➴𝕿he 𝖙rouble 𝖎t 𝖒ight 𝖉rag чou 𝖉own ❥-- 𝚂tri & 𝓢ocks

He had ended up here. He hadn’t meant to, but here he was and… well, there was Arthur. He didn’t deserve the ghost’s friendship, really, but now for the first time it felt like something he didn’t want either.
“I came to see my father,” Nico murmured, voice breaking as he attempted to speak. He didn’t have to say why. The truth of it was plainly written on his face. Yet he had come here instead. He still couldn’t quite breathe. He doubted he could stand if he tried, so he remained where he was, sunken on the ground, face obscured as much as possible. He had given all he had to give, he knew that. Yet it still felt like there was too much inside of him. Jaw clenched, he funneled what little remained of his power supply at Arthur. Maybe if he dissipated into shadow he wouldn’t feel everything pressing in against his heart. Not like this, at least. The thought wasn’t a decision. It just happened, the runoff of his power needing to leave him because he already had too much building up inside of him.
Nico kept his gaze firmly away from Arthur. He knew the man was right, but that didn’t mean he had to admit it, even to himself. He wasn’t running away, was he? He could take his place here, as Prince of the Underworld and he’d never have to worry about it again. He would be powerful. But Sam would still be up there, on the surface, and Nico would still remember expecting a flash of recognition and getting nothing in return. No, his original idea was better. The Lethe wasn’t terribly far away. Deep down, he knew that he couldn’t do that to himself, but in the moment he wanted to. So badly it hurt.
“I’m sorry,” he managed, but he couldn’t hold back the tide of hurt that poured out. He shouldn’t have come here, but he knew if he tried to shadow travel again with what little energy he had left… well, he wouldn’t make it to his destination.

Nico clenched his jaw, staring at the ground as though if he won a staring contest with the earth he might be given some reward. Normally he would have flinched away from such a touch, but he knew he could whisk Arthur away as soon as he wanted if things went south. He wasn’t afraid of ghosts. It was the living that were much more difficult to be around. Or at least… those with bodies that still did what their mind required of them. He wasn’t sure vampires counted as the living.
He had already cried once today. He didn’t want to do it again, but maybe Arthur had a point. Or maybe he was just drowning in his own pity like someone had once said to him… that he just needed to buck up and roll with the punches like everyone else. He didn’t feel much like rolling with this particular punch. If he had more strength he would have leaned into Arthur, but it was all he could do to hold on to consciousness and keep his hands from trembling. He wasn’t going to cry again. It would just make him lose control, and he was already on the brink of that.
One breath. Then another. Keep the energy funneling into Arthur, keep the rest radiating away, thank the gods they weren’t close to Persephone’s garden because she would have killed him if he killed her plants, his father was lucky, his father… there were no magical laws Nico could take advantage of to bring his Sam to this world. Not like his father had with Persephone. What his father had sounded like a better deal than the hand Nico himself had been dealt.
Distantly, he noticed he was shaking like a leaf, moments away from relinquishing all hold he had on his power. Why did it hurt like this? Why did it feel worse than the idea of Sam dying? Perhaps because there was an imposter wearing his face. No, not an imposter. Just a boy who hadn’t asked for a hurt demigod to barge into his life like that.
“Imagine,” he began, voice weak. “If you hadn’t seen Myrnin in years.” He didn’t know if there was any imagining needed there. “But you hadn’t gotten to say goodbye the last time, you had just… talked about what you’d do next…” his voice broke and he caught himself after a moment. He knew it wouldn't take Arthur much to imagine that. Only Nico's situation wasn't Sam's fault the way Arthur's had been Myrnin's. “Next time. But there never was one. And then someone told you that you could see him again. So you go to him, and he… he looks at you… no, he looks through you, and he asks… he asks who you are.” His arms gave out and he rolled just in time to catch himself on Arthur. Despite his normal instinct, he curled closer, relying heavily on the presence of a friend, even if that friend couldn’t give the comfort of a steady heartbeat or a warm embrace.

