Chapter 6: Not for ourselves alone are we born

A/N: Thanks so much to ViscountessAberowen for continued perseverance in the upkeep of my ideas and writing! Thank you from the bottom or my cold, black heart!

**As a bonus for you guys, I have a couple pictures for this chapter. The first is a commission from last chapter done by the delightfully talented djenaha! Find her and her other artwork on tumblr under djenaha

You can find the artwork at the imgbb website under my user name: BlackPebbleToad

Nico followed Leo's lead and slid off the side of Festus when they landed. More of his hair had pulled free from where it was tied back. The son of Hades was thankful for the darkened sky as it hid his grin.

There was something about flying that was so...freeing. Much better than shadow travel. And pegasus rides. The fact that all of the pegasus had to be convinced to carry him and always seemed terrified made the mode of transportation stressful. But Festus hadn't minded at all. In fact, Festus' mood seemed to depend on Leo's- at least, if Leo's heartbeat was anything to go by. Festus had flown with more life and excitement when Leo's heartbeat had picked up. Nico had noticed it toward the end of their trip to the Dayspring Center and halfway back to the Waystation.

All in all, Nico decided it was an excellent way to get around.

Even through the dark, Nico could see the grin on Leo's face when the demigod turned toward him.

"Beats walking, doesn't it?" Leo patted Festus' side. "You good big guy? Need any tabasco?"

Steam blew out in a gust from Festus' nostrils, and he shoved his snout into Leo's chest, nuzzling back and forth. Leo winced and laughed, "Alright, buddy. Goodnight then."

With one last blast of steam, Festus collapsed into a heavy suitcase as soon as Leo pressed a button on the front of the dragon's neck. Leo glanced back up to Nico, grinning and rubbing his chest. No doubt he'd have a bruise in the morning. Nico felt himself smiling back despite himself.

Leo rested his hand on top of the suitcase. "So, what did Celia say about the ghosts?"

Nico sighed. "Are Miles and Celia demigods, by any chance? Noticed any monsters around them or anything?"

Leo shook his head. "Nah, man. I mean, there's this one old guy, Victor? But I think he's just a really cranky viejo. He just kinda hangs around and gives the kids sugar. And I've never met a monster that does that." Leo's eyes drifted to somewhere behind Nico's head. "Unless...do you think that little old lady in Hansel and Gretel was a monster?"

"What?"

"Yeah. The old witch. She fed the kids candy and-"

Nico snorted. "I know who you're talking about. I just don't know why."

Leo shrugged. "Maybe she was a monster. In which case, I know one monster that gives kids candy."

"But why…?" Nico frowned, lost in the conversation. He recalled Annabeth mentioning that Leo was more ADHD than most demigods.

"Because. We were talking about Victor." At Nico's blank look, Leo sighed. "Let me backtrack this for you." Leo began ticking off on his fingers. "Witch. Candy monsters. Victor gives sweets to the kiddos. Victor is the only one who hangs around who acts like a monster sometimes. You asked about Celia and Miles being around monsters or being demigods. I asked you what Celia said about the ghosts."

Leo huffed. "And by the way, Ghost Boy. Answering a question with another question does not count as answering the question no matter what the Athena cabin says."

Nico nodded and crossed his arms. "Fair enough. But to answer, I need to ask questions. What was it I said about age and wisdom again?"

Leo scowled. "I'm still better at woodshop than you."

Nico ignored Leo's petulant insult. "So, any chance they could be demigods?"

"Could be." Leo shrugged. "Or maybe Celia is like that kid. You know? I see dead people and all that?"

Nico frowned. "What kid? Another kid sees dead people? Besides me?"

Leo smacked his forehead with his hand. "That's right! I keep forgetting you're like this old crypt keeper and whatnot. It's just a reference. There's this movie where this kid and Bruce Willis-"

"Valdez."

"-and Willis is his psychiatrist or something and-"

"Leo."

"-and it turns out the whole time that Willis is-"

"Leo!"

Leo jumped as if Nico had pushed him. "Dude, what!?"

Nico rubbed his temple. It's the ADHD, it's the ADHD, it's the ADHD. "Sputa il rospo! I just want your opinion."

Leo bit his lip and quieted for a moment before asking, "Was that Italian?"

Nico frowned. Leo's heartbeat had picked up a bit. Does he think I'm upset with him? Nico lowered the volume of his voice and answered. "Yes. Just something my nonnina used to say."

Leo tilted his head to the side. "Was she your grandmother?"

