Only a week had past since the walker incident, and it was minor enough to only bring a sharpness to their eyes, a quickness to their hands, for a few days afterwards.
This was where Nico found himself when Will approached him, and later met with him and Reyna.
Nico, standing at Reyna's side, stared down unblinking at Will's nervous figure.
"We need more medical supplies." He restated, his hand fidgeting against his jacket buckles. "Mellie will be delivering very soon, and we hardly have any supplies for the baby either." His eyes flickered away, and his adam's apple bounced against his throat. "The others - the ones we told you about - haven't been heard from since, and it's been almost two weeks now."
Reyna's eyes were still and calculating. "And what if Mellie were to go into labor while you were gone? What happens then?"
Will nodded like he already knew the answer. "I've trained Lou into being my assistant. And I've already gone over many times what she's to do, and she knows the entire procedure by heart."
Reyna didn't respond, only leaning back onto the wooden picnic table like it was her throne.
"You don't believe your other people will be returning." She stated, her voice even.
His head dropped, his chin almost tucking into his neck. "No." He finally answered. "Clarisse is one of the best fighters I've ever met. She wouldn't be taking her time with a run for supplies like this unless something had gone wrong."
"And none of you will be going after them?" Nico spoke up, his side almost pressed against the hard, rigid line of Reyna's back. His voice was curious, but rough from being seldomly used.
Will shook his head, his head still ducked down. "No. We understand what we're going into when we volunteer for these runs. Anyone going after us would just be a waste of life."
Reyna's eyes flickered away, and Nico knew that to be one of her tells.
"If approved, who would you be taking?" She asked, her eyes meeting Nico's.
Nico gave her the smallest dip of his chin, and Will glanced up to continue talking.
"Myself, to identify what exactly we would need. Piper has already volunteered, and she's handy with a map. Connor and Travis, probably, and they could serve as protection and look out when we're searching up buildings. And, if alright with you, we would like to open up volunteers for your people as well." He finished, nearly out of breath from the onset of words spilling out of him. With only a breath of silence in, he continued on. "Not that - not that we're expecting anyone to come along! I mean, just in case anyone wants to come along, maybe get some stuff for themselves."
Reyna observed him, her face emotionless as she listened to Will babble on, then abruptly cut himself off.
"Don't refer to them as 'your people'." She instructed, "We are all the same. You are all my people now. And -" She cast another meaningful look towards Nico, making it clear who had helped decide this. "You can go. Collect who you need and I'll make an announcement for volunteers at dinner, where the rest of the details can we worked out." She lifted her chin. You are dismissed." She told him, her voice kind, but final.
Will nodded, looking grateful, and rushed out of the room quickly.
Reyna eyed him, flipping her braid over her shoulder before staring him down. "You're supporting this trip?"
Nico shrugged, "We need the supplies. There's no getting around that."
Reyna sighed through her nose, a frustrated move of hers, but didn't argue against that fact. "Okay. Let's go then."
Dinner - a simple salad made by Katie from the greens in their garden - was winding down much like their other ones. Percy and Jason were loudly crackling jokes, Annabeth and Piper were engaged in a conversation that sounds slightly terrifying, and the pair of brothers were entertaining Katie and Frank while Will and Lou bent close together, probably discussing Mellie's pregnancy routine.
Nico glanced around, knowing that Leo had taken the dinner shift and Mellie and Hedge had taken their meal in their room, and briefly wondering why the table - already filled to capacity - felt so empty. His thought, not very troubling but slightly worrying no less - was broken off by Reyna standing from the table, quiet and waiting for the others to do the same.
"There will be a run into town leaving tomorrow." She announced, her voice regal. "It is entirely volunteers, and the purpose is to obtain vital medical supplies, as well as baby supplies, for Mellie and the child. Food, of course, would be a bonus, but we're not so low as to be desperate yet." She paused for a moment, either for dramatic purposes or together her thoughts, Nico could never tell. "The group will be traveling down route 47 towards a small town where Piper - " She gestured to the girl as she spoke, "seems to remember seeing a pharmacy, as well as a few smaller stores that could be stocked with infant care supplies."
