This is currently unedited, and a projection of myself. Canonically, Hades was a pretty okay father to Nico after TLO. Ending's kinda trash rn. Might fix it later
It was all true, no matter how much Nico would deny it. He truly did love Percy, at least, sometimes he loved Percy. He was a child at the time. A little 10 year old that thought the only way for him to be happy was to be with his knight in shining armour. His demigod in a blue t-shirt. The grief of losing Bianca was taken out on Percy, almost completely, but it came from his own self-hatred. And in time, as he realized what he was feeling wasn't a hateful vengeance on the son of the sea god, he turned his self-hatred where it belonged. Himself.
Through the early years of desperately trying to forgive Percy for Bianca's death, he never succeeded in anything. Because Percy had nothing to apologize for, yet he still did. Percy could have handed off the Great Prophecy to Nico, but he didn't because Nico guilted him enough to gift the only son of Hades to be free of a prophecy he would have never succeeded in. Percy tried to fix the self-imposed silence that Nico had taken on after the battle of the Labyrinth, but Nico just kept running away. All the time trying to summon Bianca, or the mindless tasks he would do for Minos were never because he wanted Percy to suffer, but because he needed to hear it from his sister. He needed to hear that he wasn't alone. That he was loved. That Percy would forgive him, and he'd find a place among the rest of the demigods. He never heard it, though.
Bianca only wanted to talk when Percy was there, and she told him that he blamed himself, not Percy. And he did. He blamed himself for letting her go, for being such a brat that she wanted to escape from him. And after he betrayed Percy to Hades, he blamed himself for all of Percy's pain. Percy didn't deserve to be blamed for a death that was weaved through the fate of a prophecy. He didn't deserve so much responsibility after what his life had been like, and he didn't deserve to suffer Bianca's fate: taking care of Nico.
And so, he stayed away. He made it clear that Percy shouldn't even be thinking about Nico when it didn't benefit him. But when his plan to distance himself from Percy worked, he finally accepted the truth. He was in love with Percy Jackson. And it hurt that his plan worked, even if seeing Percy happy was achieved. The pang in his chest, like feeling his sister's death all over again, but in short steps. Every time he could, he tried to keep an eye on the sea spawn. He watched from the shadows as Percy found home with Annabeth. He watched as they grew up, scarily ready to take on the Titans. He watched, and he let it happen. Because he wanted Percy to be happy, and he could never do that for Percy. So he watched, and watched, and listened as the most powerful demigod alive kept getting stronger. Whenever Nico was in New York, he kept a few guards watching over Ms. Sally's house, just in case. He took care of Mrs. O-Leary when Percy was busy at school or camp. He spent hours finding undead from the Fields of Asphodel to translate books for him to give Percy a better chance at winning the war.
That was it. In an old, dusty book from his father's library, he found the best way to claim the curse of Achilles. His father, Hades, hadn't been pleased.
"I refuse to believe that a son of mine would be such a coward," Hades growled. The lord of the Underworld was leaned against his arm, sitting on the throne of bones and gems. His son was kneeling, staring at the floor in front of him with a determined fire in his heart.
"I'm sorry, Father, but the war is already here. Percy is the child of the prophecy, and I can't change that. The least I can do is to help him save the world."
His father wasn't buying any of his reasoning, clearly.
"Leave. Come back when you're ready to honour your sister." That was the turning point. He had already risen, about to leave, when Hades brought her up. Bianca.
With a wave of darkness flowing from the 12 year old, he turned to face his father. "I am honouring her! She would have helped Percy too-"
"She wouldn't have been a disappointment." The icy tone that so carelessly lay in his words stabbed him through the heart. As he stilled, he could feel his core slowly cracking. It was like standing on ice, and watching it slowly shatter before collapsing into a pile of shards. He had no tears to cry, that would make him even more of a disappointment. As he stared into his father's slightly bored slightly angry eyes, Nico thought back to try and remember anything that he had really done for the world. Anything that was good.
Nothing. Because that's what you are, a disappointment. A disgrace to the House of Hades, and a mistake of a demigod. He never could, and never would, do anything that made a good difference. Bianca's dying wish was to get away from him. Percy will never love you. Annabeth never even liked you. And who else do you have? Minos? Another ghost that had a meaningless title, now bestowed by me. A meaningless title. A worthless coward.
Hades gaze remained unchanged. Lowering his broken gaze back to the floor, he nodded. Turning to leave the palace, the God of the Underworld once again decided to pitch in. "Your mother would be ashamed." If his blood hadn't been ice before, it was now. An entirely new pain starting to burn within him, eating away at any sanity and humanity he had left. It was less from the part about her being ashamed in him that hurt, since he already knew that, but more from the single thought: he didn't know. He didn't remember her. He didn't even know her name.
Some type of connection between the father and son must have been there, because Hades face flashed for a moment. "I will let you carry out this plan, and I will tell you about your mother, but only on one condition."
In desperation, Nico turned to face his father and fell to his knee. Now, at his father's mercy, he allowed himself a spark of hope. "What is the condition, my lord?"
"Bring the Jackson boy here before you go to the Styx. I only want to talk to him."
Skeptically, Nico tried to read his father's movements. This became very difficult once his father stopped moving completely. "Promise you won't hurt him?" Promises were dangerous, but there was nothing about any prophecies regarding Percy's trip to the Styx that would be coming up soon, or any ancient laws holding anything back.
"I promise."
How could he have been so stupid? It was his own fault that Percy ended up in the dungeons, and he would take responsibility for it. He shouldn't have been so naive. Percy had every right to attack him when Nico went to free him, even if it hurt. I still remember the bruises he left. From when he grabbed my neck and wanted to kill me. To watch the life drain from my eyes as I would eventually stop struggling, and he would just throw my limp form on the ground, and move on with one less interference. It was all my fault. I broke his trust. I put him in danger. No matter how much it hurt, though, I knew that Percy had people who loved him and who made him happy. And they wouldn't be around if Percy and the Olympians didn't defeat the Titans.