Furrowing his brow, Nico answered, "No. I think she was my great-grandmother?" Nico shook his head. How does he manage to get me so off-track? "So. You don't know and haven't had any indication that they're demigods."

"Nope. Nada. Zilch."

Nico sighed. "Right. Well, Celia said their mom takes them to the graveyard each week to visit Casey's grave."

"So," Leo grimaced. "That's not morbid. Not at all."

"She did say that they visited the graveyard every Friday- even before Casey died-to see Mama Mellie."

"So, we thinking godly parent then?"

But Nico was already shaking his head. "Not necessarily. Just because she didn't die when Casey did doesn't mean that she wasn't a mortal who died previously." Nico tilted his head to the side. "Besides, if they're not in danger and they have one parent looking out for them...does it really matter if they're demigods?"

Leo frowned in thought. "But, what if they don't know? I mean, they could get in major trouble. You know?"

"Well," Nico started. "If they are demigods, either they're not from too major a god, or the god is doing a good job of hiding them- or even their mortal parent. Percy's mom married a complete jerk just to hide him."

"So, we just let it go?"

"For now. We can watch and be there if needed." Nico half-smiled. "Let them enjoy their childhood for a while longer? Like we didn't get to?"

Leo's face fell, and he nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Yeah, sounds good."

How do I always find a way to bring the mood down? Nico cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Earlier, when we- I- was painting. You were going to say something about your mom?"

Leo looked up, a slightly crooked smile on his face. "You were listening?"

"Well, yeah," Nico said, confused. "Of course I was listening. Even if you were a brat about my artistic decisions."

Leo guffawed. "'Artistic decisions'? You were roasting me! With my own dragon! Not cool, bro. Not cool."

An evil grin spread across Nico's face. "Ah, but it was a very well painted skeleton. Besides, Festus was just getting rid of the pirates that had plagued the countryside led by Valdez the Vexing."

"And seriously," Leo protested. "Valdez the Vexing? What is that?"

Nico looked at Leo, a severe expression on his face. "Leo. Vexing means frustrating." He brought a finger to his lips and tapped them. "When is your birthday? I want to get you a dictionary."

The glare Leo shot Nico could have melted metal. "I know what vexing means, Ghost Boy."

Nico's mouth curved up in a small smile. "So you know, then, that it's a compliment? 'Valdez the Vexing, Scourge of the Italian Coast?"

Leo laughed outright. "You realize you're the annoying one, right?"

Nico sniffed. "It's an uneducated mind that falls back on petty insults, Leo." He held his haughty expression for a moment before softening. "Do you...do you still want to share what you were going to say about your mom?"

Leo opened his mouth, but the door to the Waystation swung open. Jo stood in the entryway.

"Oh, good! You're back!" The beaming woman took up the doorway almost wholly. "Nico, you have an Iris message. The guy seems pretty impatient- says you were supposed to check in seven-" Jo checked the watch on her wrist, "-eight minutes ago. I'd scoot along if I were you. Not wise to irritate the gods."

Nico paled. Dionysus. He dashed toward the door but caught himself on the frame and looked back at Leo. "Find you later?" He hesitated before adding, "I'm still listening, okay?"

Leo nodded, a happy smile on his face, and waved Nico away.

Nico dashed through the Grand Hall and took the stairs two at a time. I do not want to be turned into a porpoise. He flung his door open and came to a halt. Dionysus-God of the Vine, Wine, and Ritual Madness- drawled to Calypso, who was stuck misting a bottle of water in the air to maintain the paunchy man's image.

"-do mist a bit faster, Cally. My connection is so bad it could give Kronos a run for his money."

Calypso scowled but aimed the bottle a bit higher into a fan that had been placed in the room and pulled the trigger more quickly.

Dionysus turned his attention to Nico and scowled. "You're late. Perhaps I should institute a policy of no more than zero minutes late, or I will cancel your appointment." The god seemed to look beyond Nico and added, "Or I could just turn you into a dolphin for your entire appointment. I'm sure your issues would cease to matter after that. Did you have issues when you were turned into corn?"

Nico frowned and ignored the question. "I apologize for being late. Leo and I were volunteering-"

"Hephaestus' brat?"

"He's not a brat," Nico answered, his frown deepening. I was joking when I called him that. I don't want anyone else saying that about him. "But, yes. Hephaestus' son."

Dionysus raised an eyebrow. "What is it with you demigods defending one another? I'll call Leonardo Vestus-"

"Leo," Calypso interrupted with a hastily added, "My lord."