The hand in his hair did it. Nico gasped in a breath, his body still shaking, but this time with silent sobs. His powers flared out as he lost it, and it was a good thing he was in the Underworld, though he could feel the pull of bones moving underneath the ground. He bade them to be still, but he no longer had faith that his carefully cultivated control would work as well as it had the past few years. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get a hold of himself. He had really only let himself miss Sam from the House. Because it hurt too much to think of all the other people he had lost on top of it. Sitting here now, he could practically feel the soft fabric of Rae’s shirt from the days when he had been able to cling to her, her fingers running gently through his hair just as Arthur was doing now. He hadn’t let himself mourn his loss. Because it had never just been Sam. It was Rae and Kelsier and Kid and Tori and Noctin and Korra and Danny and Arlo and… and he had held on to this hope that maybe he would blink back one day. Or maybe they’d show up in his world by some strange coincidence. But now, knowing that he couldn’t have Sam… the realization that the others were really gone too crashed down on him heavier than any other burden he’d shouldered.
Would it be easier to forget? About Sam, about the Sam that wasn’t his Sam, about the rest of the House as well? He didn’t know.
“I wasn’t prepared to stop blinking,” Nico whispered, voice ragged. “I grew up there, I… I guess I thought it would be forever, and… dammit.” He shook his head, angrily wiping away his tears. “Children of Hades don’t get happy endings. We never have.” He turned, burying his face against Arthur for just a moment, still funneling everything he had left into the ghost. His vision was beginning to blur around the edges - he’d need to give it up soon, but not yet.
“I’m not tired,” he protested, but even the surges of power that flared occasionally from him were beginning to slow down as his body ceased responding to his egregious demands. He took another breath, attempting to slow his sobs. “Sam.” The word felt like a knife. “Samuel Salinas, but apparently a different Samuel Salinas than the one here.” His hands were balled into fists, his nails digging into his palms as though that would keep him anchored to reality. “I don’t… I don’t know anything about love,” he admitted, eyes glazing. “I know when… when it hurts to look at someone because they’re burning brighter than the closest stars to us. I know… I know the way my chest seizes and I can’t say things right and I… I know laughing more than I ever would with anyone else, and I know that…” he glanced at his hands, the fading taking up far more of them than it had before. It spoke for itself. He was willing to risk that for what he felt. “I never told him.” Nico’s hand dropped to his side. “I thought I had already dealt with… with losing him.”

Nico grimaced. No matter what Arthur said, it was an ending, of sorts. He hadn’t quite let himself believe that. For two years he had been certain that he would blink back, but now… he didn’t know what had changed but he did know for sure that there was no returning from it. There was to be no seeing his Sam again. He had no way of even knowing if his friends were okay or what was happening in their worlds… it made him sick to his stomach. And he knew he could keep living this life, the life without the House, without the people who had watched him grow up… but that didn’t mean it was okay. He sighed. One day, they would all forget about him. That was a certainty that was difficult to deal with. They would all move on in their lives and in their worlds, but Nico didn’t seem capable of moving on. That was his fatal flaw, wasn’t it? Hanging tight to something that had happened long ago because he couldn’t let the past die?
What did Arthur mean he was allowed to grieve? They weren’t… well, he wouldn’t know if they were or weren’t dead. The people in his world that he cared about, he could feel them. He had known when close friends died because he felt a part of him die with them. But he had no way of knowing for the people he loved in the House. It was a harsh reality to come to terms with.
“That’s what they say when people die,” he whispered, voice cracking. “They’re wrong, though. Once someone’s dead, they don’t stay by your side, you know… you know it doesn’t work like that.” Even for him. When Bianca died… well, she hadn’t wanted to see him, had she? And then she had left. What raged inside him now felt like that, but worse. Because Bianca could still hear him when he called out to her so many times. She knew there was more he had to say. The people in the House would never know.
One last shuddering wave of power emanated from the boy before it was all he could do to maintain the stream of power that passed from him into Arthur. It felt nice, to have the ghost beside him, holding on to him, comforting him… even without the warmth of life. His tears stopped, the remnants drying on his face.
“I’m sorry,” he managed, finally meeting Arthur’s gaze. “Please… please stay, for a bit?” He knew it wasn’t his right to request such a favor, but he didn’t want to be alone. Even as he felt consciousness slipping from him. His eyes closed and he let blackness settle over him, the waves of power settling and the temperature warming - well, warming as much as it ever did in the Underworld.