So I pleaded with my father, pulled every single card that I could to try and get Hades to go up and fight. In the end, it was a stoic approach that worked. I talked for what felt like hours about how Kronos was unjust. How I wouldn't let him stand in the way of the world that my sister lived to hunt in, and my mother dreamed of endorsing. Although, he only readied his Helm after one specific promise.
"I swear on the River Styx, I would rather be damned to the River Cocytus, than do nothing to honour Bianca in this battle."
And so they fought. And by the end, even though there was a gleaming fragment of hope in the back of his mind, he knew that he wouldn't get anything from the gods. Why should he? He was so grateful to Percy for using his gift to give him a cabin, and the chance to have a place at camp. It was false hope, but still, the gesture was appreciated. He had a few skeleton workers to build foundations initially, but after about 3 days of bright smiles and polite expressions, he heard it.
"Why is he still here?"
"What's gonna happen if he actually stays? I don't wanna be around dead things all the time, and he sure as Hades looks like one of them."
"He's the one who betrayed Percy! Why is he getting a reward?"
His father had stopped calling him a disappointment, and even gave him a zombie driver, but once he heard that Persephone would be coming to the Underworld again, he knew that he had to be quick. The Doors of Death were supposedly open, and he finally had a chance to try and get his sister back. Persephone hated him, so he stayed away from the palace when she was there for half of the year, but had nowhere else to go. He wasn't welcomed at camp, and he had no mortal parent to run to. Most nights, he was on the streets. Occasionally, Hades would send a fury to give him some errands to do regarding souls, but he had gotten busy searching in Elysium for Bianca. What he did find was info.
Bianca had moved on. Gone to be reborn so that she would never have to deal with Nico, even after death. And... she never even said goodbye.
Hazel was there, though. She was in Asphodel, and she was special; not only because she was a daughter of Pluto. He knew it. He spent some time with her travelling up to the Wolf House, at Hades' request. He loved her, and he wanted to be everything for her that he didn't have. He held her close when she had blackouts, and listened when she needed to talk, or kissed her on the cheek when she needed a reminder that she had family. He tried to be her big brother.
At the roman camp, things were about the same for him as at Camp Half-Blood, minus the exception of having Hazel with him. He got the stares, the obvious display of mistrust, and the sighs of relief when he would tell Reyna and Jason that he was leaving for a while.
Then everything moved too fast for him to understand. Percy missing, then he was found but no one could know, then Jason was at Camp Half-Blood, and he had to help the 7 with the doors of death because who else could. He wouldn't let Hazel near the Underworld with her curse, and no one else would want to. He had to. For Hazel, and for Percy. So he did.
It was Hecate, actually. She was the one who told him where the doors of death were. He had an idea that they were deeper than the fields of the undead, and followed some of the rivers downstream. Hecate was there, and she said she would lead him to where he would find the doors. She led him to the steepest cliff he could imagine, and told him where the doors were. After flashing away, she spoke to him. Gaea insisted that he wouldn't close them, and that his cause would be worthless. He fought, but the Earth crumbled around him, and dirty hand dragged him by the ankle into the Pit.
He ran. He drank fire. He dragged himself out of the river of woe. He had a second to glance at the monster dust coating his sword. He came so close. He followed the rivers to the heart of Tartarus, in all of its bloody darkness. And as the decaying flesh of Tartarus mutated and morphed shape constantly, he slashed at monster after monster after monster. He met the goddess of misery, who laughed at how miserable he was. He felt his mental state trickle to the edge of insanity when the toxic air and hungry spirits put images of his greatest fears in his head. And when he had made it to the doors, they were waiting for him. Twin giants, effortlessly dragging him like a ragdoll as he flashed between the waking world and his own mind, due to blood loss. Right before pulling out the jar, they took hold of his shoulders one by one, and held him under the burning water of the Phlegethon river. They kept his head below the water, long enough for him to almost pass out before sealing the lid of the jar with him inside, dripping water, and shaking at the burning that enflamed his entire system.
Then he couldn't breath. There was no air left for him to inhale, and the shaking of his now scarred hands almost dropped all of the pomegranate seeds on the first day. The first day of killing himself for 24 hours.
After a week, they rescued him. The problem? Percy was there. Nico would never be good news for Percy, and it was his own fault that he and Annabeth had fallen into Tartarus. Now, Nico had a promise to keep. And keep it he would. Like most normal demigods, they were uneasy about him. Nico thought that he heard Leo and Jason had suggested leaving Nico to the giants. Hazel was there, of course, but she had Frank, and was dealing with her own issues regarding Sammy, Leo, and Frank. Nico didn't mind. No one talked to him unless necessary, so he didn't talk to anyone unprovoked. They offered him Percy's room to sleep in, thinking for sure that Percy was a gonner in Tartarus, but Nico had faith that Percy was strong enough. He didn't sleep in Percy's bed, because that would be too painful. He slept up on the top of the mast, with the cold night air to keep him grounded.
He tried to do what the 7 shouldn't do, but didn't try to fight their battles for them. They wouldn't want him to. Then they went to Croatia. He knew that the 7 didn't like him or trust him, apart from Hazel, but he had made a promise, and knew what would be best for the fate of the world. Jason had already fought numerous battles, and won. Nico would risk taking a beating from the love god to save the son of Zeus the inconvenience. He didn't think that... it would happen, though. Now, Jason knew. Jason knew that he was gay, and he knew that Nico was a coward.
