico didn't allow himself to think differently.
Chiron and Grover appeared to have finished their conversation. Nico saw Grover swipe at his eyes with the back of a hand. Nico had forgotten how emotional the satyr was. Grover looked up and caught Nico's eye. Nico waved. A smile broke out on Grover's face and he started weaving his way through the crowd towards them.
"See,'' Will murmured in Nico's ear. His mouth was so close that Nico felt his warm breath slide down his neck. "Being friendly isn't so bad.''
"Yeah, it is,'' Nico muttered back, "I'm just a great boyfriend.''
Will chuckled deep in his throat and winked. Nico wished he would whisper something else just so he could feel Will's breath against his skin again.
"Nico, Will!" Grover beamed at them. He seemed to have recovered very quickly from whatever depressing things he and Chiron had been discussing. "It's so good to see you!"
"It's great seeing you too, Grover,'' said Nico. The funny thing was, he meant it.
"How've you been?" Will asked, looking the satyr over as if he had cause of concern of injury. "Everything all right in Cali?"
Grover's goatee quivered. "N-no. The Triumvirate . . . Caligula . . . Jason Grace . . ."
"We heard,'' Nico said gently, to spare the satyr from talking about it anymore.
Grover nodded empathetically. "We lost some good nature spirits too.'' His voice was hoarse with grief.
Will put a hand on his shoulder. "We're so sorry, Grover.''
Nico murmured in agreement. He was grateful Will had spoken for both of them. Sympathy wasn't really Nico's thing either, although he was working on it. Grover looked so defeated. Nico wished there was something he could do to help him. He had been thinking a lot about what his dad had told him about Apollo needing his help soon. Nico had been going back and forth between being willing to drop everything and help the mortal god and being extremely annoyed at the prospect of being another pawn in the gods' game. But seeing Grover, sweet, optimistic Grover, so torn apart by something the Triumvirate had done, Nico knew that he had to help Apollo take them down once and for all.
Grover wiped his nose and forced a smile, which broke Nico's heart a little. "So how have you two been?"
"Good,'' Nico said. "We've been good.''
He and Will launched into a lengthy description of every good thing that had happened at Camp Half-Blood since Grover was last there. They left out everything that could have upset the satyr further. As they talked, Grover relaxed.
"We missed you'd during Camp games. Especially the Three-Legged Death Race,'' Will was saying, "you organize those kinds of things so well.''
Grover blushed a little. "Oh, well, thank you. Ah, you know, all in a day's work.'' He glanced around the Big House. "I've really missed this place,'' he murmured, almost to himself. Then to Will and Nico, "Juniper wouldn't happen to be around, would she?"
Will and Nico exchanged a grin. Juniper was Grover's tree nymph girlfriend.
"She's still around,'' Nico confirmed.
"She's missed you terribly,'' Will added helpfully. "I'd check by her tree. She tends to stick close by it.''
Grover nodded. He straightened up resolutely and adjusted his ball cap. "Alright, then, I'm off. It was great seeing you both.''
Will and Nico said goodbye and watched as Grover strode with a newfound determination in the direction of the forest.
"Will! Nico!'' Chiron called. "Are you ready?"
Will wrapped an arm around Nico's waist, pulling him close. "It's showtime, babe.''
"Hey! No PDA at orientation!'' A familiar voice yelled. Will reluctantly let go of Nico and they turned to see Clarisse La Rue glaring daggers at them. Her boyfriend Chris Rodriguez frowned. "That's not what you said last year when we did orientation—" He started, but quickly shut up when Chiron rounded on them.
"Hey, Chiron,'' Clarisse greeted him like they were old friends.
"Hello, Clarisse,'' Chiron had taken on a more authoritative tone of voice, but he sounded pleased to see her too. Clarisse had been going to Camp Half-Blood for almost a decade now. Even though she was an adult in college, she still came back every summer. She had been incredibly helpful during the Giant Wars and Nico remembered seeing her at Jason's memorial.
Will tugged Nico's hand. Nico followed him to the front of the room. The summer campers had gone quiet, now anxiously awaiting their orientation.
Will did most of the talking. He introduced himself and Nico. After welcoming the newcomers and greeting the returning campers, he went into detail about the rules and schedule of the summer that would entail. Nico added helpful comments like "Yeah'' and "For sure". Also, "Don't do that", "That would suck", and "You'd definitely die a gruesome death if you tried that. Trust me, it's happened.'' After they finished their part, Chiron took over to explain the more logistical aspects of Camp life. He didn't mention the Triumvirate. He didn't mention Jason. He didn't mention the prospect of an upcoming war.