Nico woke up, still feeling more than a little bit drained. He looked around for a moment as though confused where he was, then recognized Arthur besides him. Reflexively, he began to funnel energy towards the ghost, but found his energy stores were nowhere near as full as he had anticipated. He cautiously glanced at his hands, his heart almost stopping when he saw how much more damage the fading had taken. He hid his hands in his pockets as quickly as he could, but he knew Arthur had probably already seen. He needed to stop using his powers… for how long, he wondered. How long before using his powers would cease to cause him harm? Before the harm he had already done was reversed? He shook his head, the questions too heavy to deal with when he had a pounding headache and emotions that were threatening to explode all over again.
“You stayed,” he said to Arthur, meeting the ghost’s eyes. It seemed that his mask was now firmly back in place. There was no sign of the boy who was breaking down only hours before, though he did seem surprised that the ghost had abided his request. “Thank you.”
—
Something had gone wrong. Hazel had felt it in the Earth, a desperate pulse echoing underneath the surface. Over and over again, almost a distress signal. She had mounted Arion as quickly as she could, tearing over the countryside until she had arrived at Camp Half-Blood. There were the usual pleasantries exchanged, as though this was just another normal visit, but it wasn’t. Nobody seemed to have realized that something was wrong yet, or even that her half brother was missing. He was missing, that much was clear. She tried his cabin to no avail, and many his favorite spots. She could sense that he had been in the Labyrinth, but there was no telling how long ago nor whether there was any chance he was still there but further in. He would return to camp, eventually. He was somewhere underground, though Hazel didn’t relish the thought of going to find him. If he didn’t return within the day, she told herself, she would go after him, even if it meant facing Hades. Because if it had to do with Nico, it was going to be Hades, not Pluto. A shudder ran down her spine. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.

Nico knew that he should go back up to the surface. The best thing to do would be to apologize and move on and pretend that none of this had ever happened, thank you very much, sometimes his powers made him more sensitive to certain kinds of people and it really had nothing to do with Sam. But that was the kind of lie Nico knew he wasn’t going to be able to get away with, especially not in front of Myrnin. Especially not when his stupid heartbeat was just going to give him away anyway. He wanted to jam everything inside of himself just as he always had, but that just meant waiting for it to explode eventually, which was… well, less than ideal. The last thing Nico wanted was someone getting stuck in the crossfire of him dealing with his own emotions.
“I really should be getting going,” he replied, obviously reluctant. It was the last thing he wanted to do. He wanted to give Arthur more energy and stay here for as long as possible, holding on to Arthur as though the ghost could magically fix everything that had gone wrong. “But… staying for a little bit couldn’t hurt,” he added, swallowing. If he stayed he would have to see his father at some point, but maybe he would actually have the courage to ask about the way his power sucked life out of him. Maybe Hades would have a way to fix it. That was optimistic, though… Nico didn’t want to build up too much false hope. “If I’m not intruding on anything, of course. That’s… the last thing I want to do. But I…” a deep breath in. “I don’t think I want to be alone right now.”
...
Hazel had decided to pay a visit to the Big House. There wasn’t exactly a room there for her to stay in, but she hadn’t wanted to sleep alone in the Hades cabin, and it wasn’t like there were many other places that she would feel comfortable sleeping, especially with so many people absent from Camp. The people she was truly close to were all at Camp Jupiter for various reasons, with the notable exception of Will Solace, but she really had only ever known him in passing. She had a lot of respect for the boy, but there was no way she was going to ask if it would be alright for her to sleep in the Apollo cabin. Theoretically, any cabin would be open to her, she knew. Jupiter… er, Zeus, if she mentioned she had Jason’s blessing, and any other cabin would have gladly let her in based on her contributions during the war. There were some favors she didn’t want to have to pull, though, especially given she would be up far later than anyone else no matter what cabin she decided to stay in. So she had spent the night in the Big House, and had stayed there when Chiron had entered. They had conversed briefly, but it was terse and clipped, and nothing like what Hazel had been prepared for. Nico’s disappearance had brought down the mood, though Hazel knew she was really the only one aware of it. She had avoided mentioning it to Chiron just in case the centaur decided to let the rest of camp know… or worse, told Hazel that Nico disappeared often and not to worry about it. Hazel knew that her half-brother had a penchant for running off and finding trouble on his own, and that he was capable of taking care of himself, but she had felt something and she wasn’t about to let it go.
