Nico didn't want to go back to the world of the living right away. Even though he might not feel entirely comfortable in the land of the dead, it was one of the only places he felt completely safe. He thought that maybe he should go find out what the furies had wanted, but that would no doubt take all night and accomplish nothing much.
He had been busy and tense for weeks, for once he wanted to relax while he could so instead he decided to take Cerberus for a walk. No one else ever remembered to and the poor guy needed as much exercise as he could get. His walk towards Cerberus was interrupted by a new thought that made Nico pause.
If the doors of death were open right now… then not only bad people could get out… good people could get out too which meant… Bianca! But no, he had forgotten she had chosen to reincarnate and leave Nico again. Again he started walking towards Cerberus slower this time. Would she have left if she had known there was a chance she could have come back into life and they could have been a family again? He was starting to think she probably would have, after all she had left him to join the hunters even before she died.
Before Nico knew it, he was wandering through the fields of Asphodel hearing the chattering of all of the ghosts. His eyes passed over their insubstantial forms and unknowable faces until he settled on something different. A girl who was certainly not unknowable, her skin was dark, her hair a mass of cinnamon curls and her eyes a startling gold. Mortals didn't ever keep that much detail in the fields, neither did demigods other than... oh.
"Hello there." Nico said kneeling down in front of the girl who was sitting on the ground. She was wearing a black dress with a white collar, she looked up at him in shock but with understanding in her eyes. "I'm Nico Di Angelo, can you speak?"
"Yes I can" She said her eyebrows drawn together in concern. "I know no one else here seems to be able to but.." Nico did a quick appraisal of the girl and realized she didn't seem Greek. Roman then, that was fine, it only changed the name of his father he would give.
"What's your name?" Nico asked carefully.
"Hazel Levesque." She said brushing a curl out of her face.
"Well, Hazel Levesque, you remember who you are because you're a child of Pluto. That means that death hasn't affected you the same way it has these others." Nico said waving at the indistinct souls around them. "It also means that I'm your half brother and I'm here to help you." Nico said standing. He missed having a sister and if she was his family then he was willing to help her anyway. She looked up at him in confusion not taking his hand.
"Come on." He encouraged her softly. "I can help you get a second chance at life, and I know somewhere you'll be safe once you're there. Don't worry you'll be fine." Hesitantly, Hazel took his hand and stood. Nico still didn't know exactly where the door to death was but if it was open, then the entire veil would be weakened and as shadows found any possible escape, he should be able to simply shadow travel her out.
"Have you ever shadow traveled before, Hazel?" She shook her head looking confused. "Then you might want to close your eyes, it can be very disorientating the first time." She nodded and closed her eyes and before Nico could change his mind or chicken out he pulled them both back through the shadows. There was more resistance than usual, the shadows didn't want to let Hazel go, but Nico gritted his teeth and held on. When the shadows seemed to realize that Nico wasn't giving up they reluctantly uncurled from around them and receded, leaving them on a hill overlooking New Rome in the moonlight.
Nico stumbled and sat down hard, he hadn't kept track of how many times he had shadow traveled that day.
"Are you alright?" Hazel asked kneeling next to Nico worried.
"Yes I'm fine." Nico assured her quickly "Just tired. Tell me, what you know of our father?" Nico asked, Hazel still looked worried but she let herself be sidetracked.
"Not much, I only met him once on my birthday, he gave me a new sketch pad and crayons. But my mom didn't like talking about him much." Nico nodded.
"Well then, I might as well tell you a bit about him since I need to rest for a moment. Our father is Pluto, the Roman god of riches, the dead, and the underworld. One of the big three, that means the we, as his children, should be some of the most powerful demigods. Had you noticed your powers?"
"I summon precious stones and metals." Hazel said nodding. "I don't have very good control over it though." Hazel looked away. Nico knew the signs that there was something she wasn't telling him, but let her keep a few secrets. After all, Nico kept many.
"That's good now we have one of each since I control the dead." Nico said nodding. "Don't worry about not having much control, you'll get there with practice, I didn't have any at first either." Hazel nodded and glanced down at New Rome.
"Where are we?" she asked softly.
"New Rome." Nico explained. "It's a safe place for children of the gods and legacies, descendants of Rome. It still runs about the same way it did when Rome was first established. Which means that you'll be expected to fight with their legion for a few years but then you'll be able to retire to their city, go to college, get a job, have a family all without having to worry about mortals or monsters outside of its borders."
"That sounds nice." Hazel said smiling. "Do you live her too?"
"No I don't." Nico said shaking his head. "Because of my ability to travel back and forth between the world of the dead and the living I've become our fathers ambassador. That means that I spend most of my time in the underworld or mortal world running errands, doing quests and generally helping him keep the balance. I would love to settle here if I could, but running the land of the dead takes too much work for even a god to handle on his own."
"So you must see him often then?" Hazel said in a forcibly casual tone picking at the grass.