"Yes, yes, fine! My point being: don't contradict me! Girl! Hand him the mister and leave. Now." Even through the Iris message, Nico could see the purple fire flash in the god's eyes. He quickly walked over and reached for the spray bottle, which Calypso relinquished with a quick smile. She crossed the room and left, closing the door shut behind her.

The god turned his attention to Nico. "So. How is it: hanging with the misfits? Do you finally feel like you fit in?"

"No comment, Lord Dionysus." Nico sighed and glanced around him. Spying a chair, he hooked an ankle around one of the legs and pulled it close before sitting down.

Dionysus nodded. "You know the Waystation is the House of Nets? I've always felt it was a good metaphor- it seems to catch what falls through the cracks. Those who no longer fit in elsewhere." At the consternated look on Nico's face, the god added, "It's not a bad thing. Why do you demigods take everything so personally! As an insult instead of just what it is? Zeus' thunder!"

Dionysus paused and looked toward the heavens toward a faint sound of a storm. "Get over it! It's just a saying!"

The god huffed and turned back to Nico. "As I was saying, I think you'll find that this residence will be a better fit than either of the camps have been in the past. Have you settled in?"

Nico shrugged.

"Right. Well, Hemithea already filled me in on your shadow usage last night."

Nico winced. Was that really only last night?

Dionysus continued. "What was so important that you ignored my advice to not use your abilities when it comes to the dark?"

The dark-haired demigod shrugged again.

"Nico di Angelo. Must I remind you of the difference between willing and willful? You either take part in your therapy, or we stop. There is an entirely good chance that you will lead a productive and healthy blah, blah, blah life if we continue. If you don't, well: good luck when you join the shadows. Let me know if there actually is something in the dark. Send me a postcard, why don't you?"

Nico sighed explosively. "A hydra was chasing us."

Dionysus smirked. "There now. Good demigod." Dionysus's smile faded. He studied Nico curiously. "So, no other ways to slow it down? Absolutely none? Think about your options, boy. What could you have done differently?"

Nico chewed his lower lip. Finally, he said, "I guess I could have tried to bury it with my powers? In the field?"

The god nodded, steepling his fingers to his chin. "What else?"

"Summoned skeletons to distract it. Opened up a fissure so it would have had to work to get out."

"And? You're still missing something."

Nico focused. What else could I have done? "I guess if it got closer, I could have tried to make it fall asleep?"

When Dionysus next sighed, the sound was heavy and weary, holding so much frustration, exhaustion, and sadness that Nico wondered when the god had started hating demigods so much. Nico thought that, perhaps, the god had once tried to help others and, after seeing them fail too many times, stopped caring. I'm getting that way, and I'm only fifteen.

"Why didn't you ask Leon for help?"

Frowning more deeply, Nico shook his head. "He was hurt."

Dionysus rolled his eyes. "Was he unconscious?"

"No, but-"

"Blinded?"

"No, but-"

"Incapacitated in such a way as to be a dead weight?"

"No, but-"

"No 'buts,' Mr. di Angelo. Why didn't you even think about asking this 'Lionel' for help?"

Nico cast about for an answer, pulling the spray trigger every three seconds. Why hadn't he? Leo was more than capable; Nico had said so himself at dinner the previous night. He trusted the demigod and knew that, while the other boy's fighting style was different from most campers and soldiers, it wasn't bad.

"I don't know."

"That's not an acceptable answer. You do know. It's just hard finding the words to describe it. Take a minute. Think about it." Dionysus shifted in the picture. "Keep misting. I need to feed Seymour." The god disappeared, leaving just his chair in the mist.

I've asked before, I just-

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized the god was right. He didn't ask for help very often. He coerced help. He manipulated help. He took help when it was offered but never did he ask for it.

Why though? Why can't I ask for help?

Dionysus returned. A Diet Coke materialized in his hand, and he popped the tab. "Well? Any progress in that little demigod head of yours?"

"You're right." Nico fixed his gaze somewhere to the left of the god. "I don't ask for help."

"Well, duh." Dionysus took a sip of the soda and set it on a table out of sight. "And do you know why?"

"I think...I think maybe I'm afraid?"

Dionysus arched an eyebrow and motioned for Nico to continue with a wave of his hand.

Nico licked his lips and took a deep breath. "I don't like asking for help. I'm worried that people will say no. And, if I ask for help...I dunno."

"Do you really not know, or you just don't want to say?" Dionysus rested his chin on a fisted hand, staring with a bland expression.

"I don't want to be seen as weak. Or pathetic." Nico could feel the contempt dripping from his lips. His words oozed with hatred and disdain.

"And asking for help is weak and pathetic?"

Nico shrugged again and looked away.

