IDK why I wrote this dfhkd. I don't write too much Nico angst usually lol, mostly because I project more on Will tbh, but whatever. This takes place after the Battle of Manhattan, although I honestly don't remember how head counselor meetings work, so bear with me if some details might be off.
But two stories in a day again haha! Just trying to make sure the number of stories I have to post here don't pile up again lmao.
Enjoy! :)
- alltheglowingeyes
Nico didn't want to be at the stupid head counselor meeting. But when Percy came up to him and insisted on his attendance, he couldn't bring himself to say no.
He spent most of the meeting quietly listening, observing the other demigods in attendance. They all looked worn out, like each was carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. Even the Stoll brothers, who Nico had only ever seen laughing and scheming, were oddly quiet, talking amongst themselves every once in a while.
He didn't pay much attention otherwise, that is until he heard someone call his name. Blinking, he looked up in confusion as he found Clarisse glaring at him impatiently.
"Well?" she snapped. As she seemed to process Nico's expression, she rolled her eyes, restating her question.
"Did my siblings make it to Elysium, di Angelo?" she grumbled. Before Nico could even respond, Katie spoke up.
"And mine?"
A chorus of voices started, all barraging him with questions about deceased friends and family. Nico was about five seconds away from rolling into the nearest shadows and taking his chances on where he was spit out when Percy slammed his hands on the table, speaking up loudly,
"Guys, guys! Nico can check, but we've got to be organized about this, ok? Just shouting over each other isn't going to do anything,"
Next to him, Annabeth nodded, turning to a new page on her notebook pad. "How about everyone writes down the name and godly parents or people who you want to know about, and maybe, if you're ok with it Nico, you could check?"
Nico swallowed, averting his gaze to the table as everyone stared him down expectantly. He honestly didn't want to spend the next few days circling the Underworld to try and find everyone's dead friends and family; he was sure that half of these campers barely knew his name.
They just want to get rid of you, he thought numbly. The thought sent a flash of anger through his bones as he looked up, nodding mutely.
Annabeth smiled, scribbling a few names down before passing the pad of paper to her right. Nico felt a hand pat his shoulder as he looked up to see Percy smiling at him.
"Thanks, man. We all owe you one, for sure," he whispered quietly, before turning back to the conversation at hand. Nico let his head drop once more, feeling his face go warm at the compliment and contact. He supposed it was for the better if he stayed in the Underworld; he wasn't sure how much longer he could handle being around Percy friggin Jackson without throwing up at the feelings that welled in his chest.
Another reason you'll always be on the outside, he thought, shaking some hair out of his eyes as he looked up, eyes trailing the path of the notepad. Jake Mason had just finished writing his additions as he handed the notebook to Will Solace on his right. To his surprise, however, the son of Apollo seemed to just barely glance at the names on the list as he handed it to the Hecate head counselor next to him (Lana? Louise? Nico wasn't too good with names). He frowned, staring at the teen in confusion. Next to him, the daughter of Hecate looked equally confused, seeming to ask Will if he wanted it back. Will shook his head as he turned back to the meeting, immediately making eye contact with Nico. Nico blinked, unsure of what to do now that he was caught staring. To his surprise, the son of Apollo gave Nico a small, tired smile as he picked up the energy drink in front of him, doing a cheers motion before chugging from the can. Nico pulled his eyes away from the sight, brain moving a mile a minute as he kept his gaze down for the rest of the meeting, only acknowledging the others when he had to take the list.
He read through the names, immediately scamming for any children of Apollo. Nico knew that at least one died (Michael Yew, the previous head counselor) and figured that Will didn't write any names because someone else already did. His search came up empty as he furrowed his brow, trying to understand what the other boy's angle was.
By the end of the meeting, his confusion was eating him alive. Standing up from his seat, he immediately made his way over to where Will was, talking to that Hecate girl and Jake.
"Will," he called out, immediately regretting the choice as all three demigods turned to face him. For a second, he almost caved under their expectant gazes.
Instead, he forced himself to stand tall and appear impassive, clearing his throat, "Can I pull you away for a minute?"
Will blinked, looking a little confused for a second before smiling in response. "Yeah, sure!"
He turned to his friends, waving them a quick goodbye as they left the meeting room. Most other demigods were gone as well, save Percy and Annabeth in a deep conversation with Katie and the Stoll brothers.
"So… what's up?" Will asked, his smile going strong. Despite his chirpy attitude, Nico could see the prominent dark circles under his eyes and the loss of that normal Apollo glow that all his kids had.
Focus, Nico chided himself as he spoke up, "You didn't write any names."
Will's smile dimmed a little as he nodded, "Ah, yeah. Is that alright?"
Nico didn't answer directly, shrugging lightly, "Why?"
Will blinked, staring at Nico as though he was the one acting weird, "You've done so much for us already. It wouldn't be fair to send you on another errand for Camp. You deserve to take a break."
Nico stared at the son of Apollo, unsure of how to respond. Will, on the other hand, kept going, although his voice was a little softer now, "Besides, our cabin had the highest casualties, but I know- or knew all my siblings and who they were. They were all too good to not make it to Elysium," he said, smiling a little at that last thought.
Nico nodded slowly, still not really confident what to say, "Ok. Cool," he mumbled, immediately kicking himself for the rather insensitive remark.
Will didn't seem bothered, back to smiling at full strength, "Yup! Now, if that's all, I've got to run. Infirmary duties and all, you know?"
Nico hummed, eyes already glancing around the room for the nearest shadows to dip into, when Will cleared his throat.
"One more thing though, while I have you. Uh, just… thank you for what you did for Camp. And I wanted to say you are a really good fighter and the fact that you got three gods to help us was epic and uh… yeah," he fumbled, shooting Nico awkward finger guns to punctuate his point.
Nico stared blankly at the teen for a few seconds. He had no idea why the guy was even talking to him still; he couldn't understand what his goal was, what he wanted from the son of Hades. Instead of questioning it, he nodded, "No problem, I guess."
Before either could say anything else, a voice piped up behind them, "Hey guys! Everything alright?"
Nico turned, finding himself face-to-face with Percy and Annabeth. Something painful throbbed in his chest as he saw their interlocked hands, swallowing back a bitter feeling.
"Peachy. I've got to run now; my father wants to talk, and I've got to get through this list."
That was mostly a lie; he already spoke to his father briefly after the war, and he had no intentions of going through the Underworld on the hunt for where the dead ended up. But he couldn't stand another minute around them, stalking to a corner of the room and letting the shadows reel him in.
(And maybe, if he turned around for even a second, he would have noticed a heartbroken expression that mirrored his own on a certain son of Apollo's face).
A/N: Blahhhhh, was this any good? IDK. I honestly don't have much else to add here lmao, so yee. I'm exhausted, but I have HW so I'll ~probably~ get on that lol.
Thank you for reading!
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