Once he fulfilled his promise, and Percy and Annabeth were back and safe, he was off again. Percy and Annabeth had grown so much more touchy-feely after getting back. He didn't blame them, but that, combined with Cupid tearing open the wound again, was too much. It was too painful watching the person you love from a distance, knowing that he'll never love you. It wasn't Percy's fault, never was, it was his own. If he wasn't like this, he wouldn't be suffering. It was Nico's fault for loving Percy.
He volunteered for what he expected to be his own personal suicide mission, since he was the most expendable person to do it. He was almost certain that he would die from an attack, excessive shadow travel, or all of his other issues added up together, at least by the end of the quest.
But he didn't. So he kept fighting, and fighting, and fighting, until now. The second Gigantomachy had come to a close; Leo sacrificed his final breath, Octavian had launched himself to his death, Percy and Annabeth made it out of Tartarus together, and he got Reyna, Hedge, and the Athena Parthenos statue back to camp. It was a sigh of relief and grief for the half-bloods. The remaining demigods of the prophecy were constantly paired in their respective couples.
Annabeth and Percy were moving to New Rome for college, Frank and Hazel were being promoted in the legion, Jason was the Pontifex Maximus and going to school with Piper, and here he was. Kneeling at his father's feet, fighting the urge to sway as his head throbbed with vertigo. It was a day after the war ended, and Hades had personally called him to the palace. In the little time he had at camp, he stayed near the border at the forest. The 3 prophecy couples were either making out, or mourning Leo's sacrifice. His wounds from Lycaon onwards were half-hazardly wrapped in bandage by himself or Reyna; since the infirmary was busy, he did his best to stay away. No one wanted a son of death near patients in need of healing. Reyna had given him a bottle of unicorn draught that she had gotten from a member of the legion, and he justified himself with it for not going to the infirmary.
Now, after using the fragment of energy he had left, he shadow traveled into the Underworld and hoped that he didn't start fading. It was easier without the statue.
"Nico," Hades greeted. He had that emotionless stare in his eyes, and not the spark of pride that he had after the war against Kronos. Nico knew what was coming.
"Father."
An awkward silence filled the air as Nico stared to the floor, trembling under the eyes of his father. Eventually, Hades sighed. Looking up, Nico saw Hades switch from his roman form to Greek as he rotated his hand to stare at it.
"Hazel has done much good in her second life. She will undoubtedly receive Elysium in the future. Were you aware that she is the first of my children to become a ranked officer of the roman legion?" Pluto didn't bother to bury the pride in his face as he beamed over his daughter. Honestly, Nico didn't blame him. Hazel was an amazing girl, and he was so proud of her for everything she did on a daily basis. Of course, Nico knew where this talk was going, but said nothing.
"I fought by her side in Greece against the giants. She is a very worthy ally." Nico smiled, agreeing with his father while internally wincing at the upcoming lashing. "And here you are. Once again, not enough to be part of another great prophecy." Whatever was holding him together after being shattered again and again by Tartarus and the various other struggles of this war crumbled at his father's words. He could feel himself slowly start to break down.
"I know, my lord. I'm sorry-"
Pluto and Hades were flickering now, both enraged as the King of the Underworld slammed his fist down on the arm of his thrown. The sound was deafening and echoed through the empty halls of the palace. Nico quietly winced.
"I have given you every opportunity and more, all so that I could have a son who was remembered for being a hero. And given 2 great prophecies, you will be remembered in none of the stories that will be told!" As his trembling increased, Hades began to advance on him, snatching the stygian iron sword from him.
"You have had every chance to take your spotlight and fight for what you believe in, yet when the world is watching, you step to the side, and let one of those other bastards bask in the light. If history does look back on you, the minds of the future will wonder if you can even fight!" His voice was growing to an angered yell, and he punctuated his lecture by kicking him back, foot connecting with Nico's ribs. Each time, the strikes got harder as he urged Nico to strike back. As he continued to advance on his son, brandishing Nico's own sword in his hand, Nico struggled more and more to support himself on his elbows as his father kept pushing him back across the ground.
"Maria named you after victorious people, and all you've done is fail! Tell me, do you truly want to protect this world?" With Nico pressed against a vertical pillar, Hades held the blade at his throat, still as a stone. Nico, in the outburst of emotions, finally gave in. He made the palace tremble, and the pillar he was pushed up against crumbled the other way, allowing him to stand.
"You can insult me, and tell me how much you hate me all you want, but I've done everything in my power to protect the ones I care about. I united 2 camps full of people who hate me, to mend the break between 2 places that never gave me a home! I brought back my sister because the world needed her, and I stayed with her because she needed me! I survived Tartarus so that the gods, demigods, and mortals could have a fleeting CHANCE at surviving!" Nico had the shadows dancing around him, and Hades stoically stood there, glaring at his son before lashing out. With the very sword that Nico had used for so many years, Hades slashed Nico across one of his cheekbones, causing his son to fall to the ground. As the metallic scarlet poured out of his face and onto the floor of the Underworld palace, Hades prepared to continue. Nico beat him to it.
"I didn't fight battles I knew were for others, because it would be my fate to fail, and I didn't want to bring failure to your name. I stay away from the person I love so that he... they can be with someone else!. I didn't ask to know more about my mother after the Titan war—when I needed a family—because I knew that you would get too emotional, and start another war." Nico couldn't stop it now, he had tears leaking from his eyes, some mixing with the blood coming from his cheek. The salty sting reminded him of what was coming.
"I am ashamed to have a naive coward as a son. You have never achieved anything worthy of retelling. Your sister rebirthed because she knew enough to see that you would always be this way." Nico had been shaking so much that standing became difficult, but he made it up to one knee on time to see his father's face.
