Nico was not happy.
He, Will, and Lou Ellen were sent on a quest. It was a relatively low-level quest, but still dangerous. Some werewolves causing trouble in rural Pennsylvania.
No big deal, right?
And Nico hadn't minded the company. His boyfriend, and their mutual friend, things were overall good.
Until they showed up.
All that the trio were doing was finding a suitable clearing to camp for the night. It was cold, and a light dusting of snow was beginning to accumulate. Without warning, twenty girls in silver parkas had them surrounded, bows drawn. The three demigods put their hands up.
"Stop!" cried one of the girls. She pushed her hood back, revealing her choppy black hair, electric blue eyes, and a befreckled nose. A silver circlet graced her brow, and she had a bright blue streak in her hair, which was new. She grinned. "Nico?"
Nico scowled. "Hunters."
Thalia Grace, Artemis' Lieutenant, relaxed her bow and looked at the other girls. "It's alright girls, these ones are good!"
"I zought we do not hev men wis us," said one of the girls in a thick Russian accent. Nico saw her out of the corner of his eye. Despite pointing the Hunters' distinctive bow at him, she seemed to have another weapon slung over her shoulder.
Another girl took a half step forward. "We don't."
Thalia and another one of the Hunters began to gesture. "Wait—"
"We're gay!" blurted Will. Nico glared at him. "We're gay," Will repeated, "So, um, no worries? There will be uh, no flirting. So, um. Yeah."
Thalia let loose a sharp whistle. "Everyone, weapons down. That's an order."
Immediately the Hunters all relaxed their weapons, some with more grumbling than others.
Thalia shot a glare at some of the girls, then grinned at Nico and Will. "Nico, Will, always good to see you guys again. Hi, Lou Ellen. What brings you guys out here?"
"We're hunting down some werewolves that have been causing trouble in the area."
Thalia's eyes widened. "Really? That's great, we can help out! We had news of monster activity around here, so we decided to check it out while Lady Artemis is on business on Olympus."
"Thalia!" said one of the girls. "You shouldn't be revealing so much! To boys!"
Before Thalia could even reply, the girl next to her spoke up. "Thalia is the lieutenant here! She already said they're good. Nico's like a little brother anyway."
Nico recognized her voice, her Puerto Rican accent. He narrowed his eyes as the girl lowered her hood.
Former Praetor Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano.
0-0-0
Will thought the Hunters were alright.
As a son of Apollo, one might have expected him to dislike the Hunters. Maybe he should have, on principle. However, Will thought they seemed pretty cool.
Once they put down their bows, of course.
He shot a glance over to where he heard the Russian girl and did a double take. "Is that a Kalashnikov?" he sputtered.
Thalia followed his gaze and grinned. "Yep. In more ways than one. Will, Nico, Lou, this is Katyusha Kalashnikova. And her favorite weapon."
The girl in question was tall, with prominent cheekbones and a proud expression. Instead of having her hood up, she wore a dark grey ushanka hat with the earflaps down over her straight blonde hair. Pinned to the front of the hat was a red star, surrounded by a wreath of gold leaves, with a golden hammer and sickle inside of it.
Slung across her back was a black AK-47 with a Celestial Bronze bayonet.
Katyusha smiled. "You like my rifle? I used to be one of best shot in Leningrad."
Will nodded, unsure how to respond to that. Probably not how Lou Ellen responded.
"It's called St. Petersburg now. The Soviet Union doesn't exist anymore."
Katyusha scowled. "The Motherland will rise again."
Nico's head whipped around to look at Lou Ellen, his hair flopping all over from the movement. "The Soviet Union doesn't exist anymore?"
"Nope," said Lou Ellen, popping the P. "Communism kinda fell apart over there in the nineties. Russia, Ukraine, Poland, East Germany."
"East Germany?" Nico sputtered.
"Yeah, it reunited with West Germany."
Nico's eyes were as big as saucers. "It split apart?!"
Will suppressed a chuckle and shook his head. By all appearances, Nico was a modern guy. Sure, he looked like an emo, and the black bomber jacket he wore looked kinda vintage, but it was easy to forget that he wasn't actually a teenager.