And then a rock broke through the window, disrupting the stilted small talk. Hazel leapt backwards, Imperial Gold sword in her hands in less than a second. It seemed that there was no attack accompanying the shattered window, though, just the rock that had been thrown through. If it had come from outside, it was an extraordinarily long throw. If it came from inside, then Hazel knew whoever had done it was going to get in big trouble, and not just with Dionysus. In general, Camp Half-Blood kids were more willing to risk getting in trouble than Camp Jupiter kids, but this seemed egregious even for some of the Hermes pranksters.
Hesitantly, Hazel approached the rock. Taking a deep breath, she turned it over and pulled off the sheet of paper that was attached. It was almost impossible to believe. The likelihood of someone actually managing a throw from the barrier was… well, almost nothing. But whoever it was could see the Big House, which meant they were either a mortal who could see through the Mist, or a monster. Hazel wasn’t willing to take her chances with either one. Chiron seemed about to say something, but Hazel shook her head. “I’ll go check it out,” she told him, eyes narrowed. “I… I think it might have something to do with the reason I came here.” The way Chiron nodded implied that he knew a lot more about that reason than Hazel had let on. She needed to give the centaur some more credit. He hadn’t trained as many heroes as he had by being ignorant of what drove them or what could make them run across the country in less than an hour. “If I’m not back in half an hour, send for backup, please,” she added as a concession. Chiron nodded once more and Hazel was off, mounted on Arion and tearing through the strawberry fields until she had reached the barrier. She didn’t see anyone yet… which just meant that maybe she had been wrong about where the rock had come from. That would be a relief, she thought, but eventually a figure did come into view. Hazel took a deep breath. She wasn’t certain she was prepared to deal with this, whoever this was, especially if it had anything to do with Nico’s disappearance.

Why did getting Arthur’s permission to stay almost make Nico want to cry? He pushed the feeling back, knowing he had done a bit too much of that lately to truly be tolerable. It was a wonder Arthur was still willing to put up with him given the scene he had caused the night before. It was a wonder he’d run into Arthur… though perhaps it was intentional. He didn’t know, he had just acted and ended up where his mind had apparently been drifting.
“Thank you,” he murmured, taking Arthur’s ghostly hand and getting to his feet. It was like ghosts were easier to hold onto because they couldn’t physically hurt him. They weren’t as tangible as the things that still kept him up at night this much later. Perhaps that was why Nico had resigned himself to spending so much time around ghosts after everything. They had asked him not to, told him to stay surface-side, but… well, he hadn’t. It had been too hard to stay there all the time, with living, breathing, unpredictable humans. Or… well, half-bloods, but the specifics didn’t matter. They were alive and the living tended to make decisions Nico didn’t always understand. They also tended to be far more touch-y than the dead. “I’m not really sure where we are,” Nico admitted, as though he was ashamed of not knowing. “I haven’t spent that much time in Elysium.” What was the point, if Bianca wasn’t there and the only other people that he knew were people that still blamed him for being a traitor? At least that was what Nico was almost certain of. Also, he really didn’t want to find out if Octavian went to Elysium. Technically he had been a loyal Roman soldier.
---
Hazel eyed Myrnin suspiciously. It wasn’t often that people showed up at the border, speaking as though they knew what Camp Half-Blood was and being able to see through the Mist. And it wasn’t like the border was particularly effective against mortals who could see through the Mist. Hazel wasn’t stupid either – she may not have had the same abilities that Nico had, but she recognized death when she saw it, and Myrnin was very much not alive. It was interesting, she noted, though it did put her on edge. What was he? He wasn’t a ghost, that was for sure, and she doubted he was an Einherjar based on Annabeth’s description of them. Not that she would really be able to know that for certain – she didn’t know what their auras were supposed to look like.
Narrowing her eyes, Hazel hopped off the horse and crossed her arms. “You aimed all the way from here to shoot that rock through the Big House window?” She cocked an eyebrow, but wasn’t as surprised as a mortal would have been. If anything, it just added to her conviction that Myrnin was a monster, though not one that she had ever heard mentioned in any of the myths they were likely to come across. It was, of course, possible he was from some other nation’s ancient folklore. It surprised her that there seemed to be so many able to coexist all at one time. She was about to say something when she heard Nico’s name and tensed.