"A disappointment." At the pulse of shadows that came from the son of Hades as his heart sunk, Hades hit his temple with the but of the sword. As he fell, the shadows pulled him through to a place far away from his father. Whether it be by his own control, or his father's forceful shadow travel, he emerged in an alleyway.
Surrounded by grimy bricks on 3 sides, Nico clenched his fists as they rested against the cement ground. There was a trash can to his left, and old garbage bags across from him to the right. The Sun was setting over the horizon, glinting a fiery orange glow that cast elongated shadows down the alley. This is where I belong, according to my father. Among the mortal garbage. How fitting. His hands began to flicker, shadows dripping from his finger tips like water as he curled into a ball on the ground. He was in a fetal position on his side, clenching his eyes shut to desperately calm the shadows threatening to fade him. It could have been hours, minutes, or seconds, but when his eyes opened again, beads of sweat gathered on his brow, and the blood had pooled on the floor beside his face.
With a bang, the door just behind the trash can swung open. It revealed about 7 men, all wearing expensive watches and shoes. They were laughing, and as the first one stepped out of the doorframe, he saw a pistol on the inside of his jacket. The man caught sight of him, and he couldn't see the facial expression with the Sun directly behind him now. All he saw were the outlines of cheeks getting closer to the eyes. As they poured out into the alleyway, the first man gestured the others over to where he was standing over Nico. The demigod would have shadow travelled away or used the mist to change their views, but he couldn't. He was still weak from delivering the statue, fighting Gaea, and the beating from his father. Mentally he would usually push through; say nothing, and go back to Hazel somehow. He didn't know if he could face her at that moment.
"Hey, punk! I think there's a nice homeless shelter close, but first, let me show you 24k." The men behind him laughed as he rolled up his sleeves. Nico didn't know what that meant, but the punch landing on the side of his head helped him to understand a bit. It must have been the ring around the man's finger. The pain was almost numb, but still blossomed and echoed into the depths of his skull.
He remained silent, not knowing how to respond or if he should at all. The 6 other men joined in with laughter as he was kicked and hit over and over. One kick to the sternum, another punch to the nose, a stomp that shattered his wrist, countless kicks to his now cracked ribs, it never ended. At some point, a boot was pushing down on his collarbone, and the stitches Reyna had done from Lycaon snapped free. The cheek that hadn't been cut by Hades was now bruised as the bone misaligned itself under the surface. Eventually, they must have grown bored, and left him to lay there as the moon rose above him.
He didn't have his sword, or any weapons to defend himself. He was wearing only a t-shirt with jeans as the night air bit at his bare skin. Blood dripped from his mouth, nose, and cheek onto the pavement below him. It wasn't the first time mortals had beaten him, and he thought that maybe, if he died here, it would be the last. His aura of death made all creatures of life disgust him, and it wasn't like he would go around killing mortals with a sword. They would never stand a chance. So when he couldn't escape, he had no choice but to let them do as they please.
With Artemis' moon looking down on him, and the essence of Nyx surrounding his crumpled form, he desperately tried to stand. From fetal position to a kneel, he lost his balance and went to support himself with an arm, but only fell to the ground again at the pain of shifting the bones in his wrist. His face was a bloody pulp, broken nose and cheekbone feeling like iron being pressed deep into the tissue of his pale skin. The ache radiating from his wrist, ribs, and skull were layered with the ripping sensation in his arms and chest. He could see distant figures passing by the alley, but none looked his way.
The door opened again, this time softer and with less force. An older man was standing alone, a briefcase in his hand. As he stopped, surprised by the sight of the son of Hades, Nico braced himself for another beating. All he heard was a sigh, and steps that got quieter.
"Go find another alley, kid. I see the boys have already done this; I'll let you go if you leave now." His voice was cold, not as cold as Hades' voice, yet his eyes in the moonlight showed a twinkle of pity. Nico knew that this was the nicest thing someone could do for him at the moment, and so he pushed through the pain and stood on shaky feet. Almost immediately, he tipped to the side, but was able to catch himself with his good arm. The man watched him leave through narrowed eyes, and Nico limped on. Out the alley, and onto a now abandoned sidewalk.
Hades POV
After Bianca's death, he had always been frustrated with Nico. He was never enough for the glory, and it upset him that Nico didn't even want to be the child of the prophecy. After the Jackson boy befriended Nico and got Hades a cabin in the greek camp, he had hope for Nico to bring him great honour. It's why he entrusted him as his roman ambassador, but the fact that Hazel was the one to be one of the 7 angered him even further. He was already proud of Hazel for defeating a giant in her previous life, and she needn't more to please him, but Nico hadn't. Then when the Jackson and Chase demigods fell into Tartarus, he was prepared to watch his son take on his rightful role as a leader of the remaining 7 in the absence of the 2 older demigods. Yet, he stepped aside to let the 7 take their respective roles in given situations.
It had been the last chance Hades would give his son, and when he told him, he hoped in the back of his mind to finally push him to be the hero. Granted, his methods of communicating were... less than ideal. He had sent Nico away afterwards, into a random alleyway that wouldn't be far from the sea spawn's apartment. After that, he didn't bother to keep tabs on him. While a disappointment he may be, Nico was smart enough to know not to return again unless summoned.
And so, as months ticked by, he spent his time waiting for Persephone to return home to him. Hazel, the overachiever, kept rising in the roman hierarchy, and she found love in that odd son of Mars. He was happy that Hazel was happy. When Nico didn't return to either camp, he only scoffed. Typical. Running away and playing the victim. He had much more worthy things to ponder on, like how that retched son of Hephaestus used the physicians cure to escape death, and how he was touring the world now with the daughter of a Titan. To his own relief, the sea spawn and Athena child seemed to retire to New Rome, and that Jason Grace moved across the country with his daughter of Aphrodite. All was at peace, and he couldn't believe that he was calm for once.