Having heard this all before, Nico and Will slipped out of the Big House during the dating regulations regarding who was not biologically related to whom (everyone in Camp was technically related on the godly side in some way, but since gods had no DNA, it was disregarded for everyone but half-siblings, who weren't technically related either because of the no DNA thing but it made everyone uncomfortable anyway so they had banned it, and the thing that had happened with those two Aphrodite kids in the 80's didn't matter because the 80's were the 80's and it hadn't happened since). Everyone stared at the floor in high discomfort as Chiron explained curfew and the strict rule about not sneaking into other cabins. That was when Nico and Will left because a) straight people rules, and b) they didn't give a fuck.
They strolled down grassy planes towards the strawberry fields. In an hour or so, once orientation was over, Camp Half-Blood would be bustling with excitement, campers racing around excitedly. This was the calm before the storm.
Nico suddenly caught sight of Percy and Annabeth. They were a very welcome sight indeed. The relief he felt seeing them walking hand in hand towards Nico and Will was palpable. He quickened his pace to meet them.
"You came!" He cried happily.
"Of course,'' said Annabeth, moving in to give him a hug. "Did you really think college would stop us from coming home?"
"Nah,'' said Nico. He didn't actually think Annabeth Chase had ever hugged him before. It was nice though. He tried hard not to stiffen, like he usually did when people touched him. "You weren't at orientation though, so I got a little worried.''
Percy hugged Nico next. "Orientation? Are you kidding, man?" He said over Nico's shoulder. "I've been coming here six years now and I've never gone to orientation once.''
Will laughed. "Of course you haven't.''
Percy slapped him on the shoulder good-naturedly. "It's great to see you guys.''
"It's great seeing you guys too,'' Nico echoed. "What's been going on lately?"
Percy shrugged and looked at Annabeth. She rolled her eyes, but was smiling. "Nothing to report,'' she said. "Seaweed Brain has been studying his ass off and he is not being a good sport about it.''
"Studying for four hours a day is my limit,'' said Percy, a little defensively. "Seven hours is excessive.''
Annabeth muttered something under her breath about how she spent nine hours studying most days. Nico decided not to get into it with them.
"So what's been going on at Camp?" Percy asked, cleverly changing the subject. "The usual?"
Nico and Will exchanged a glance. Annabeth didn't miss it. "Do tell.''
So Will explained all the things that had happened at Camp Half-Blood since Jason's memorial. He told them about the Underworld demon's attacks and the Hunters of Artemis' visit. Much to Nico's gratitude, he left out the part about Nico losing his powers and going AWOL to the Underworld. It would be too complicated to explain it all to Percy and Annabeth now. When Will had finished, Annabeth shook her head sadly. "Wow.''
Percy rubbed the back of his neck "Yeah . . . what she said.''
This time is was Nico who tried to chance the subject. "Are Piper and Leo coming?" He asked.
"No,'' said Annabeth, with a sigh. "Piper is spending the summer in Oklahoma with her Dad. Leo is in Indianapolis with Cal at some half-blood refuge called the Waystation. They said they're happy where they are right now.''
Nico dipped his head. He had expected that much. A part of him still wished they would come to Camp, but he knew in his heart that they had to do what was best for them.
"What's up with your hair?" Percy asked abruptly.
"Hm? Oh, this,'' Nico gestured vaguely upward. "I forgot to cut it for a couple weeks with everything going on, so it got long. I was going to fix it before everybody came, but Will likes it so I decided to keep it for now.''
Nico had let most of his dark hair hang into his face like usual, but Will had suggested he gather the back in a little ponytail to keep it from getting too messy.
"I do like it,'' confirmed Will. As if to prove his point, he ran his fingers through the long strands in the front. Nico blushed a little.
"Jackson, Chase!" Travis Stoll jogged up, Katie Gardner close behind. Percy and Annabeth greeted their old friends enthusiastically.
"Where's your counterpart?" Annabeth asked as she gave Travis a hug.
"Connor's arriving tomorrow,'' said Travis, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. Nico had never been more glad to have saved the campers from the demon poison.
"Hey, Will,'' Kayla called. She was standing with a group of Apollo kids. "Come be head counselor!''
Will and Nico excused themselves and followed Kayla towards Cabin 7. There weren't any new children of Apollo, which was probably good all things considered. Will was well acquainted with his siblings, and clearly happy to see them all again. He brought them up to date with an even more watered-down version of the spring's events than he gave Percy and Annabeth. Nico was a little uncomfortable around so many people. He knew almost every Apollo kid by name, and they were all friendly with him, but he hung back with Kayla and Austin. He was grateful thought that no one asked why he was with them. Nico was the only resident of Cabin 13 and would remain that way always so he never had to give orientation. He stuck with Cabin 7 in all activities and no one questioned it, which he greatly appreciated.