Then someone would mention something basic from 20th Century history, and it becomes all too clear that Nico has missed decades of his life. Will remembered the day that Nico hesitantly asked what happened to Mussolini. Will cautiously told him about World War II and how Mussolini met a violent end, unsure how Nico would react, having grown up in Fascist Italy. He shouldn't have been worried; Nico smiled and said that the old windbag deserved it.
Thalia's voice broke him out of his thoughts. "As fun as this impromptu history lesson is, let's get to setting up camp."
The Hunters broke the circle around them and hurried to set up. Tents were raised, a fire pit assembled, kindling seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Nico sat grumpily down on a log bench that had shown up next to the now crackling fire. He crossed his arms. Some of the Hunters eyed him warily, but they said nothing.
Reyna looked at Nico as if she wanted to approach him, but didn't know how. Uncertainty was a strange look on the former Praetor.
Will climbed over the log and sat down next to Nico. "You alright?"
Nico's eyes shot around, radiating displeasure. "Just peachy."
"We can camp elsewhere if you're more comfortable," said Will.
Nico shook his head. "Let's just get this night over with and kill these wolves so we can go back to camp."
One of the Hunters began to roast some kind of meat over the fire. Another took out a small saucepan with water. She had dark skin, and her hair was done in beaded braids. The beads clacked a bit as she looked around.
"I'm making myself some pasta. Anyone else want any?"
Will couldn't see how she was going to make enough pasta for everyone with such a tiny saucepan. To his surprise, the other Hunters all shook their heads "no."
"Phoenix loves pasta," said Thalia, passing behind him and Nico. "She eats it almost every night."
"Hey! I like what I like! Carbs are good for energy before physical activity!" said the pasta girl, most likely named Phoenix.
Thalia rolled her eyes and went on to whatever her next task was.
Phoenix shook her head and took out a long box of spaghetti. She pulled out a portion of uncooked noodles (Will wondered how long she had practiced, he was terrible at estimating pasta amounts), put the spaghetti box back in her bag, and then held the bundle of uncooked noodles in both hands over the pot.
And then— SNAP!— she broke them.
Next to Will, Nico made a horrible squeaking noise. Several Hunters looked up at him, but Phoenix had all her attention on the pot in front of her.
Nico stood up and stomped over to the Hunter. His eyes were wide and his jaw slack, like someone had just spat on the graves of his ancestors.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" he roared at Phoenix.
Phoenix jumped and stared at Nico, wide-eyed. "Making pasta…"
"You can't! break it! You can't break spaghetti!" Nico's Italian accent, always slight, became stronger, and he waved his hands around. Will loved seeing Nico talk with his hands when he was excited, but now he worried for Phoenix's safety. She did the one thing you never, ever do in front of an Italian.
She broke the pasta.
"But it wouldn't fit in the pot!" Phoenix countered.
"It wouldn't fi— IT WOULDN'T FIT?! It's pasta! It gets soft in boiling water! You just push it down as it softens! Che cazzo!" Mumbling Italian and Venetian obscenities, Nico stalked away.
Phoenix looked after him with wide eyes. One of the other Hunters turned to Thalia.
"See? Boys are too emotional. We should have left them," she said.
Thalia chuckled and shook her head. "It's not that he's a boy, it's because he's Italian. I think it's actually illegal to break the pasta in Italy." She turned to Phoenix. "You're lucky we didn't have any Italians with us, Nix."
Will stood up. "I'm gonna go get him. Sorry about that." He turned to Phoenix as well. "But, yeah, don't break the pasta. If you want a girl's opinion, you can ask Chiara Benvenuti next time you're at Camp Half-Blood. She's also from Italy."
With that, Will began walking in the direction Nico stormed off in. He didn't notice one of the Hunters tailing him.
0-0-0
Nico heard will approach from behind and sit down next to him. They were in a small clearing not far away from the main campsite.
"Hey," said Will.
"Hey."
"Wanna talk about it?"
Nico grumbled. "What's there to talk about? You know never to break the pasta."
Nico saw Will give him a look out of the corner of his eye. He tried to ignore it.