"Let me ask you this, Nico. Was Apollo weak when he asked for help from the camp?" The son of Hades shook his head. "Or any of your little demigod friends when they've prayed for help? What about that upstart Peter Johnson and Annie Bell? Were they weak when they called for help in Tartarus? Or perhaps William when he needed help in the infirmary?"

Nico shook his head in anger. "All of that's different!"

Dionysus simply raised an eyebrow. "Why? Because it wasn't you? So only you're weak and pathetic when you ask for help?"

All of the fight went out of Nico. His shoulders slumped, and he nodded. "I guess."

"Well," Dionysus drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "That makes sense. I mean, the kids of Hades, asking for help. Your sister is so weak and needy for all the times she asked for help last year against Gaea."

Nico's face twisted in anger, and he raised his voice against the god. "Hazel's not weak! She's one of the bravest and strongest demigods I know!"

"What makes you so special then? Why are you the only one not allowed to ask for help?" Dionysus's voice dropped in volume. For once, no trace of sarcasm laced his voice.

The son of Hades felt tears prick against the corners of his eyes, and he looked up at the ceiling, blinking rapidly to try to hold them back.

"I'm just not worth it."

"Hmm."

A silence fell between the two, the sound of the fan and water being sprayed from the bottle the only things breaking it.

"Tell me what happened when you hid with the shadows."

Nico took a moment to collect himself. When he responded, his voice fell flat and even- disconnected. "I passed out."

"And?"

"Passed out, slept the day away, had nightmares. Calypso helped with the shadows."

Dionysus nodded. "She's always had a way with cleansings. Were the nightmares about Bob again? Did you hear him calling you? Or the other voice- the new one?"

Nico curtly shook his head. "No. It was just memories. The day Jason died. The day I left camp."

"Do you think," Dionysus paused to take another gulp of his Diet Coke. "Do you think that maybe your inability to ask for help has pushed away those most eager to help you? Like Will?"

Nico closed his eyes. His nod was so minute and small that, had Dionysus not been an immortal being with superior eyesight, the god would have missed it. A sigh escaped the God of the Vine's lips.

"That's enough for today. I just wanted to see how you were settling in." He regarded Nico with warm sympathy, which disappeared as soon as the demigod opened his eyes and looked at the god. He plastered on a bored facade. "I'll leave you with this: I want you to come up with three relationships that have suffered because you didn't ask for help. Process why you did not ask for help and how the relationship suffered." Nico nodded miserably. "I also want you to ask for help three times before we meet in…." Dionysus tilted his head from side to side, debating on when next to see the son of Hades. "Heck, why don't we just make it three days? Three relationships, three asks, three days. Got it?"

Nico opened his mouth to protest, but the purple fire flashed in the god's eyes again. Nico gulped and nodded. "Three days, Lord Dionysus." He paused before adding, "Thank you."

"And Nico?"

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"I'd like you to challenge your thought from earlier: you're worthy of help."

Dionysus raised his Diet Coke in a farewell "Cheers," and the connection sputtered to a halt.

Nico lowered the spray bottle and reached to turn off the fan. Silence fell heavily on the room. He kicked his leg back and forth against the floor.

Three people? No problem. I've driven away more than my fair share, I guess. Analyze it? Easy. But gods above. I have to ask for help three times?

The son of Hades dropped his chin into his palm, resting his elbow on his knee.

A firm knock sounded at his door.

"Yo! Dinner time. Hurry up because I. Am. Hungry!" Leo's voice sounded on the other side of the door. Nico quickly glanced into the mirror hanging over his desk. His hair was windswept from the ride on Festus. What remained of the dandelions was tangled in his hair.

"Just a minute!" Nico raised his hands to try to remove the flowers. "I just need to-"

The door opened and Leo poked his head into the room.

"-freshen up."

The two demigods looked at each other for a moment until Leo laughed. "Need help?"

Nico scowled, "No." He reached a hand up and began to tug on one of the yellow-flowered plants. It came away in shreds, creating more work for Nico.

"Come on. All you gotta do is say please."

"Nu-uh. Don't need it." Nico bit his lower lip and started on a second dandelion. The golden head came free, leaving the green stem oozing a white sap into his hair.

"Ghost Boy. Seriously. Let me help." The playful tone became more serious as Leo stepped further into the room.

"I said no, Leo! Just leave it!" Nico's fingers wrenched at the stuck stem, succeeding in pulling the plant and several strands of hair away from Nico's scalp.

"Right. See you downstairs." Nico heard Leo turn and begin to walk away.