Right as they reached the cabin, a large commotion broke out near the entrance of Camp. Will glanced back, a puzzled expression on his face. Campers were flocking from all directions to the source of the disturbance.
"Maybe it's a monster attack!" Kayla, always ready for a fight, sprinted off.
"Kayla, wait!" Will called after her, but it was too late.
"I'll, uh, go get her,'' Austin volunteered. Before Will could stop him, he followed Kayla in running towards the entrance. Will groaned.
"Can we go too, Will?" Asked a small golden-haired boy, who Nico remembered being called Grant. He was the youngest in Cabin 7, maybe ten years old.
Will sighed. "Yeah, sure.''
"Hooray!" Grant cried. He raced away, yelling "I hope it's a monster!" at the top of his lungs. The other campers, of course, followed in hot pursuit. Will shot Nico a long-suffering look.
Nico laughed and laced his fingers with Will's. "Let's go see what's up.''
If it was a monster, there would be more panic and probably more excitement too. The pandemonium seemed to be caused by a great deal of wonder and curiosity.
As they got closer, they saw a crowd had gathered around two very familiar people. Nico stopped in his tracks.
It was Apollo and Meg McCaffrey.
"Dad!" Will looked so relieved Nico thought he was going to cry. "Come on!" Nico didn't have much of a choice. Will started to run towards the crowd that had formed around his dad, dragging Nico with him.
Will stopped just outside of the crowd. Nico skidded to a halt beside him. A ring had formed in the center of the gaggle of half-bloods, giving Apollo and Meg room to breathe. Will and Nico pushed through the crowd until they had a good view of them. Will was watching Apollo intently, eyes moving up and down his body as if scanning him for potential injury. "Will,'' Nico panted, "he looks fine. What are you waiting for?"
Will nodded towards something or someone Nico couldn't see over the crowd.
He heard a squeal and saw Kayla throw herself at Apollo. Nico was surprised to see the expression on Apollo's face as he held his daughter. He seemed genuinely happy to see her, like Nico had never seen a god with their mortal child. Austin pushed through the crowd and joined his sister and father in the hug. The other Apollo kids looked extremely awkward. One girl glanced at Will and mouthed, That's him? Will shrugged, but he was grinning.
Meg McCaffrey was being fawned over by her two older sisters she had met last winter when she first came to Camp. The other Demeter kids were watching impatiently, as if they couldn't wait to meet their infamous sister. Nico was happy Meg had people who loved and cared about her.
Apollo was now chattering animatedly with Kayla and Austin. He looked up and saw Will. His smile widened, which Nico hadn't thought possible. Apollo held his arms out. Will let go of Nico's hand and ran to embrace his father. Nico watched with satisfaction as Will clung to him and Apollo had the decency to look guilty. That's right, Nico wanted to tell the former god, you've been gone for months, no contact. Will's been worried sick. You should feel bad.
When Will finally let go of Apollo, he immediately started giving him an earful of what was probably part reprimand for lack of contact and partly an update on Camp life. Out of the corner of his eye, Nico saw Annabeth eyeing Apollo skeptically. Percy, standing next to her, had his arms crossed over his chest and a hard expression on his face, like Make me go on a quest now, sucker. Nico didn't blame Percy and Annabeth for not trusting the god. He clearly had to have come to Camp Half-Blood for some reason other than to visit his children. He almost definitely had come to acquire demigod help. Percy and Annabeth were both extremely skilled half-bloods and would make valuable consorts. They knew this too. What they didn't know, was that they were not the ones Apollo had come to Camp to enlist. They had had not warning. Nico had.
Nico took a moment to fill his lungs with air. He knew what was coming. He would do it too. It wasn't like he had that much of a choice, but what little power he did have in the scenario he would use to accept his fate. He saw how happy Kayla and Austin were with their father. How happy Will was. Nico would do what the god asked if only to keep the smile on Will's face and the twinkle in his blue eyes. Nico thought of losing Jason. He thought of his mother, and Bianca, and Dakota, all the others. Ethan Nakamura. Silena Beauregard. Luke Castellan. He remembered it all too well. He would not lose Will too.
Nico approached the god.
Apollo stopped mid-sentence when he saw Nico coming towards him. He looked about the same as he did when Nico had last seen him. He had the cheeky face of his alias Lester Papadopoulos, curly brown hair, acne and all. Will turned around, looking curious. Apollo himself looked a little nervous, but tried for a winning smile.
Here we go again.
"Nico di Angelo!" He spread his arms wide. "I need your help.''