Persephone arrived, bringing with her the blossoming in his heart for his dear wife. Even if he had to deal with snarky comments from Demeter in the back of his mind, he was glad to be with his love again. They ate together, she sat at his side in the throne room, and he confided in her when Thanatos' pleads for a pay raise made him snap at a shade.
What he hadn't been expecting, was a message delivered directly by Hermes. The messenger god had an obvious scowl on his face when faced with the King of the Underworld; it was odd in comparison to his usual laid back and sarcastic behaviour. Upon reading the message, his confusion grew wider.
Dearest Little Brother,
I wish to visit you in your palace. I feel that we should discuss some matters regarding my domain together, in private.
Hestia
When he granted his older sister a pass on Charon's ferry, she had her usual motherly eyes and quiet appearance. There was a small difference though; a small spark, almost an ember, of sadness lay in her eyes. He hated to see her sad.
"What have you come to discuss, Sister?" The ember became a small fire in her eyes, and she actually frowned.
"I believe you should see, first." She made a ring of embers to form a godly lens, looking down at an iced over park. As she moved in the view, he saw a small and dark shape shivering against the wall. Nico was wrapped in an oversized t-shirt, curled with his knees to his chest against the bottom of a small bridge. It was late into the night where he was, and his breath came out in clouds through chattering teeth. His arms were held close to his body, hugged between his knees and chest as his shoulders rose and fell at irregular rates. Snow crunched underneath him, the ice above him smoothing with the cold wind.
Hestia moved in closer, and he could see bruises littering his son's face. There was a clear scar from where he had slashed at Nico at their last meeting, and the purple markings of fists and boots contrasted the ghostly white skin. His lips were almost blue, but scattered many cuts along them. The blood smudged against his face and around his mouth had dried, or frozen, but his black shirt was stained with red.
Too shocked and confused to say anything, Hestia softly murmured to him. "He's been on the streets ever since. The death aura attracts wandering souls, and the absence of a weapon leads the souls to guide mortals to hurt him."
"He can't beat mortals in a fist fight?" Hades was almost guilty, but covered it with frustration.
"He chooses not to fight back. He doesn't want to hurt mortals." It... it reminded him too much of Bianca. She joined the hunters under the impression that they would protect mortals from creatures that were mere prey to Artemis. "I do not know what happened here before this exile started, only that he was here with you. Tell me, Brother, what has brought him this low as to refuse seeking help from his friends?"
...
"We had a disagreement. I was frustrated with him, and he chose to talk back. I never exiled him from anywhere, especially not those camps." He didn't hate Nico, he just wished that he would be braver. Nico was one of the most powerful of his children in a long time, and had by far the strongest will power. It was why he was so hard on him, because Bianca would have been even more powerful and filled with potential, and with the still massive amount of potential Nico had, he refused to take it. Bianca didn't have that choice. When the prophecy of 7 showed to be sooner rather than later, he was prepared to show his joy and pride through Nico, but he wasn't one of the 7. He wasn't the child of the great prophecy. He wasn't one of the 7. It kept disappointing him over and over again.
"The title of a hero is not granted to all heroes, Hades. We both know that personally well," Hestia's soft voice wasn't angry, more pained. Of course. They were in her domain: family. She could feel his thoughts. "Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, Annabeth Chase, Piper Mclean, Frank Zhang, Leo Valdez, and Hazel Levesque are brave and powerful heroes, but that does not mean they are the only ones."
"When we defeated our father, it was you who commanded our siblings. Zeus may have shadowed you and changed the tongues of history to appear otherwise, but it does not change the truth." Hades remembered those days. He remembered being bitter at being the one of his brothers not to receive a weapon from the cyclopes, and instead the Helm of Darkness, but pushed past it for the sake of his younger siblings. His sisters had been eager to turn over a new page after getting regurgitated by Kronos, and he urged himself to set a strong example by pushing past the little things he cherished. Things like being able to take a deep breath, and taste fresh air. Being able to stretch his legs out and sit up with perfect posture, despite his taller than average height.
While Zeus may have liked to think he led them all to victory, Poseidon's interactive skills combined with Hades own input had been what kept their sisters from socking their youngest brother across the face. "Little Brother, you tell him that he is nothing like the greatness of his sisters, but the truth is that you are afraid and sad." His eyes snapped up at his sister's claim, slightly offended, slightly confused.
"You are afraid of how similar he is to you. And you are saddened by that knowledge." He nearly shuttered.
"I... I may have been harsh on him, but I had reason to." Hestia waited for him to continue, bringing a comforting hand to his shoulder. "I just... I was frustrated with him. He has so much potential, and I know that he can do great things and make me proud, but..."
"Perhaps it is not what he has done, but what has been done to him, that you must look to." He closed his eyes to inhale deeply. He didn't know where to stand. Part of him felt guilty for his harsh words, while the other part was angry that Nico was playing the victim. Hestia swept away the view of his shivering son, and instead, a clouded view appeared of the inside of a cramped cabin. "This is what happened in the Big House at Camp Half-Blood a week after the war had passed."
"How can you be so calm right now?! After everything he did for us?" Jason yelled with such fury that Piper rose from her seat to put a hand on his shoulder. They were in the Big House with the remaining 7, Chiron, and Reyna. Percy and Annabeth were inches away from each other, both sitting calmly with their elbows resting on the table. The son of Jupiter was standing with his seat pushed back, arms slammed down onto the counter top.