Ask for help. Leo wants to help. Just ask him, and it's one down, two to go. Besides, he's already offered. You know he won't say no. That still counts, right?

Nico closed his eyes and, before Leo could fully retreat from the room, blurted out, "Leo, wait!"

The footsteps halted, and he heard Leo ask, "Yeah?"

Nico sighed, petulant. "Will you…" He took a deep breath and started again. "Will you help me get the rest of the dandelions out of my hair?"

He opened his eyes to see Leo grinning, almost to the hall. The demigod stepped back into the room and closed the door. "All you had to do was ask."

Leo quickly closed the space between them and reached for Nico. His fingers were surprisingly lithe, delicately sorting through the strands of hair and plant. He placed several pieces of dandelion onto the table but frowned. "Hold still." Leo's fingers dipped underneath the tie and gently pulled it out of Nico's hair. The dark strands fell around the son of Hades' dismayed face.

"Oh but-"

"What's up?" Leo froze, one dandelion halfway out from Nico's hair.

Nico grumbled, shifting his eyes to the floor.

"I'm sorry? What was that?" Leo leaned in closer to the demigod.

"I said, I liked my hair up."

"Oh." Leo looked at the mess of dandelions on the desk to the hair-tie wrapped around his wrist. "Well, I'll give you back the tie once I'm done. No worries." Leo frowned at the lack of response from Nico and resumed pulling bits of vegetation debris away from the dark hair.

Nico scowled and scratched a fingernail over the top of the desk, settling into a stony silence.

Why don't you tell him you don't know how to put it up? Ask him to show you. ASK HIM.

Nico cleared his throat nervously. "Could you…" His voice shriveled up in his throat. It's silly. You don't need your hair up. So what if it gets it out of your face? Suck it up or figure it out. It's silly.

"What's up, di Angelo?"

Leo's warm voice washed across Nico, inviting the question easily.

"I don't know how. Would you show me how you put it up earlier?"

Leo blinked at him for a moment before grinning. "Yeah. Sure."

That... wasn't so hard.

"...thanks."

The son of Hephaestus continued pulling little bits of dandelion out of Nico's hair. They stayed like that for almost a minute before Nico spoke again.

"So? Your mom?"

Leo paused for a moment before resuming his work. "Yeah. My mom. I was just going to say that I get it, you know? About memories being sad but liking them because they're happy too?" Leo gently pulled one of the few remaining stalks from Nico's hair. "My mom and I used to go down to this place- 'Christie's.' Every Friday she'd take me there, and we'd eat so much shrimp and catfish I'd just about die."

Leo cleared his throat. "After she...well, sometimes I'd go by there when things weren't so great at the foster homes. There was this one lady- Teresa? I hated staying with her. But, no matter where I went, she always seemed able to find me. I stayed with her the longest but would go by 'Christies' every Friday night. I didn't have any money, but I'd just sit out there and smell the fried fish, and it was almost like being there with my mom again. I knew things had to get better."

Nico felt Leo's hands grow still in his hair and waited for the other boy to continue. "I dunno. Even with my mom gone, I just figured there still had to be some good out there in the world. Even if I couldn't find it." Leo laughed and resumed picking the last bit of dandelion out of Nico's dark hair. "I dunno. Probably silly, but every time I smell fried catfish, I can't help but think things can't be that bad."

The son of Hephaestus lapsed into silence until he dropped a dandelion and exclaimed, "All done!" He set his hands on Nico's shoulder and made eye contact with Nico through the mirror. "Got a hairbrush?"

"Uh...my fingers?"

"Dude. If you're going to let your hair grow out, you seriously need to invest in a hairbrush. Even Pipes owns a hairbrush, bro." Leo raked his fingers through Nico's hair until it became manageable. "Alright, so once your hair is somewhat not horrible, gather it at the height you want it on the back of your head," Leo held the entirety of Nico's hair in his hand high on the back of his head. "Then just pull the tie from around your wrist and wrap it a couple of times around the hair, and voila!" Leo stepped back. "Just like that! What do you think?"

Nico looked at himself in the mirror. With his hair pulled back, he didn't look so sullen. He looked paler and more drawn and tired but just...different.

I like it.

Nico smiled softly and looked up at Leo. "Thanks."

"Sure thing, Ghost Boy. Now, can we go eat? My stomach is about to crawl its way up my throat and eat my face if we don't get going. Lit will eat everything, and Cal made Firecracker Tofu tonight, which is da bomb."