"No, don't worry, he doesn't have much time for me either. Mostly he just sends messages telling me what to do and I do it. Most godly parents are to busy to pay attention to their kids. A lot of demigods can go their whole lives without meeting their godly parent." Hazel nodded relaxing a bit. "When we go down there I'll present you to Reyna, she's the current Preter. She'll make sure you get assigned a appropriate cohort within the legion, you'll do fine."
"Thank you Nico." Hazel said smiling at him warmly. Nico felt a flutter in his chest, he was glad to have a sister again. "I wish I'd known I had a brother like you before." They talked for most of the night. At first light when Nico knew Reyna would be awake he escorted Hazel down to the city and introduced her to Reyna. Once that was done Nico left them, it was still early morning and if he found a safe place. Preferably an old graveyard where he could ask the dead to watch over him he would be able to get a few hour of sleep before the meeting with Jay.
Nico had a favorite graveyard and that was where his mind took him automatically. The dead there knew him, the ghosts gathered around him as he fell asleep making sure that the mist shielded him as well as them. It was an old graveyard. So old that half the stones couldn't even be recognized for what they were. They belonging to a village that hadn't existed for decades but the people that had lived in it were still willing to aid a stranger. Even in death. Besides Nico, was hardly a stranger to them anymore. Many nights when he had had nowhere else to go his feet or the shadows had carried him into their company.
Now as they watched him sleep they thought of how he had changed. It was rare that they got to see so much of a life anymore, only snapshots as someone wondered in for a few minutes or hours and then never came back. They had watched Nico grow over the last five years, worrying as his skin paled and the bags under his eyes grew. When he had first started coming to them he would sit up with them for hours listening to their stories and telling them unbelievable things about how the world had changed. Even helping those who wanted to pass on to new lives. But recently there had been none of that. Every time he came to them he could do nothing but sleep. They worried about him, but it was not within the place or ability of the dead to interfere with the living.
They were sad when they couldn't shield him from the sun when it rose above the trees and started to shine on his eyes. They could see them flickering under his lids, he turned away from it without waking up. It was only when the sun was directly above him and he couldn't avoid it that it made him stir. They flitted about him as his eyes opened and he shielded them from the light looking around at the spirits surrounding him sheepishly.
"Oh I didn't even say hello, those are my manners, eh?" He said chuckling, a few of the ghosts around him tittered.
"Oh it's alright dear we don't mind." An old woman said. She appeared just as soft and motherly as she had in life despite having died of starvation in order to feed her children through a famine. "We remember the need to sleep and we all know you don't do it nearly enough."
"You don't have to worry about me, Isabelle but I appreciate the thought." Nico said smiling at her as he got up and stretched glancing up at the sun to find out it was roughly noon.
"Oh nonsense Nico dear of course I worry." Isabelle said shooing the thought away with her hands.
"Yes, who else do we have to worry about?" An old man called William who always manifested with his cane asked and then laughed shakily.
"Hey Nico do you have any new stories!?" A little girl Nico remembered was called Ann asked bouncing up to him followed closely by her little brother John.
"Ya!" John added enthusiastically. "We've heard the stories the others tell a thousands times and they never tell any new ones."
"Alright I'll tell you one story." Nico said laughing. "But then I have to get going again I have a meeting with someone at two." They nodded and plopped down on the ground. Ann folding her legs under her neatly, and John splaying out like a starfish. Nico picked a story at random and started to tell it, letting it make itself as he went along until it came to a ending he was satisfied with. That took about a half an hour and Nico woke up fully as both the children and the adults listened happily.
"Will you be back soon Nico?" Isabelle asked and Nico shrugged.
"I don't know there's a lot of turmoil amongst my gods at the moment and I'm doing everything I can to help them. It's keeping me quite busy."
"Well just don't forget to take care of yourself." Isabelle said fixing him with a worried stare.
"I won't." Nico lied. "Goodbye everyone." He knew he would be early if he left now but he wanted to be early. He wanted a few minutes of quiet to start reading the book his father had given him. So he walked into the forest surrounding the graveyard and walked out of Rosswood Park.
He looked around carefully to make sure there was no one there, and then found a place to sit that was half in the mottled shade of a tree to read. The book had some interesting information in it but it took a while to wade through long-winded introductions to get to it. Still, Nico was about halfway through the passage on what he believed the Operator to be when Shade, Toby, and Hoody arrived. He had had to skip a few chapters but maybe later when he had more time he would go back and read them.
"What'cha reading Nico?" Toby asked bouncing over to where Nico was sitting.
"A book on types of spirits my father lent me." Nico said smiling and getting up to greet them.
"That's n-not English." Hoody commented, he was wearing his mask again.
"No it's not, it's ancient Greek, the only language I can read really, I'm dyslexic when it comes to anything else." Hoody nodded, Toby seemed interested. "What time is it?"
"About 1:30, they should be here soon. I'm going to stay with you two this time for the sake of transparency."
