Chapter 24: "Home is people. Not a place."

A/N: As always, thanks to the lovely ViscountessAberowen (can be found over on Ao3)! As a sidenote, if I ever make edits to this (small things and continuation errors and such), it will ONLY be made to the posted chapters on Ao3. Thank you for reading!

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Nico fell onto the mattress of Leo's bed without ceremony. As he shifted his weight, Nico heard paper crumple and realized he had landed on the letters sent through earlier. Nico swung his feet from the bed, ignoring the scattering of dirt and pebbles- he'd apologize to Leo later.

Looking about, the room was deserted. He pushed himself from the bed, steadying himself on the frame of the top bunk as a wave of dizziness washed over him. The son of Hades felt the blood leave his face. His hearing faded in and out. All he felt was clammy coolness- his palm against wood and his heart pounding in his ears. He waited a moment for the room to stop spinning and then stepped forward cautiously, willing his heartbeat to return to normal.

Nico crossed to the door and flung it open. Crossing the threshold, he began to walk, gaining speed until, running through the hallway and down the stairs, he entered the Grand Hall. Jo, the only one present in the kitchen area, looked up with a startled gasp. Once she recognized Nico, her hand flew to her chest.

"Gods above, Nico! You scared me. What are you doing here? When did you get back?"

Nico crossed to the kitchen rapidly, sucking in mouthfuls of air. "Where's Leo?"

Jo stared at him before saying, "Field trip. He and Cal-but, what's wrong?"

"Where is the field trip?" The intensity in Nico's voice caused Jo's eyebrows to raise up. Another thing he'd apologize for later.

"The Children's Museum. He and Cal took the Dayspring kids there. What's going on? Does it have to do with the quake?" Partial understanding fell over her face, and the slightly incredulous look gave way to concern. "Are they alright? Nico, you have to tell me-"

The remainder of Jo's question was cut off as the front door slammed open. Cal stood in the doorway, tendrils of hair falling loose from her braided plait. Her eyes flicked about the room until they landed on Jo and Nico. Cal gave a small cry and launched herself toward the pair, her arms wrapping around Nico. He felt the shaking in her limbs and held still in her arms until she released him. Pulling back, Cal scrubbed a hand over her face and looked toward Jo.

"We have to go back to the museum. Get Lit and Emmie- Sssssarah and Jaime, too, if they're here. We were attacked by a pack of lycanthropes."

Jo nodded and moved toward the hallway between the stairs, calling for Lit and Emmie.

Nico narrowed his eyes. "Where are the kids and Leo?"

"Leo created a distraction for us. So we could get to the bus and get the kids out. After the quake, everything was disorganized. And we had to find Celia."

"Where is he, Cal? Where's Leo?"

The ex-goddess took a deep breath and answered, "He's still there."

Nico bit his lip and asked, "Why didn't he come with you? The two of you should have been able to get the kids out and to safety."

Cal gave Nico a reproachful look. "We were drawing too much attention, Nico. With four demigods and me-"

Nico gazed at her sharply. "Four?"

Nodding, Cal continued, "Grace filled me in on the bus ride back to Dayspring. She's a demigod, Nico. So are Celia and Miles."

The stunned look on Nico's face stayed put as Cal quickly explained how Celia had come to be separated from the group. She told him how Leo planned to draw the wolves away so that Cal could get the girl and the other kids to safety.

Nico moved around Cal and headed toward the door. "Is Festus still out there?"

"Yes," Cal said, following the son of Hades. "But, Nico. We should wait for the others. Who knows how many lycanthropes there are. We need to-"

"We don't need to do anything, Cal. I'm going to get Leo. I'm not waiting around for everyone to get ready."