Percy sighed, a pained look in his eyes. Annabeth squeezed his hand on the table while they both had equally tense expressions. "It's not like I don't care about Nico! Listen, this is the first time he's done this for you. He's done it plenty of times before, and-"
"And the next thing we know, he's survived Tartarus and been captured by Giants." Hazel's voice was uncharacteristically cold, and honestly? Scary. Frank's rubbing of circles on her back continued with more purpose as he glanced at the room before him. Percy's eyes broke at the mention of it, and after moments of silence, he brought his face to his hands on the table. Annabeth tried to comfort him, but he didn't respond.
"You're right, I... Gods, I've been such an idiot." He was undoubtedly about to continue, but Jason stood abruptly from the table.
"You have no idea how much he's done for us." There was a deafening silence while Piper grasped Jason's hand to keep him from leaving or punching something. Hazel had silent tears sliding down her face, and Reyna seemed close to either sobbing or killing someone. Percy and Annabeth looked terrible, like they had just killed someone. Chiron himself was guilt stricken.
"Nico dealt with the horrid treatment he got from all of the Romans, on top of how we treated him on our quests. He survived Tartarus for the sake of making our quest winnable. He led us to the doors despite barely being able to keep himself together. He didn't sleep in a cabin the entire time he was on the Argo II because that would remind everyone that you 2 weren't with us!" Jason had tears gathering in his eyes as he stared Percy and Annabeth down. The amount of emotion in his voice made the lights flicker above them, and Piper had to clutch his shoulder again to stop him from causing a power outage.
"He barely ate anything, barely slept, and still, he led us there and fought with us. We avoided him, and didn't spare him a second glance, yet he still was willing to die to save any one of us! He was convinced that every demigod in both camps hated him, and didn't want him around, but he still defended them."
"He knew that our quest was a suicide mission for him. And yet volunteered, and survived it. That is strength that no proper leader can ignore." Reyna's stone cold voice almost caused a shiver throughout the entire room. In fact, Frank did indeed shiver.
"He hated coming to Camp Jupiter before everything happened. He never said it, but I saw his frown when the first cohort whispered about him, or when the senators looked relieved when he wouldn't sit with them. But he still came because I needed him. He would exhaust himself shadow travelling to me, and then heal me or help me with sword training no matter how tired he was." Hazel's tears were beginning to dry, but were soon to be replaced with new ones.
"When he first came on to the Argo II, he apologized for falling into Tartarus and getting captured by the Giants. He said he didn't want to leave me by dying, like Bianca." Hazel heaved in deep breaths as Frank hugged her close, a few tears welling in his own eyes. Percy began to freely cry in front of everyone. He was no longer the happy-go-lucky son of Poseidon that he so easily slid into, now he was the Greek leader that had lost too many.
"I promised Bianca I would watch out for him, and I've broken that promise so many times. Nico never broke any. He got me in and out of the Underworld with the curse of Achilles, even though I attacked him. And he brought his father to fight for us even after I said I didn't trust him. After I blamed him for being a child. He led you to the doors despite being barely strong enough to walk. He promised that he was strong enough to get the Parthenos here, and he did. Even though he blamed me for Bianca's death, even though he hated me, he did nothing but protect me when I was supposed to protect him." His words choked him, and Annabeth pulled him to sit back as she blinked the tears out of her own eyes.
"Without him, Percy and I would never have made it close to escaping... the Pit. He saved everyone in the Titan war, he did it again in this war, and he's done it all alone. Nico's... oh gods, Nico's only 14. He was 10 when his world broke. He was 12 when he saved all of the Greeks and banished the Ghost King. Now he's 14, and he's survived what no one else has even experienced." As the words sunk in, Hazel wiped her tears.
"I wouldn't be here without Nico."
"None of us would."
Nico POV
The world seemed to pass by him quicker than usual, but he barely could tell. Everything 6ft away from him was blurred. Whether it be from his current physical health, or his mind distorting his perception, he didn't know. Both were logical causes. He knew that it was his own fault that he was here, sitting under a bridge like a hobo. Those months ago when Hades basically disowned him, he didn't have the strength to go back to camp. No, well... technically he did. He could have shadow travelled or simply walked there, but he didn't have the courage to. Because they would ask where he was, why he was injured, and why he didn't have his sword. And because Piper, Annabeth, Hazel, and Jason were there, they would be able to tell if he was lying. He would have to tell the truth eventually, and he was too much of a coward to tell Hazel and Percy.
He hated that he disappeared to Hazel. He didn't want her to feel alone, so he sent her messages through Hermes to ensure that he loved her and wasn't dead. He really owed Hermes. the messenger god had answered his prayers when he was on the brink of death, travelling by foot a day after his father threw him out. Not only did he answer his prayers by saving his life, but he offered his assistance until Hades (and he directly quoted) 'Gets his act together.' He didn't know why Hermes was being so generous to him, as he had rarely ever interacted with the god until Hermes said something he would have never guessed to hear.
"Aphrodite really likes messing, huh? I know. Unrequited love gets really... tiring. I guess that's the least of your problems now, huh? It's always the wise ones..." He hadn't understood it at first, but given thought, he remembered a comment that Travis made when he was 10 and still unclaimed. 'Our dad's also in love with an owl, but Percy actually has a chance.' He could put together that Hermes loved Athena, but being an eternal maiden, she would never love him back. He ached a small bit when he concluded that Hermes was only helping him out of pity, and didn't actually care.
Lost in thought, he didn't realize the laughter passing over the bridge. Not until a young woman fell from the top of it and onto the ground beside his crouched form. It wasn't a big fall, only about 6ft, but he heard laughter coming from the bridge as she woman started crying. She was wrapped in a too large jacket with a pom pom hat and mits, with worn boots that had snow and slush sticking to them. As she cried, too upset to run away, the group of middle aged men and women descended the bridge to laugh at her more. They hadn't realized his shadow of a form until he stood on shaking knees and placed himself between the crowd and the girl.