"Good idea." Looking around for a bookmark, giving up and memorizing the page he was on before closing the book. "By the way happy birthday, Toby." Nico said getting up and giving Toby a hug whispering to him. "I have a birthday present for you but it's a weapon so I'll give it to you once the diplomacy is over." Nico pulled back and Toby's eyes were wide with excitement and shock, Nico grinned at him.
"Someones coming." Shade said as he heard something in the forest that didn't belong.
All three of their heads snapped towards the woods as they heard something barreling through braking twigs. Nico knew it was a human instantly, only they made that amount of careless noise, but with Alex around that didn't mean it wasn't a threat. However it wasn't Alex that came bursting out of the woods looking around franticly, it was Jay. He spotted them and immediately dived towards Nico.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH TIM?!" He yelled and for a moment Nico was too shocked to move. Long enough for Jay to punch Nico in the jaw sending him stumbling back and falling to the concrete. Instantly Toby was on top of Jay, snarling and forcing him to the ground. Toby had left his hatchets in the car so as to seem like less of a threat so it was his fingers that pressed again Jay's throat. Tightening around his neck and cutting off Jay's air making him gasp hoarsely.
"Toby stop." Nico said struggling to his feet and putting his hands on Toby's shoulders gently. "If Tim is really missing we need to know what he knows. You want Masky back don't you?" Slowly Toby's hands loosened around Jay's neck, and Jay gasped desperately.
"Thank you." Nico said to Toby. Squeezing his shoulder before kneeling down next to Jay. Hoody knelt on the other side and Nico glanced up at him receiving a small nod before he continued.
"Whatever happened to Tim I can promise we had nothing to do with us. We can promise that, but what DID happen to Tim?" Nico said to Jay who was glaring at all three of them alternatively.
"As if you don't know! He went missing, he just wasn't there when I woke up! If he needs to leave while I'm not around he leaves a note but there was no note! I've tried to text and call him but there's no response. His phone isn't in the hotel, or turned off so why isn't he answering unless he can't?!" Jay accused settling on glaring at Hoody. Nico glanced at Hoody as well, he could see Hoody trembling slightly. What if Tim was in danger? What if he was dead and Masky could never come back.
"Will we help find Tim?" Nico asked Hoody softly ignoring Jay's continued angry tirade. Hoody looked back at Nico and nodded solemnly. However much Hoody hated Tim, he shared the body of Hoody's lover and for that reason Hoody would protect Tim as well. "Jay let us prove we didn't have anything to do with Tim going missing, let us help you find him."
"Why the fuck would I trust you assholes after all of this." Jay snarled nearly spitting on Nico, who winced unhappily.
"Good question." Toby snarled suddenly. "I don't see why we don't just kill you, find Masky, kill those fucking puppets and burn the god damned forest to the ground. There's not much that can get up again once it's ashes. Jay froze stiff.
"I promised Jay he would be able to have a normal life after this was over if he cooperated with us. He can't exactly have a normal life if he's dead."
"Ya well I don't think he's held up his end of the deal because I don't think punching you in the face can in any way count as cooperating." Toby snarled.
"Toby." Hoody said sharply and Toby's head snapped around to look at him cracking loudly. "If Tim is still in control we'll need Jay to make him come with us." Hoody said and for once his voice was calm and steady, it seemed he got better under pressure. Toby snarled and pushed himself up off of Jay's chest, taking two steps back before clutching his own head and beginning to mumble distractedly.
"We'll help you find Tim, Jay." Nico said taking over Hoody's train of thought. "And we will both honor the deal we talked about last night or it is off and your safety is no longer guaranteed. In fact I am almost positive grave harm is insured." Jay went pale and looked and Hoody who nodded.
"Fine." Jay hissed. Nico got up immediately going over to Toby as Hoody helped Jay up.
Shade punched Jay's shoulder hard and said. "You better honor your end of the deal, or your fucked."
"Are you okay Toby?" Nico murmured wrapping his arms around Toby loosely but Toby's eyes didn't focus on him.
"Toby." Nico repeated turning Toby's head to make him look into Nico's eyes.
"Toby look at me vita mia." Toby did look at Nico, suddenly and grab his arms hard making Nico hiss in pain.
"If anyone hurts you again I'm going to rip them apart." He hissed staring into Nico's eyes with glaring intensity. Nico felt a shiver run down his spine and his stomach turn but he ignored it.
"I'm fine Toby, I've had much worse. It doesn't matter." Nico assured him.
"No it's not you're already bruising." Toby argued his grip tightening even farther.
"So is where you're holding my arms Toby." Nico mentioned softly and Toby let go like he had been burned looking horrified. "Look Toby I'm fine, I'm okay. There are more important things to do now, we'll deal with it later." Toby nodded still looking shell shocked. The only thing he seemed to be able to ask was.
"What dose vita mia mean?" and Nico felt a smile play around his lips.
"It means my life." Nico answered reaching out to entwine his fingers with Toby's. "Now let's go find out what happened to Tim.