"Nico. Leo is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. I know you're worried, but-"

Nico spun around and fixed Cal with a hard look. "I am worried, Cal! Because he's strong and powerful, and he doesn't seem to give a damn about keeping himself safe! He died to save all of us, for crying out loud. Without even knowing if the physician's cure would work! He's reckless and could be getting himself killed as we speak so-"

"Don't you think I know that? But, how will it be any better if you go and get yourself in a mess and aren't able to help Leo because you got hurt yourself? Leo's not the only one who doesn't care about keeping himself safe!"

Nico's mouth opened, but nothing came out. The anger slowly left his face, and his shoulders slumped as he looked at the floor. "Well, I guess you have a point." Several seconds of silence fell between the two before Nico looked up, a determined expression on his face. "So come with me then. Jo already knows where we're heading. They'll follow behind us. But, Cal..."

Nico trailed off, feeling that quieting awareness of Leo on the edge of his senses. It wasn't fading anymore...but it wasn't strong.

The son of Hades looked at the girl and simply said, "I have to help him."

Cal stared at him, expressions flitting across her face-anger, exasperation, worry- before settling into acceptance. She nodded curtly. "Alright."

She crossed into the kitchen and, opening the cupboard under the sink, withdrew a bag. She let the cabinet door fall closed and opened the fridge, removing several bottles of nectar and a baggie of ambrosia. She shut the fridge and walked toward Nico, tossing a bottle of nectar at him.

"Drink that," she ordered. "You're pale and look like you're about to pass out. What were you doing before you came here?"

Nico did as he was told and uncapped the bottle, taking a swig before answering. "Having lunch. In New Rome."

She looked at him over her shoulder as they moved toward the door and exited the Waystation. "I'll check you over once we're on Festus. I don't think I have enough energy to do a healing, let alone a cleansing, but-"

"You won't have to," Nico interrupted, shaking his head. "I'm fine."

She stopped walking and whirled around, a scowl marring her usually serene face. "Nico, I literally just talked about taking care of yourself. If you're too close to fading-"

"I'm not. I promise." At Calypso's disbelieving look, Nico sighed and held out his hand. "Check if you don't believe me. But make it quick- we have to go."

Cal glared at him but grabbed his hand and closed her eyes. The lines of anger smoothed from her face and gave way to confusion. Finally, she gently released his hand and opened her eyes. "How? I'm sure you shadow traveled- there's no way you would have gotten here so quickly otherwise. And coming from the coast...how are you okay?"

Nico smiled slightly, but it never reached his eyes. "It's a story for later. We need to get to Leo."

Cal nodded brusquely and turned, walking toward the dragon with renewed purpose. She clambered up the side of the metal creature, Nico close behind. After they were settled, Festus took to the air without needing a word of encouragement or direction.

As they flew, Cal went into further detail about the events that had transpired earlier in the day.

"We sent the kids up to the carousel and went down to talk to the telekhine."

Nico's hand gripped the metal of the dragon, twitching in surprise at the mention of the creature. "A telekhine? Are you sure? Why was it there?"

Nodding, Calypso answered, "I still don't know. It was really confused, Nico. It had that purple energy you guys saw on the hydra. And the flying things that attacked you and Lit and Leo."

Nico shook his head and looked down at his hands, expecting to see the purple energy dancing on his skin as if to taunt him. But, his hands were normal. He swallowed heavily and asked, "Did it try to attack you guys?"

"No, but..." Cal trailed off, her voice filled with uncertainty.

"But what?"

"It seemed confused, Nico. Worried. Scared. It talked about how it escaped from Tartarus...how it couldn't die."

Nico blanched. With Thanatos missing...was there something wrong with the Doors of Death? Were they chained again? Or somehow broken? Before he could ask, Calypso calmed his fears.

"The telekhine said the Doors were fine- just hard to find- too far away. He said...he said that he made it up on leylines. Do you know what he meant by that, Nico? Did you ever see anything that would explain lines while you...while you were down there?"