"How do we know it hasn't been picked over already?" Frank spoke up, directing his question towards Reyna.
Reyna dipped her head, "We do not. However, because this town is hidden on the back roads, there's more hope then if it was a major town."
Piper spoke up, "I'll be leading the run." She stood, gesturing to Will. Reyna took that as her queue to sit, and she did quietly. "Will is joining me, and Connor and Travis. We'll be welcoming any other volunteers as well."
There was a moment of quiet, Percy shifting in his seat, slightly closer to Annabeth, and Jason was the one that finally spoke up.
"I volunteer." He grinned, "I could always go for an adventure."
Piper gave him a million-dollar smile, and Nico had to keep his eyes from obviously flickering over to where Reyna was seated.
The rest of dinner went smoothly, and Nico was the only one to notice the slight coldness from the side Reyna was seated at, and her lack of conversation for the rest of dinner. He cleaned up quickly, waiting a few minutes after Reyna left to follow her.
She was waiting for him, because they always knew each other like that. Reyna was sitting on the floor, her gun dismantled in front of her, and her body was stiff and hard.
Nico settled across from her, taking the pieces of her gun and helping her clean them easily.
"You convinced me to allow the run for medical supplies." Her eyes flickered to his, "Piper's leading and the doctor is going along to identify everything. The brothers are going and now...Jason." Her mouth smoothed out into a thin line, and there was a barely audible sigh that echoed through her nose. "As it would be futile to have three leaders out on a simple supplies run -"
"You want me to volunteer." He stated, keeping his face still and emotionless, something he learned from her. "You want me to watch out for Jason."
"I don't completely trust their skills." Her voice was quiet, but strong. "I don't want him going out there without backup. I...I just would rest easy if I knew someone was watching after him."
"Jason and Piper have gotten quite close. Jason...he likes her." Nico stated as a reminder. She knew what she was asking of him. Nico didn't go on runs.
"I am aware." Her voice was steel. "Will you go?"
Nico was quiet for a long moment. She knew what she was asking of him. And he knew she only asked because she felt she had no choice. He thought of the barely hidden desperation in her voice, and the loose laugh that only Jason seemed to be able to coax out of her.
He threw back his shoulders, taking a deep breath. "When are we leaving?"
She didn't thank him, or sag in relief, or anything of the likes. But then stiff tension that ached in her bones bleed out just the littlest, and her shoulders dropped a fraction. "After breakfast tomorrow. It is estimated that the journey will only take three days."
"I'll go pack." He told her
"That would be wise." She met his eyes, and she's always been good with passing him nonverbal messages, as this one clearly stated Do what you have to do.
"When we first accepted these people into our group you told me something." Reyna interrupted as Nico began to walk off towards his room, "You said they would do anything to protect themselves."
Nico didn't turn, but he stopped and turned his head to show he was listening.
"I wouldn't have accepted them if I thought we didn't have that in common."
"I'm coming with you." Nico stated to the other boy, standing a few feet behind Will in the infirmary.
Will didn't jump in surprise, which Nico had to admire, but he turned slowly with an unreadable look on his face.
"You are?" He asked, rolling up a line of gauze.
Nico nodded, not really in the mood for any small talk, and eyed the supplies Will was packing up. "You taking all that?" He asked, pushing his hands in his pockets.
Will looked down at the supplies laid out in front of him. "It's mostly essentials, nothing you wouldn't find in a well-stocked first aid kit."
Nico nodded, not really caring, and turned to leave before Will's voice stopped him.
"Hey, uh -" Nico turned back on his heel, and Will continued. "We're leaving tomorrow morning, uh, just so you know. I'll let Piper know."
Nico nodded slowly, wondering if that was all, "Okay." He simply said, waiting another second in case the other boy had anything else to say.
He didn't, so Nico left quickly and headed back to his own room.
He packed his bag, a few pairs of clothes and his emergency supplies, a bottle of water and a few granola bars. His singular sentimental possession, a wrinkled, water damaged photo, was folded very carefully at the bottom of his bag.