"What'r you going to do, hobo? We're just having some fun. There's no harm!" someone whined. He stayed still, keeping his eyes on the ground in between them as he worked up the courage to speak.
"Leave." It was all they needed before they burst out laughing. The woman behind him had grown silent as 2 taller men pushed him back, behind the woman. Hesitantly, his gaze drifted to where the woman lay. The cruel crowd ignored her and walked around, too focused on calling him disgusting names. When one shoved him back, his knee buckled and he fell to the ground. They didn't hit him too much, and it wasn't that hard. Just a lot. The kicks to his already broken ribs caused him to start coughing up blood again, and his thin flesh looked like stamps of blue ink had been placed on top. It wasn't too bad.
When they left, he pulled himself back to the side of the bridge where the wind didn't feel as cold as underneath. Curled in on himself, he let his mind go blank. There was simply too much he could be thinking about, and his brain couldn't process it. He was cold. The bruises ached. His bones felt light. His stomach was empty. His lips were dry. His head hurt. His heart hurt. Everything hurt.
"Nico?" The voice made him blink, clearing his vision just enough to see a familiar form. Lowering his head once again, he didn't have the strength to move to his knee.
"Yes, my lord?" A look of hurt spread across Hades face more than it already appeared to be there. He didn't understand why he would be sad or why he would go to Nico instead of dragging him to the Underworld. Especially since Persephone was at the palace. He never left the Underworld when Persephone was there.
"Nico... why haven't you returned to the demigods?" Why was he here? He had nothing to apologize for. Everything he had said had been right apart from the whole 'not wanting to protect the world' thing. It's not like it mattered anyway. The world was at peace now, and there was no going back. What was done was done.
"Because I'm not brave enough." It hadn't taken him long to accept the truth again. Jason and Hazel had tried to convince him of otherwise during the war, but he had relearnt the truth of what he was. He never knew what to expect when conversing with his father, but he was definitely not expecting to get pulled to his feet with an urgency he had rarely seen in anyone before.
His father looked like he wanted to say something, but had no words as he dropped Nico's good hand. Nico prepared himself for a strike or a shout, not a hug. Too shocked to do anything, he let himself feel the stiff arms wrapped over his shoulder blades. His unscarred cheek laid on the pectoral of his father's chest while Hades heaved shaken breaths of unverbalized emotion. Nico didn't know how to feel. He had been brought deeper into his pit of self-hatred as the years had ticked by with Hades, but did he really deserve any better?
"None of it was true, Nico. Please, believe me when I say that I've been wrong. Please, my son." Hades voice almost cracked as he held his son closer. Through their physical contact, shadows wrapped themselves around the pair, healing Nico's injuries slowly. "Your mother would be so proud of you. She would be able to see the amount of pure strength that you truly possess." Nico began to cry, almost pulling away as his tears wet the black robe his father was wearing.
"Your sister knew how strong you would be. She couldn't bare to see you in pain." His silent tears turned into soft sobs, and the shadows that had snaked around them had a welcoming sensation as they melted into their forms.
"I was so blinded. So much like my brothers. I was blind to the heroics you committed every day. You may not have run face first into unbeatable battles, but you endured every bit of abuse the Fates sent you. Even when you didn't have to." Nico finally let the dam break as he leaned into his father's hug and shakily wrapped his own arms around him. The sobs shook both of their forms. Nico couldn't believe what he was hearing was real. What would cause Hades to have such a change of heart? Was this a trick? Was it a dream?
"Nico, I've failed you as a father over and over again. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Percy sighed as he watched the calendar pinned to the wall. There, written under today's date, read 'Argo II get-together' in blue ink. He and Annabeth were enjoying college, but today specifically was a darker day. When going for his daily swim, he had seen 2 kids at the bakery he got muffins from for a pre-swim snack. The twin 8 year olds weren't a new sight, but the boy and girl had specific cards in their hands. Mythomagic. They giggled and laughed as the other pouted, and stared excitedly at him as he entered. They reminded him of Nico in that moment. Nico from 4 years ago, before he had lost everything.
After he had gone missing the day after Gaea was defeated, they had all searched for him. However, without anyone who could shadow travel, barely any ground was covered. They never did find him or any trace of him. The only startling lead was when Mrs. O'leary lead them to an alleyway with blood stains in the pavement. Then, about a week and a half later, Hazel got a message sent directly by Hermes. The god wouldn't spill anything about where he was, but assured them that he was alive. The messages came every so often, and always a few days before an Argo II get together.
He missed Nico, and wished that he hadn't left camp. Tartarus had changed both of them, but Annabeth and Percy could confide in each other about the experience of Tartarus. Nico didn't have anyone else. No one living, at least. Percy wished that he could have been there for Nico more, and he wished that Nico would give him the opportunity to now.
The get-togethers were always nice. Piper and Jason seemed to be going through relationship bumps, and Reyna never lost the look of worry in her face after Nico had disappeared, but Leo had returned with Calypso, and Frank and Hazel were closer than ever. He couldn't be happier with Annabeth. Well, he could. Having Nico somewhere safe and with people who love him would mean the world to him now, but it seemed unlikely right now.
And so, when he and Annabeth showed up at Camp Half-Blood on Blackjack, they said hi to their old fellow counsellors and Annabeth's siblings. They hugged Rachel and teased her about the 'lady in the attic' trope. They smiled to Chiron as he led them to the Big House. They pet Mrs. O'Leary and said hello to Hestia at the hearth. Hestia had an unusually happy smile today.