Nico frowned, ignoring the shaking in his limbs at the mention of Tartarus. Where had he heard about leylines before? His father had managed to lead the other gods out of Tartarus through a series of tunnels that were off-limits to mortals and monsters alike- tunnels that couldn't be found. But...leylines? Nico shook his head and answered, "No."

Calypso continued. "Well, whatever the lines are, the telekhine said they were how he was able to escape. From what he said, I gathered that the lines aren't always there. But, with all the fighting-"

Nico's head jerked up, and he asked sharply, "Fighting? What fighting?"

Cal shook her head. "I don't know. He just said that there was shaking and fighting when he woke up in Tartarus. And that during the fighting, the 'silver eyes' led him to the lines and told him that if he doesn't hurt anyone, no one will hurt him."

A bolt of shock ran through Nico, and he must have made some sound because Cal worriedly asked, "What is it? What's wrong?"

Nico choked several times before he asked, "You're sure he said 'silver eyes?' That 'silver eyes' helped him?"

"Yes," Calypso answered. "But what's the problem with that? I don't know anyone with silver-"

"Bob," Nico breathed out.

"Who?"

Clearing his throat, Nico repeated, "Bob. Iapetus. The titan. Bob. He's...he's my friend. And he's the only one I know with silver eyes. But...why would he be helping creatures find a way out of Tartarus? And what fighting?"

Calypso shrugged. "He didn't say. He kept getting confused and just kept circling back to not wanting to get hurt. That he wouldn't die- he'd just be gone. Be dust."

Nico stiffened.

Dust? Of all the damn conversations to miss! I leave for just a bit and...

Nico groaned quietly, frustration lacing his voice.

Cal asked again, "What's wrong, Nico?"

"Nothing," Nico stated bitterly. "I just always seem to be gone at the most inopportune times."

The pair fell into silence for the rest of the flight. Once the building was within sight, Calypso pointed it out. "There's the museum."

Nico nodded but refrained from speaking. His eyes lit upon the building, roving over the expansive windows and rippled architecture. The bottom parking lot swarmed with police cars and fire engines.

"Where should we land? I doubt the firefighters will let us in." Cal's uncertainty permeated the air. "And if we tell them we're looking for a friend, they might just find Leo and take him to the hospital. And if they take him to the hospital..."

Nico finished the ex-goddess' thought, "He already has a record with being in foster care and running away. You're right. We need to get to him first. Get him back to the Waystation."

"The rooftop. Hopefully, I can get us through the door, so we can start looking for Leo."

But Nico was already scanning the roof and smiled grimly, "We won't have to." Cal followed Nico's pointing finger to see a solitary figure sitting against the ledge of the building. His head was bowed deeply into his chest, and the unlit rooftop did little in the way of identifying the boy. But, his brown curls could belong to no other. It was Leo.

Festus descended, landing rather heavily with a loud metallic thunk! The two demigods scrambled off of the dragon, Nico pulling ahead as they raced to the edge of the building. Nico dropped to his knees beside the demigod, hesitating briefly before his lithe fingers lit upon Leo's brown skin which, normally touched by undertones of copper, was a dull gray. The son of Hades moved his fingers to the groove beneath Leo's ear and behind his jaw, feeling for a pulse. He felt Leo's life- knew the son of Hephaestus wasn't dead- but the steady heartbeat beneath his fingertips did much to calm his nerves.

Nico smiled somberly at Cal. "He's still alive, but...get the nectar and ambrosia, will you?"

Calypso nodded and quickly got to her feet, jogging to Festus to retrieve her bag of supplies.

Nico moved his hand from Leo's neck to his jaw, gently lifting until he could see the demigod's face. Leo's face was relaxed but covered with soot and grime. Nico reached forward and brushed Leo's curls away from his face with his other hand.

"You just had to go being the hero again, didn't you?" Nico's quiet words received no response, and he sighed. His eyes traveled down Leo's body, taking account of each cut and newly formed bruise. Ash littered Leo's clothing, and a faint stench of burning hair hung in the air. "What did you do, Leo?"