Nico rolled his eyes but stood and turned to follow Leo. As they left and made their way down the hall and stairs, Nico reached out and grabbed Leo's wrist, stopping him before they joined the others. Leo turned back to him with a question in his eyes, his heart rate picking up.

"I just...thanks for sharing that with me. About your mom."

Leo stared for a moment before smiling. He nodded. "Any time, bro."

The pair stood like that for a moment more: Leo on the step below Nico looking back up at the son of Hades with his wrist still captive in the demigod's grasp. They both opened their mouths to speak at the same time and stopped. Leo laughed. "Let's go, Ghost Boy. You need to get some meat on those bones."

Nico shook his head and dropped his hold on Leo, missing the warmth that had come with the gesture. He followed Leo down the remainder of the stairs and over to the kitchen area. Most of the seats were already taken. Two seats were left between Olujime and Deacon, who was deep in conversation with Stan. Nico copied Leo and grabbed a plate from the counter, filling it up. He only took a quarter of what Leo piled onto his own plate. When Leo saw, he raised an eyebrow.

Leo pushed his own plate into Nico's hand and grabbed the son of Hades' plate. "I meant it. You look like you're going to fall over." Leo's eyes seemed to search Nico's, and he gave a small and somewhat melancholy smile. "Find your catfish, alright?"

...what makes me happy? Or believe I'll be happy again?

Nico accepted the plate and watched as Leo stuffed more and more food on his new dish. He turned and made his way to the table, staring at the copious amounts of food on his plate. It was a literal mountain of tofu coated in a red, spicy-smelling sauce. Green onions and macadamia nuts were sprinkled throughout the mixture, bright shoots of lemongrass littering the mound. It smelled delicious but still seemed to make Nico's stomach turn.

Without looking where he was sitting, Nico pulled out the chair and settled in. He looked up and around. The rest of the Waystation inhabitants gathered around the table, lost in multiple conversations. Sssssarah asked Olujime about his exam while Lit spoke with Calypso about the vegetation in Livia's diet. When the former goddess looked over for a moment, she caught his eye and smiled before returning to her conversation.

Emmie and Jo argued with Georgina.

"But I don't like the new schedule! Why can't I go out on patrol?"

Jo buttered a piece of bread, saying, "You can patrol when you're older. The world isn't going anywhere. There'll still be plenty of monsters out there in a few years."

Emmie's tone was more severe. "The discussion is closed, Georgie. Drop it."

Georgina grabbed her fork and prodded a piece of tofu. "Stupid gardening."

Emmie opened her mouth, her usually calm face twisting with exasperation. Jo caught her eye and shook her head. "Pick your battles, Em."

Emmie sighed and looked around, noticing Nico watching the trio. She smiled tiredly. "New schedule out today. Not too much changed. But we swapped a couple people around," Nico noticed her eyes flicked to Calypso and Leo before darting back to him, "and with the addition of you, we needed to revamp it. It's just a delegation of chores and duties that need to be done around the station."

She snagged a piece of paper from a stack in the center of the table. Reaching across the table, Emmie handed it to Nico.

She continued as Nico surveyed the list. "We all chip in around here. The days you're assigned laundry are the days to do your laundry." She wrinkled her nose at the thought of ever being responsible for the boys' laundry. "Days you have dishes, you have dishes all day unless you have prior commitments. Breakfast and lunch are fend-for-yourself affairs. When you're on dinner, feel free to raid the fridge and garden. If there's something you need from the grocery, let me or Jo know. She goes and does the shopping on Mondays. Patrol starts after dinner."

She smiled at Nico. "Don't be too overwhelmed. There's always something to do, but we do have fun around here, too."

Leo plunked his plate down beside Nico's and fell into the vacant seat, leaning over to peer at the schedule. Nico shifted so Leo could look more closely at the paper. Leo looked up at Nico. The son of Hades realized that Leo's heartbeat had picked up again.

What is going on with you, Leo? Why are you so nervous around me?

A nasty little voice in the back of Nico's head spoke up then.

Maybe he's nervous about being around you because you're a son of the God of the Underworld and the Dead. Maybe you freaked him out yesterday with the shadows. Or...maybe he just doesn't like you.

Nico felt his shoulders stiffen. He pushed the schedule into Leo's hands, ignoring the startled look on the demigod's face. He returned his attention to the food in front of him.

If he dislikes me so much, why is he being so nice?

Nico pushed his food around his plate in misery. The conversation continued around the table as various inhabitants thanked the gods for their meal. They only stopped in their chatter when Emmie and Jo had both silenced them to thank Artemis and Britomartis.