Upon lazing around their hang-out room in the Big House, they soon took to the usual routine. Catching up with their lives in the past month, Leo and Percy cracking inappropriate jokes at the wrong times, yet still making everyone laugh. Calling back to the more unbelievable parts of their quests. Then came the time to ask Hazel what she had last heard about from Nico.
Frank squeezed her shoulders to his body as she choked on her words. "I haven't heard anything since the last time." Their faces all paled, and any smiles drooped. This was the first time since this routine started that they hadn't heard anything from Nico. Reyna crossed her arms tighter to her chest, as Annabeth put her hand where my Achilles heel used to be. Jason's face was overcome by emotion, and Leo's smile dropped to an actual frown for once.
Everyone's gazes shifted as the shadows seemed to focus on one point beside the door. Everyone looked to Hazel, expecting her emotions to be causing the flux in shadows, but her eyes only grew wide. Wait. She was the one changing the shadows, right?
With a smoother entrance than usual, Nico di Angelo emerged from the shadows to face them all. He was horrifyingly thin and looked like he hadn't slept well in a year, but apart from new scars along his face, he was uninjured. And his face. The broken look that developed after Bianca's death was gone. He wasn't the same as before, there was still a crack from Tartarus and the Jar, but the small and awkward quirk of his lips showed him smiling. Nico smiled.
Before he could move, the son of Hades was tackled by Hazel, who nuzzled herself into his chest. Only a second later, Percy wrapped his arms around the children of the underworld, and felt Jason squeeze them all together. Hazel was crying with tears of joy and relief, and when he somehow used the shadows to gently pull Jason and Percy back, he lightly pulled Hazel's head back to look at her face. Everyone in the room saw nothing but love in his eyes. He used his thumb to brush the tears off her cheek.
"I'm sorry." Hazel squeezed him tighter this time, not planning on letting go any time soon. When Frank and Nico both convinced her to let go of his newly healed ribs, Annabeth hugged him gentler, but with an assertive aura he couldn't combat. Reyna walked up, and at first, she looked like she may kiss him the way her hand cupped his cheek. She slapped him instead. With his head turned away from the extremely powerful slap, she hugged him close with her chin on his shoulder. Jason was basically jumping with joy, but before he could do anything, Leo burst into flames with the amount of happiness and relief flowing through him. At the sudden burst of flames, Frank turned into a pigeon, and blindly flew directly into the side of Piper's head. Everyone laughed until the sofa caught fire, and Jason's wind from him hovering a foot off the ground accelerated its spread.
Percy put it out shortly after, just on time for Jason to tackle Nico in a hug so powerful that he carried them through the halls of the Big House, and shot up into the campfire and marshmallow scented air once outside. To everyone's surprise, Nico laughed as Jason eased them back to the ground. They couldn't handle it any longer, and Hazel had to ask.
"Where have you been?" His face flashed for a moment, then a wide smile crossed his face.
"I... made our father proud, and I remembered who I fight for." At the suspense in everyone's eyes, Nico looked from one to another until the dark pits of mystery landed on Percy. "You." Percy couldn't hold it in any longer, he tackled Nico to the ground and enveloped him in the tightest bear hug he had ever given. Nico hugged him back, and smiled like the little kid who loved Mythomagic. As he took in everything about little brother he thought had died 4 years ago, Percy's own tears swelled. The way he held his chin up without fear, the easy smile that was so adorable beyond the shy eyes, the easy laugh that had gone nearly forgotten for years. It all blended into the singularity that was Nico di Angelo. And as the Argo II crew finally allowed themselves to rest, the demigods of camp cheered at the safe return of their hero.
Rambling Author's notes I guess:
Take that as you will. There are a few inaccuracies that were just convenient to stretch for this, and I apologize for that. However, I did find out that apparently Hermes canonically has unrequited love for Athena. Idk, Hermes is also just a chill god, so I didn't think that him helping Nico would be too uncharacteristic of him for this fic. If it wasn't clear, Nico stood up for a mortal stranger before Hades apologized, just kinda cuz that's the type of person he is. At that point in the story, he thought so low of himself (more than usual) that his entire mantra was "if anyone's gonna suffer, it may as well be me."
I tried to keep things open ended for all the shippers out there. So maybe Solangelo happens right after this, and Will had been worrying the entire time. Maybe Piper and Jason break up for him to find a confidant (or more) in Nico now that he was back. Maybe Nico retires to New Rome with Percy and Annabeth like a sibling dynamic (or a poly relationship, maybe percabeth goes platonic to make pernico). Maybe Reyna does want to kiss Nico instead of slapping him. Maybe TOA happens, maybe it doesn't. Nico's love for Percy is also open ended in this. At the very end when he looks at Percy, it could be from a brotherhood of messed up pasts intertwining, or a show of his love for Percy with a protective mood, or it could be his final step to moving on from Percy to be friends and allies that are content with each other.
I'm not a big shipper, so I don't really care what take it is. The point of this was to kinda project some feelings onto a pre-built world with characters already filling roles. Once again, canon Hades is pretty okay after TLO. Aside from Hades, I tried to keep everyone pretty authentic to their characters (Nico is arguable. Most of the story is in his mind while he is in a very self-hating state. The way he retells events puts the reader into his own mind of what happened. In the books, he did at some point(s) have depression and undoubtedly had self-esteem issues like most of the other demigods. I feel like the Nico from right before Reyna pulled him out of the shadows in BOO could have thought this way given certain circumstances (like a verbally abusive Hades) had actually happened).
Idek why ppl do this, but if it somehow wasn't obvious, I'm not Rick Riordan? The characters are his. Y'know. Like all fanfiction. Nothing legal or anything. Don't go saying that you wrote this and steal it or anything stupid. It's fanfiction; doesn't really matter, but just be a decent person.