Cal returned to the pair of boys. She knelt beside them and, pulling a bottle of nectar from the bag, told Nico, "Get him laying down. He needs to drink some of this, and I'll see if I can't heal enough to get him awake enough to eat the ambrosia."

Nico nodded and, training from working with Will in the infirmary taking over, sat beside Leo and moved the demigod so that his head rested across Nico's legs. The son of Hades raised his knees so Leo was slightly elevated and tilted Leo's head back until Cal could maneuver his mouth open. She opened the bottle and poured a small amount of nectar into Leo's mouth, massaging her hands against his neck until he reflexively swallowed.

After getting a quarter of the nectar into Leo, Cal set the container aside and laid her hands gently against Leo's arm. She began to hum but was abruptly cut off by the door to the roof slamming open. Both Nico and Cal's gaze swung over to the door on the far side of the roof as several firefighters made their way onto the top of the building. Festus hid them from view, but it wouldn't last long once the firefighters searched the roof.

"The panel said that the alarms were tripped up here. That's what triggered the sprinklers to go off below. Fan out and take care of any hot spots."

"Hades take your eyes!" Cal hissed as she saw the firefighters split up. She turned back to Nico. "Keep up with the nectar. We don't have time for me to heal him, let alone take off. If you can, hide- take cover, and I'll distract them."

"Hide?" Nico looked around the roof. What little he could see of it lent nothing in the way of hiding spots. "Hide where?"

"There's some shadow up here, isn't there? Can't you use that? Just for a bit?"

Nico blew the air out through his mouth slowly. "I'll try. Just...try to get them all to go down with you, okay? I don't think Festus will provide enough cover if I can't do it."

Cal nodded and gazed down at Leo, reaching out hesitatingly before drawing her hand away. She smiled sadly and looked up at Nico. "Take care of him, okay?"

Nico didn't have the chance to nod before Calypso took a deep breath and stood straight, calling out, "Hello? Is someone there?"

"Guys! We got someone over here!"

Cal strode purposely toward the firefighters. "I'm so sorry. I was here with a group and then- when the earthquake hit-I don't remember coming up here."

Nico barely listened as the firefighters converged on the girl, asking a number of questions ranging from "Are you hurt?" to "Is anyone else up here?" and "Do you know what happened here? Did you see the fire?"

As Cal answered that she was alone and had gotten there after the fire, Nico concentrated on drawing the shadows on the rooftop to him. But, the rooftop was too poorly lit, and Nico struggled to find any shadows strong enough.

"Nunez, check around for anyone else." The order broke through Nico's attempts. He quickly glanced up, hearing rather than seeing a firefighter moving towards him and Leo. Nico cursed silently and tried again, but no shadows answered his call. His left arm curled protectively around Leo's prone figure, his right hand finding the rosary hanging around his neck. As his fingers brushed against it, he felt a chill of calm wash over him- cool and soothing. He closed his eyes again and willed them to be covered by darkness.

Footsteps squeaked against the laminate on the rooftop. Nico opened his eyes, barely daring to breathe. A woman of short stature with strong shoulders-a firefighter-gazed directly at the boys. Nico swallowed heavily and opened his mouth to greet her- to say something-anything. But, the voice from before called out, "Nunez! Anything?"

The woman's eyes surveyed the rooftop area, and it was a moment before she yelled back, "Nothing." Then, finally, she turned around and moved away from the pair of demigods. Nico listened as the trio of firefighters retreated back to the door, Cal going with them.

Nico let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as the door shut behind the group. His hand fell away from the rosary beads, and the feeling of cool calmness fled, leaving Nico with nothing but shaking limbs. Remembering Cal's words, the son of Hades continued to administer the nectar to Leo until the bottle was nearly empty. He sighed in relief as Leo stirred slightly.

The son of Hephaestus coughed, wincing as he did so. But then, Leo opened his eyes, blinking rapidly. Nico leaned over him, doing his best not to jostle the other boy.