“What do you know of my brother?” It was clear from the edge to her voice and the glint in her eye that she, like Nico, could be quite dangerous when she wanted to, despite her overall cheery outlook on life. She was tough and unshakeable and still a child of the Underworld. The fact that Myrnin seemed to know that only made her less inclined to let him in the border. And why would this man be looking for Nico? Was this a trap of some sort, was this man the reason Nico had disappeared in the first place? “And no,” she added, voice tense, “You don’t get to come in until you explain who you are and what you’re doing here. And how you know Nico.”

Nico followed Arthur, more for lack of anything better to do than any other logical reason. He took a deep breath in, trying to remember that eventually he’d have to go back up to the surface. Eventually he’d have to talk to his father about what he was doing around here, especially without visiting him. He’d have to tell his father that he’d had his heart broken. He had no idea how Hades would react to that. Either he’d dismiss it and say that Nico would find someone else, or he would offer to ensure an afterlife in the Fields of Punishment to whoever had broken Nico’s heart. It was hard to tell with Hades. He was no Aphrodite, but he was more of an expert on love than most of the other gods. After all, he’d managed to remain mostly monogamous, unless you counted Maria di Angelo. Nico smiled grimly at the thought. Maybe he shouldn’t take his father’s relationship advice if he happened to offer it.
He didn’t want to think about his father or Persephone at the moment. He was curious where Arthur was taking him, especially as he ended up somewhere that seemed vaguely familiar, but for reasons that Nico couldn’t quite place. It must have been a half-faded memory of some sort. Nico didn’t pursue it – it would only lead him down a rabbit hole he wasn’t prepared to fall down at the moment. He hadn’t really realized that anyone in Elysium could have houses. Well… he knew, he had been to the Underworld enough times to know how it worked, but most of the time people seemed to share their houses with the people they loved, and they were the kind of thing that it seemed like Elysium provided. Arthur’s home, on the other hand, felt very… real. Not like something that belonged in the Underworld. Perhaps that was only because he knew Arthur. He had known Arthur before the other man had died. He took a hesitant step in, taking in every moment of it. Elysium wasn’t half bad. If Bianca had been given a place like this… well, it had never been Bianca that Nico was worried about. His missing her, his anger over her death… that was him being selfish. Elysium was as good as you could get, and he’d wanted to take Bianca back from it. She’d saved him the trouble herself.
“You’d be surprised,” he murmured, half-paying attention to what Arthur was saying. “I know a lot of people who’ve died. Wouldn’t be a stretch to think some of them could be nearby. For all I know, Charlie Beckendorf is you neighbor or something.” He was distracted.
“You’re entertaining enough,” he added, somewhat surprised by the comment. “You’ve got… what’s probably a much better living space than most other people in Elysium. Well… I don’t know. I’ve never actually been invited inside anywhere in Elysium. I didn’t even know I could shadow travel here. I thought it was all gated off, but…” Arthur could finish that thought for Nico, if he wanted to. Desperation had taken him towards the only person he knew would understand the situation and wouldn’t judge him for what he’d gotten himself into. And he really had gotten himself into a doozy. Love… did that. “And I appreciate it, but I’m alright. I guess… manners never really wear off, do they?” He laughed humorlessly. He’d never had to learn manners. There had really been no reason to.
Nico froze when he heard the question. “No.” His answer was immediate, but the truth was he wasn’t certain. He just didn’t know how to say that. “I’ll tell Myrnin I’m alright, eventually. Unless you could do that…” he shook his head. “Never mind, I couldn’t ask that of you. But I don’t want to see him after that. I don’t want to see Lady Grey or Sam or anyone who was there. I just want to forget it.” That was what he wanted. What was realistic was something else entirely.