He was restless that night, but that had nothing to do with his current situation, as he was restless nearly every night. He was the first one up, as he usually was, and relieved Annabeth from her morning shift.
He enjoyed security shifts, honestly. It gave him a purpose - keep the people he loved or, at least, tolerated, safe even if it was only for a few hours. The quiet was nice, of course, but it only lasted for a short while until the others got up for breakfast and other morning shifts. He watched their heads go back and fourth, and the heavy scent of cooking meat and the light fragrance of sweet fruit rose up to him. He ignored his growling stomach, watching the gates intensely instead.
His shift was cut off early, as Reyna dragged her boots across the ground and knocked him softly on the back, careful not to sneak up on him. He appreciated that, he did.
"The group is preparing to leave." She told him, not looking at him or his full backpack at his side.
Nico stood, collecting his things, assuming she was taking the rest of his shift.
"Be safe, Nico. And...take care of him. And yourself." She finally cut her eyes towards him, and her gaze was like knives. "But don't be stupid. I won't cry over you if you die like an idiot."
Nico resisted the urge to pull her into a hug, knowing that her strong arms and long braid would be only too familiar to his touch. "You too." He told her, his voice quiet. "Keep them safe but...keep yourself safe too."
She reached down and squeezed at his hand. She had a small smile, but her nerves were concealed deeply inside of her. "Who will I talk too?" She asked, and her voice was raw and soft.
Reyna was their leader, and she would die for any single one of them, but she was hard and rough and jagged in all the wrong places. She said the wrong things, and sometimes people didn't take her dark humor as it was suppose to be taken, and she had to be tough and mean when none of them wanted to be. She was his leader, would always be his leader, but she was also his best friend. Because dark and rough and mean was how Nico was often taken too, and his jagged pieces fit into her sharp ones like a puzzle piece, and not many people understood that.
He jostled their shoulders together, and wondered the same question about himself. "Talk to Leo." He teased. "He may faint if you spare him a kind word."
Reyna smirked, but it wasn't mean. More like she was trying to keep a laugh in. Her joy faded, just a bit, and she let go of his hand. "Don't leave me with Valdez for company." She told him, her voice an ordering command. "Now go. I hear the doctor was looking for you."
Nico nodded, wishing he could squeeze her hand one last time, and did as she told.
When Nico finally did find the other boy, still lingering around the eating area, instead of the dismissive we're leaving now that Nico had expected, Will gave him only a small frown instead.
Will pushed a bowl into Nico's hands, granola and strawberries, and his face was unreadable. "Eat." The other boy ordered, "You're not missing a meal right before we leave for a run. I'm not dealing with a Mr. Low Blood Sugar anytime this trip, so I hope you get in the habit or actually eating."
Nico took the bowl mostly out of surprise, and was about to argue about how yeah, um, he does eat, just usually not a lot, but was cut off by the simple fact of Will not caring enough to hear him protest. Will turned away, looking as if he has already forgotten the exchange.
Nico glanced down at the bowl, and well, it did look pretty good, and he'd hardly eaten yesterday, so it wasn't very hard to convince himself to follow that particular suggestion.
It wasn't long though, that Nico found himself meeting in a half circle of the other volunteers. Travis and Connor - nearly indecipherable to Nico's observations - were weighted down with the most weapons, They wouldn't be much in flight situations, but lifesavers in fight situations, and Nico made a note of that. Piper was examining a wrinkled map with ruthless scrutiny, trailing her fingernail over a red marker line that cut a path through the forest. Jason, grinning, was probably just happy to be there, and he shot an excited grin over to Nico, who definitely did not return anything of the likes. Nico stood close to Jason, knowing and following his orders from Reyna, and trusting that the other boy would have his back come any threats.
Will, late and the last one to join them, had only a heavy backpack hanging from his shoulders - strong and thick - that was probably filled with the kit he had made up yesterday. Piper, apparently waiting for him to arrive, quickly folded up the paper and stuck it in her back pocket carefully.
"Alright." She grinned, adjusting her backpack, and Nico could nearly hear Jason's lovesick sigh from here, "Let's go."
And, trailing after the blond boy who Nico had promised to look after, they left.