"That's not what this is about, is it?" asked Will.
"I don't know what you mean." Nico looked away.
Will sighed and took his hand. "I know you have… complicated feelings about the Hunters."
Nico gave a bitter chuckle. "Hah. Understatement of the century."
Will's thumb rubbed against Nico's knuckles. "You wanna talk about it."
Nico shook his head. "You already know the story. I just… I just need some space right now."
Will nodded, and gave Nico a peck on the cheek. "I'll be at the campsite. If you want, I'll help Phoenix make some pasta the proper way."
Nico smirked a little at that. "Nah. Just save me some meat."
Will nodded, bumped Nico's shoulder affectionately, and stood up. Nico heard his footsteps fade into the undergrowth.
Nico didn't know how long he sat there, his arms around his legs and resting his chin on his knees, but in what felt like short order he heard uncertain footsteps behind him.
"I'll come back when I'm ready, Will."
"I—" the voice cut off, but it was clearly a girl's, not Will's. Nico whipped around.
Reyna stood behind him, her posture awkward and her face screwed up like she couldn't decide whether or not to say more. Her hands twisted her braid. Nico scowled. "What do you want?"
"I just— I wanted to talk."
Nico turned away from her. "No."
"Nico, I—"
"NO!" shouted Nico. "You abandoned me!"
Reyna flinched, then strode up to him and sat down cross-legged next to him.
"Nico, I would never—"
Nico barked out a laugh. "You joined the Hunters. You left behind me and all your other friends behind to galavant around with Artemis' merry band of misandrists. Don't tell me you'd never leave me behind. You already did."
Reyna swallowed. She looked like she wanted to reach out and touch Nico, maybe hug him, but she held herself back. Instead, she spoke.
"Why do you hate the Hunters?"
Nico glared at her.
"I just want to understand, Nico. Please. At least help me to understand why one of my best friends wants nothing to do with me."
Nico's heart twisted when she called him that. Still, he scowled and turned away from Reyna.
"I guess they don't talk about her, then?"
Reyna blinked. "Who?"
Nico chuckled darkly. "I guess not. Because you'd know." He shot Reyna his sharpest glare. "Bianca di Angelo."
Reyna's eyebrows shot up. "Bianca…"
Nico nodded. "My sister."
They were silent for a few moments, Nico thinking about the last time he saw Bianca, and Reyna processing what Nico had just said.
"She… she was a Hunter?" Reyna finally asked.
Nico smiled ruefully. "Not anymore."
Reyna's eyes widened. She knew that Nico had lost his sister, but she didn't realize that Bianca had been a Hunter.
"Nico…"
"Don't," he said, grimacing. "Just… don't."
They sat in silence for a while. Finally, Nico glanced at Reyna.
"Why did you do it?" His voice was full of emotion. "W-why did you leave me?"
At this, Reyna stopped holding back. She surged forward and wrapped Nico in her arms. Nico thumped his face into her shoulder, but he didn't resist.
"Nico, I… I left Camp Jupiter. My praetor duties were becoming too much to bear, and I needed to get away. I needed to be supported, after doing the supporting for so long. I needed to be free, and I felt that this was the right choice to make." Reyna took Nico by the shoulders and held him out so that he looked her in the face. "But I never, never intended to leave you behind."
Nico scoffed and looked away. "You did, though. I told you. You joined the Hunters."
Reyna hugged Nico close again. "That changes nothing. I travelled across the world with you, Nico. We've both seen each other at our worst. If that wasn't enough to scare you away from me, then I promise, I promise, that we will always be friends, Hunt or no Hunt." Reyna smiled ruefully. "We'll probably be able to see each other more often now that I don't have praetor duties all the time."
She held Nico close. After a few minutes, she heard him sniffle.
"They— they took my sister away. I c-can't let them take another one."
Reyna closed her eyes and rubbed Nico's back in soothing circles.
"Shh, shh. Te quiero, hermanito." A few tears slipped out of Reyna's eyes, but she continued to hug Nico.