---
Hazel tensed. She could have guessed that the man in front of her wasn’t a half-blood or a mortal, but having it audibly confirmed made her just want to make it extra clear that if Myrnin tried anything she could and would defend Camp Half-Blood to her dying breath. It might not have been her home, but it was home to her friends and their friends, and she wasn’t going to let anyone – particularly not this strange man – hurt them. “You openly admit to being a monster and breaking our window with a throw that should have been impossible, and you still want me to let you through the barrier?” On another day Hazel would have simply told the others to be aware or maybe dispatched Myrnin quickly by herself. But Myrnin had mentioned Nico, and she desperately needed information about her brother. She was more worried about him than she was willing to let on to a total stranger. She knew he was prone to disappearing sometimes, but he was always in one of the two camps or in the Underworld, and after what had happened during the war, he wasn’t safe in the Underworld anymore, because the only way to get there was by shadow travelling. Which Nico was under express orders not to do.
“Myrnin,” Hazel repeated, testing out the name. “Nico never mentioned you, no,” she confirmed, not giving the other tall tales the vampire was telling any credence. It didn’t really surprise her that Myrnin wasn’t from her mythos. She was aware that there was more to the world than the Greek and Roman pieces. There were Egyptian and Norse gods running around everywhere, with more teenagers who didn’t mean to get roped into it solving all their gods’ problems. The only difference was that it didn’t seem like most of them were half-bloods. Just really, really unfortunate teenagers with some sort of magic in their blood. Or, she supposed in the Norse case, teenagers that had somehow managed to die a heroic death. Which, of course, signed them up for an afterlifetime of doing the dirty work of the gods. Point being, she wasn’t surprised that Myrnin wasn’t anything familiar to her or Nico. There was so much about the world that she would never understand because she would never get caught in the middle of it as a Roman half-blood.
“Right. Vampires exist.” According to Hazel’s tone, she was taking everything in stride. You sort of had to if you wanted to survive in the world she did. Just keep moving forward and accepting what was throne at you. It was the only way to force yourself to keep on going. “And Nico’s been consorting with vampires.” The only thought in Hazel’s mind was When would he have found the time? They were all so busy trying to rebuild after the war, and Hazel had seen the effort Nico was putting in. There was no spare time to be making friends with weird dramatic vampires who tried to get you to believe stories that were so far fetched even the most gullible child likely would have dismissed out of hand. Was that the only reason Hazel felt inclined to believe that at least most of them were true?
And then Myrnin was talking more about Nico and Hazel’s hand dropped back to her side. Evidently Myrnin really did know Nico. And evidently, he’d been stupid enough to shadow-travel somewhere. “Will’s gonna kill him if I don’t do it first,” she muttered under breath, not aware that Myrnin would be able to hear her no matter how quietly she said it. “Why would he leave if you’re a friend?” It was meant as an accusation, maybe to throw Myrnin off guard and be more transparent about what he knew, but they both knew Nico. Hazel wasn’t fooling anyone. Even if the situation were entirely normal, Nico came and went when he pleased, no matter who you were. If he didn’t feel like catching up with an old friend, he wouldn’t. Not that Hazel thought he had very many old friends. She worried about him.
“Look, you don’t need to go around spouting my brother’s life story. I don’t know if you’re friend or foe, but you’re looking for him, and I am too.” Hazel sighed, audibly. “I’ve got a feeling that trusting you is a very, very bad idea, but I’m out of options. I could try Iris-messaging him, but if he’s in danger that could make things much worse for him…” she was thinking aloud, only breaking off when she heard Myrnin’s suggestion.
“You don’t want metals from me anywhere near you,” Hazel warned, something more like fear quickening her heart. It seemed Nico wasn’t the only Underworld sibling afraid of what he could do. “Nico can’t really do metals or precious gems, so maybe you don’t know what a bad idea your suggestion is. But… trust me on that.” She took another deep breath before stepping out from the barrier. “I want you to know that if you kill me, you’ll have an entire Roman legion after you. You’ve seen what one half-blood can do. I don’t think you want to test what a few hundred could.” That was the benefit to being Praetor. People could and would follow her and fight to avenge her if need be. It was a useful tool to use against vampires that were probably at least a little bit insane, even if they were her only chance at finding her brother.