A warm leg bumped against his own, and he looked over to his right. Leo stared at him, one eyebrow raised in concern. "The food isn't going to bite, you know. The idea is that you bite it."

Nico scowled. "I know that."

Smirking, Leo asked, "Did I put too much on your plate? You can't handle it?"

Nico glowered at the demigod and, without looking, speared a piece of tofu onto his fork and shoved it into his mouth. Leo's quickly uttered, "Wait!" was soon followed by a look of horror as Nico chewed the food he had bitten into. Three whole seconds passed before Nico realized why. His mouth was on fire.

His eyes widened, and he looked down at his plate. Nico had not noticed that the red sauce contained little whole peppers throughout it. The heat spread through his mouth at an alarming pace. He set his fork down and grabbed the water glass in front of him while Leo cringed.

"Sorry, dude. You literally just took a bite of only pepper. I told you- it's Firecracker Tofu. She makes it with Scotch Bonnet. I didn't even think to ask if you like spicy food. She always sets some aside for the non-spicy crowd."

Nico drained his water glass and gasped out. "S'alright. Just wasn't expecting it."

Leo pushed his own water glass at Nico, which he took with a grateful half-smile and began to sip.

"Well," Leo started. "Guess you won't be able to decide if you like the tofu or not since you just burned all your tastebuds off." Leo still stared at him, a look of worry on his face. "You okay, dude?"

He seems like he cares.

Nico shook his head and returned to his food, but Leo pressed on. "Did I do something wrong, Nico?"

At the sound of his name, Nico looked up and locked eyes with Leo. The son of Hephaestus' heart was still a nervous patter, but his eyes were warm and dark, like trees after a rainstorm.

This isn't Leo's fault. None of this is.

Nico sighed. "No, Leo. It's just me. I get kind of...off. After talking with Mr. D."

Leo clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Ain't no thang, Ghost Boy. If you ever want to talk, I'm here." The demigod didn't press further and returned to his dinner, elbowing Nico to do the same.

As Nico cautiously chewed his food, avoiding the peppers when he could, he listened to the conversation around him and was drawn into the one happening on his left.

"But listen. You're gonna have a mana problem if Ramos is your commander. Even with your ramp mechanic, it's going to be a pain to bring anything out!" Deacon spoke directly to Stan, trying to reason with the younger kid.

"I'm telling you it won't be an issue. Besides, it won't be as boring as your mono deck!" Stan stuck out his tongue at his brother, who scowled back. He brandished a card in the air at the older boy. "Ramos will kick your stupid red deck to oblivion!"

"My deck isn't boring! You just get so stuck on your combos that you don't appreciate a straightforward game!"

At this point, Nico was entirely interested. He twisted his head, trying to catch a glimpse of the card and asked, more to himself than to the boys, "What is that?"

The two younger demigods stopped mid-argument and looked over to him, asking in unison, "What?"

Nico cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed. "I just, uh, wanted to know what card game you're talking about?"

Deacon turned fully in his seat so his back was to his brother and he faced Nico. "Magic the Gathering. It's only the best card game. Although," he looked sideways at his brother, "some people understand it better than others."

Stan's voice was high and mocking. "Some people understand it better than others." He snorted. "Do you even hear yourself, Deacon? You sound dumb."

"Be quiet, stupid!"

"Make me, moron!"

"Cut it out, you two! Or it will be all dishes next week!" Emmie looked down her nose at the two demigods, a stern expression on her face. She studied them for a moment before nodding and turning back to her conversation with Cal about eggplants that needed to be picked and used before they went bad.

Deacon scowled and turned back to Nico. "It's a card game. You have a set number of cards in a deck. You get out land cards and tap them for mana. Then you can summon creatures or cast spells. You want to get your opponents' life total to zero."

"Can I see the card?"

Stan glared at Nico suspiciously. "Are your hands clean? I only just got these sleeves."

Nico smiled and dropped his fork, holding out his hands for inspection. Stan studied them closely before nodding, apparently satisfied with the level of cleanliness. He passed the card to Nico and turned toward his food.

Encased in a transparent sleeve, the card had two sides: the first and, what Nico assumed was the back, showed a brown background with a lighter colored oval taking up the majority of the card. The word 'MAGIC' was emblazoned in blue across the top of the card with 'The Gathering' in smaller letters directly below it. Five individual dots of color hovered in the center of the card going in a clockwise pattern of white, blue, black, red, and green.

Nico flipped the card over. It was a typical card layout. At the top left corner the card's name read: "Ramos, Dragon Engine" with a six circled in the top right-hand corner. A picture of a metallic dragon standing with his wings spread on a mountainous landscape took up the top half of the card. Below that, a designation read: Legendary Artifact Creature- Dragon. Underneath that, Nico read through the abilities.