He sniffed some more. "Ti… ti voglio bene… sorellona…"
Reyna waited until he relaxed a bit, then pulled out of the hug. She gave Nico a gentle kiss on the forehead.
"I promise you, I am not leaving you behind. I'll be carrying you with me wherever I go, Nico. And if you ever need me, there is always Iris Message, or even the Hunter's PO box. And I'm sure we'll stop by Camp Half-Blood sometime as well."
Nico leaned back from her and arched his eyebrow. "The Hunters have a PO box?"
Reyna grinned. "In Wyoming."
The moment came to an end as Thalia's voice rang through the trees. "Reyna! Nico! We found the werewolves!" Nico could hear growling.
He and Reyna looked at each other, and then sprang into action.
0-0-0
The werewolves were taken care of in short order, thanks in no small part to Katyusha switching her rifle to automatic. "Silver bullets," she explained.
They went to bed for the night, with at least two Hunters on watch at all times, in case of any straggler wolves. The night passed quickly, and they congregated in the morning to have breakfast and break camp.
Nico sat on a log next to Will, eating a granola bar. Nico felt someone plop down next to him, and looked to see Reyna holding out two envelopes. Her dark hair was all mussed up with cowlicks on the left side of her face, and she had dark bags under her eyes, but she was grinning.
"What are these?" he asked.
Reyna's mouth quirked. "Well, communication's a two-way street. The first one is a letter to you… the first of many, I hope."
Nico raised his eyebrow. "And the second?"
"Oh, that one's empty. But it has the Hunter's PO Box written on it. I'll expect a reply from you, okay?"
Nico took the envelopes. "Okay."
Reyna ruffled his hair. "I gotta help break camp. I'll see you around, Nico."
"Yeah, see you around, Reyna."
Reyna rose, gave a nod to Will and Lou Ellen, and went to help the other Hunters break camp.
Nico looked at the envelopes. The back of one simply said "Nico" in Reyna's neat, pretty handwriting. The back of the other read:
Srta. Reyna Ramírez-Arellano
Hunter of Diana
PO Box 8008
Lander, WY 82520-9998
Nico's mouth quivered into a smile. She even went to the trouble of writing his return address.
Sig. Nico di Angelo
Cabin 13
Camp Half-Blood, Half-Blood Hill
Farm Road 3.141
Long Island, New York 11954
"You think you're gonna use it?" Will asked.
Nico shrugged. "Perhaps."
0-0-0
Nico waited to read the letter until he was back in the privacy of his own cabin.
Querido Nico,
I'm sorry that I haven't written sooner. I'm sorry that I haven't kept in touch. Most of all, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about my decision. I had no idea how deeply it would hurt you, and I am truly sorry for that.
I truly do believe that joining the Hunters was the best choice for me. I just couldn't bear the pressures of being a praetor anymore. Also, I was tired of the constant expectations to be in a relationship.
I know it might sound silly, but it's something I've been carrying with me for a while. I just felt so pressured to behave a certain way, to be in a curtain kind of relationship that I didn't want to be in, and I didn't think I could take it anymore. I didn't quite realize how ridiculous it all was until Apollo came to Camp Jupiter (he asked me out, if you can believe it. I laughed in his face. It was probably a little mean, but I hadn't laughed like that in years, jajaja).
Joining the Hunters meant that I no longer felt pressured to perform anymore. I would be free, not only from those expectations but also to do what I love most about being a demigod: going on adventures and taking care of dangerous monsters.
But the one thing I never want to be "free" of is you, Nico. You're my best friend, my hermanito, and I want you to know how dear you are to me. On those nights at Camp Jupiter when I was about to break down in tears from the stress, I would think of you and how strong and brave you are, and it would give me strength.
Once again, I never meant to hurt you, and I am so, so sorry that I did. I don't know what I can do to repair our friendship, but I want to at least try. Some good news; Lady Diana is being more lenient with family visitations, after having come so close to losing her own brother. I don't think she's ever been so scared of losing someone important to her. I can relate.
Next time we meet in person, we have to play Mythomagic. Some of the girls have been teaching me to play, and it's really fun. It's a shame I never got into it before, but I never had time before. Do you play Mythomagic? I'd be happy to teach you if you don't, or you can find someone to teach you so you're ready to play when we meet again.