"Leo- how are you feeling?"

The demigod opened his mouth to respond but was struck with another bout of coughing. Tremors shook his body as his lungs tried to rid themselves of the acrid smoke he had inhaled. Once the fit stopped, Leo croaked out, "I feel like a giant sat on me. Or...maybe I was caught in a stampede of unicorns?"

Nico rolled his eyes but smiled down at the boy. "That's what happens when you push yourself too far."

Leo raised an eyebrow and said, "Speaking from experience, are we Ghost Boy?"

Nico laughed, the sound sharp against the quiet of the night. "Ghost King, Leo. How many times do I have to tell you?"

Leo grinned wearily, "Always at least once more."

The son of Hades gave the other boy's arm a gentle squeeze. "I think I can manage that."

Leo closed his eyes, a soft smile playing against his lips. The son of Hephaestus seemed to be drifting back to sleep when a thought struck him, and he wrenched his eyes open. "Wait- why are you here? And where are the-the kids!" Leo tried to sit up, his panic reaching a crescendo as the events of the day came crashing down on him. "Celia and- and Grace, and-"

Leo stopped trying to sit up, holding a hand to his chest as another wave of coughing wracked his body. Nico supported his shoulders until the bout was over and then lowered him back down, gently but firmly.

"They're fine, Leo. Cal got them home safe."

Leo's eyes found Nico's, and he asked, "I killed them, Nico. I killed them all."

"What? No, Leo. I told you- the kids are safe. They-"

"The wolves," Leo interrupted. "I killed every single one of them. I burned them." The demigod's eyes were glassy as he looked away from Nico, choosing to stare at the darkened sky instead.

Nico gently ran his fingers down Leo's arm, tracing a pattern over the other boy's skin. His words were soft when he said, "They would have killed you, Leo."

The son of Hephaestus remained silent, staring resolutely at the night sky.

Sighing, Nico grabbed the container of ambrosia with his free hand. "Think you can manage some ambrosia?"

Leo hesitated before shaking his head. "Too nauseous. But, I wouldn't say no to the rest of the nectar."

Nico helped the other demigod lean forward to drink. As soon as the bottle was finished, Nico lowered his legs, letting Leo rest against them. Nico's own exhaustion began to weigh down on him.

I wish Calypso would come back. What I would give to sleep in an actual bed tonight. But...oh gods, I forgot to message Mr. D.

Nico sighed. Hope Leo likes dolphins because after-

"When did you get back?"

The question broke Nico out of his thoughts. "What? Oh, just today."

Leo wearily glared up at the son of Hades, but his expression was without heat. "And you didn't think to tell me you'd be getting back today?"

Nico chuckled. "Eh. It was kind of last minute. But, hey. Nice surprise, right? I just..."

Nico trailed off, a yawn breaking through his speech. "Sorry. Just...tired." Absentmindedly, he twined his fingers through Leo's brown curls, his other hand still wrapped around the other boy's arm. His voice softened, and his words slurred as he let his eyes fall closed. " 'm just gonna shut my eyes for a minute. Watch out for...stuff."

Leo stared up at the son of Hades, amusement stealing over him. "Stuff?"

Nico barely nodded. "Mm. Mostri…monsters."

"Sure thing, Ghost Boy."

"Lemme know if...you feel like dying."

Leo smiled softly. "You'd be the first to know."

Nico gave another soft nod of satisfaction and, several seconds later, let his head fall back against the ledge. After a moment, Leo could hear soft snores coming from the boy.

Leo stared up at the stars, all too aware of the arm curled around him and the hand resting gently in his hair. And even though Nico had asked him to keep watch, Leo's eyes began fighting to stay open. Finally, he let himself fall into a comfortable sleep against the son of Hades, thinking that, perhaps, he could get used to this.

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"Home is people. Not a place." ~Robin Hobb