He smiled and handed the card back to the boys. "Looks fun."

Deacon and Stan both nodded with the younger saying, "It really is! Our dad used to own a game shop back when we lived in Colorado. It was so cool!"

Nico felt a tap on his shoulder and turned back to Leo. "You almost finished, bro? It's my turn to do dishes."

Nico looked down at his plate. Over half of it wasn't touched, but the son of Hades was full. He looked up at Leo and smiled apologetically. "Yeah. Sorry. I'm not used to eating so much."

Leo's smile split his face. "No worries, Ghost Boy. We'll fatten you up in no time!" He whisked the plate away from Nico, heart racing.

Nico frowned. Again with the heartbeat. Nico excused himself with a murmur and got up to follow Leo. He leaned against the counter with one hip and crossed his arms, waiting for the son of Hephaestus to notice him. Leo was set up at the end of the counter, scraping the last bits of food into a composting bin. When he turned around with his armful of plates, he froze, finally noticing Nico watching him. Leo's fingers began to drum against the bottom of the plates.

"What's up?"

Nico shrugged. "Thought I'd help."

Leo slowly approached the other boy near the sink. "Jaime's helping tonight. It's our turn." Leo's eyes shifted over to the darker demigod, crouched down to retrieve drying towels. "Right, Jaime?"

Olujime stood with a nod. "It is, indeed, our turn to wash and dry the dishes, Nico di Angelo."

Nico craned his neck to look back at the Yoruba demigod. "How about you take the night off?"

Olujime looked between Nico and Leo before shrugging. "I will do as you ask. Sssssarah has a curious egg at which I wish to take a look." The demigod laid the towels down on the counter and walked away.

Leo nervously smiled at Nico. "Alright, well, do you want to wash or dry?"

Nico tilted his head to the side. "I'll wash." He pushed up the cuffs of his long sleeve t-shirt and moved to the sink, flipping on the hot water. He held his hand underneath the stream until, satisfied with the temperature, he plugged the drain and filled the sink with water and soap. He took the dishes from Leo and deposited them into the sink.

Grabbing a sponge, he nonchalantly asked Leo, "When was the last time you visited a doctor?"

Leo jerked his head around to stare at Nico, taking the first washed dish from him. "¿Mande?"

Nico frowned. "I told you. I learned how to pick up on people's heartbeats by spending time in the infirmary." Nico's expression tightened, but he continued. "I know it's probably not my place to tell you, but your heartbeat is kind of all over the place. I don't know what your normal pulse is, but it picks up a lot sometimes. It happened on Festus and when we were speaking about Celia and Miles earlier. And again when I grabbed your wrist and when you were looking at the schedule."

Nico finished scrubbing another plate and pulled it from the water, handing it to Leo. "It happened just now when you took my food away."

Leo laughed. "I'm good. Seriously, bro. I'm fine. I was probably thinking about some project or something."

Nico frowned. "I know you said it wasn't the other night, but...are you sure it's not because of me?"

Leo dropped the plate in his hands. It shattered against the floor with a loud clatter and crack. Leo quickly crouched, calling out, "Sorry, Emmie! It slipped."

Emmie came into the kitchen. "You okay? No cuts?"

Leo looked up and sheepishly shook his head. "Nah. We're all good. Just not paying attention."

"Alright, then." Emmie smiled and walked away.

Leo gathered the broken pieces and crossed to put them in the trash next to the compost before returning to take the next wet plate.

Nico said nothing but raised an eyebrow.

Leo sighed. "You're not- I just-" Leo huffed in frustration. "My heart's fine." He scowled and looked over to Nico. "Didn't I tell you to stop spying on my heart?"

Nico smirked and teased, "Maybe your heart shouldn't be so loud."

"My heart can be as loud as it wants! And it can do whatever it wants and like whoever it wants, okay?"

Nico stopped scrubbing and stared at Leo. "What?"

Leo's head dropped down, and he stared at the plate without drying it. "Can we please just drop it? For now? I don't know what's going on with me. But," he looked up at Nico wearily. "Está bien, don't worry about it, okay?. I just don't know what's gotten into it lately, but... I'll figure it out. And... I'll let you know when I do."

Nico nodded, not entirely convinced but willing to trust Leo for now. "Sounds like a deal."

Together, the two demigods finished cleaning the dishes for the night, both boys preoccupied with Leo's heart.

"Not for ourselves alone are we born." -Marcus Tullius Cicero