Sorry for rambling for so long. I had a lot of stuff to get off my chest. I really want to know how you're doing! How's Camp Half-Blood? How is Will? Last I heard, before the communication blackout, you had to spend three days in the infirmary. I saw last night you were on a quest together. How did that infirmary stay go? Are you able to shadow travel again?
I miss you, Nico. Please write back soon, and tell me everything. All your adventures, anything you want to get off your chest, everything. I promise it will only see my eyes; the Hunters fiercely respect the privacy of other people's mail (probably the only "mail" that most of them will ever respect, jajaja. Because "mail" and "male?" I'm sorry, it would probably work better said out loud).
I can't wait to read your letter. Make sure to write down the PO box address!
Until we meet again,
Te quiero,
Reyna
Nico sniffed and wiped his eyes. Damn her, of course she'd made him cry. He felt something like a knot slipping loose in his heart, and his resentment of her growing even smaller and smaller. Her decision still hurt, but it was clear that she didn't want to lose him. And to tell the truth, he didn't want to lose her either.
He reread the letter over again, looking at all the places she scratched out her spelling mistakes. There were a lot, and her handwriting wasn't as neat as it usually was. He laughed when she asked about Mythomagic; he never told Reyna that he started playing around age ten. He grimaced at the reminder of the three days in the infirmary. It worked out alright, but he did everything in his power to drive Will nuts, which meant that Will did everything in his power to annoy Nico right back (so long as it didn't interfere with his healing). Nico traced his fingers over the places where she spelled out her laughter in the Spanish way, using Js instead of Hs. He remembered that Reyna had a Puerto Rican flag patch sewn on the left arm of her Hunter jacket.
Nico wiped his eyes again. He didn't realize just how much he missed Reyna. He was glad that she was reaching out. His proclivity for grudges made it hard for him to be the first one to reach out.
Nico set the letter aside and pulled out a blank piece of paper. Taking out a pen, he began to write.
Cara Reyna…
The End
Author's Note:
Full disclosure, part of this was based off of that video where the woman breaks the pasta in front of her Italian fiance and you can hear his heart shatter.
The title is also a pun.
This got more real than I expected it to, but I'm happy with how it turned out. I love Reyna and Nico, and their relationship is actually something that is so precious? No way that Reyna is gonna let that slip away, hunt or no hunt. Nico is her little Italian hermanito, and she will always carry that with her.
I actually looked up a small city in Wyoming for the Hunter's PO box. I figured Artemis would want someplace small and out of the way, so I didn't immediately go with the capital of Wyoming. I don't know if PO box 8008 exists, but apologies to the random person who has it if it does.
Phoenix is my Hunter OC that I unexpectedly enjoy so much? Some more info about her: she is from Philadelphia, and she uses regional Philly-isms all the time. She takes it as a personal offense if you call a hoagie a "sub." She refers to objects as "jawn." The older Hunters still getting used to English don't know what to do with her. Artemis finds her hilarious. She LOVES pasta, but not enough to know that you can never break it.
Translations:
"Srta." stands for "señorita," as Reyna is a young, unmarried woman (and will be for eternity). "Sig." stands for "signor," which is the Italian form of "mister." I dunno, I just think there is something very cute about addressing letters formally with "Mr." and "Miss" and whatnot, and I decided to up the cuteness factor with the languages that they speak. I love languages and all the fun that comes with them :D
"Te quiero" is Spanish for "I love you," but in a familial way. Romantic love is "Te amo."
Similarly, "Ti voglio bene" is Italian for "I love you" in a familial way. Romantic would be "Ti amo."
"Hermanito" is Spanish for "little brother." "Sorellona" is Italian for "big sister."
Querido/Cara both mean "dear" and are used to begin letters to people you know well.
"Che cazzo" more or less means "What the fuck" in Italian. As you can see, Nico is very troubled by how this night is going.
Spanish laughter is spelled "jajaja." I think it's very cute :)
Comments are greatly appreciated! Hope you enjoyed! :D