Nico listened to Arthur, the static in his head not quite going away. He was out of options, and he didn’t want to run back to Myrnin and face Lady Grey or the almost-Sam again. He didn’t want to face everything he had lost. Though Arthur certainly hadn’t meant it by taking him to his home, just being in Elysium reminded Nico of something else he had lost. Bianca had tried for another life. It didn’t quite seem fair to Nico that she got to just try again, to leave behind everything that had been. When she came back she wouldn’t be Bianca anymore, she would be whoever she was now in the world above them. People always said it was easier to leave than be left behind, and Nico supposed that was true. He also supposed that the House had left him behind rather than the other way around. He certainly hadn’t had any say in the matter, he hadn’t even been given a chance to say goodbye. Most people, Nico thought, were allowed to stay in the House until they died, and then they got to say goodbye upon their death. Why didn’t he get that courtesy? A cynical voice inside him whispered that he had survived longer than the House had ever assumed he could. He shook his head of the thought, instead paying attention to Arthur’s place.
It was nice. It certainly was a strange amalgamation of a bunch of different buildings, but that was only obvious to Nico when Arthur pointed it out to him. It was odd, to think that Arthur was an adult who had gotten the chance to choose where to live. Who had enough agency to have favorite parts and least favorite parts, and to have things of his own. Not that Nico didn’t have anything of his own, but he would be trapped at one of the two camps for probably the rest of his life. Maybe if by some miracle he was allowed to grow up he’d find a nice home in New Rome, but that didn’t seem quite the same.
It would have been easier, Nico thought, if he had died in the war. Not ideal, of course, but easier. He wouldn’t have lost the people in the House without saying goodbye, and he wouldn’t have to deal with almost-Sam or Myrnin or being in Elysium without even knowing if it was alright for him to be there. He wouldn’t have to go back and talk to anyone, he’d be his father’s second down in the Underworld and everything would be just fine.
“I don’t want to tell him,” Nico replied, all too aware of how childish his voice sounded. “Right now I don’t want to leave here.” He didn’t finish the thought, but Arthur could probably tell. He didn’t want to leave here ever, though they both knew that was impossible. Nico couldn’t just disappear or shirk his responsibilities. Even if there weren’t others counting on him, even if his father wouldn’t be angry… well, Nico wasn’t the type who could just leave.
He couldn’t think of anything else to say, but it was very clear that Arthur had put a lot of thought into what might and what might not be comfortable for Nico. Namely that the neighbors could be people he knew, and right now Nico didn’t want to face anyone he knew except Arthur, even if they were friends. He had a feeling Charles Beckendorf might have good advice in this situation, but that didn’t mean that Nico wanted to speak with him. All of that was… well, it was too close to the real world for Nico’s taste. He seemed about to open his mouth when the blanket came towards him and he reached out to catch it. He curled it around his body, appearing at the end to be more blanket than boy.
“I didn’t know people in the Underworld could get cold,” he commented lightly. He couldn’t think of a single good reason for Arthur to have a blanket, but he wasn’t about to complain. It was nice, and he didn’t want to relinquish it just yet. He listened to Arthur talk, fairly convinced that a good portion of what he was saying was rambling rather than anything he really expected Nico to pay attention to. He was keeping Nico company without pressing himself too much upon him or insisting they talk about anything that Nico was opposed to talking to. Smart, really.
“You don’t have a say in the matter,” Nico added softly, though it might have been a joke. “Nonetheless, I’d like to stay here. And I’d like you to have nowhere to be.” It was difficult to admit, but Nico knew he couldn’t handle being alone. Not now. Not when Arthur actually knew a little bit about what he was going through and was at least a little bit willing to help. Not when he actually had somewhere where nobody could find him and where it didn’t matter if he laid low for a little bit. He knew his disappearance had probably been noted by now, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to care.
“Look,” he added, staring at the ground. “Nobody is going to come looking for me here, and when I’m ready I’ll shadow travel back to the surface. But for right now… I think I’d like to stay as long as I’m welcome. If that’s alright with you.” If not, he would just have to find somewhere else. Easy. No, that was a lie. There was no easy place to go. There never had been.
---
Hazel frowned at Myrnin. Under other circumstances she might have believed he was a demigod – he had the eccentricity down cold – but he couldn’t pass through the barrier. The thing was, she didn’t particularly like the way he was talking about Nico. Like he knew things about him that nobody should have known. Things that Hazel probably didn’t even know. But she had already reached the conclusion that if there was even a chance this vampire had met Nico and knew where it was… it was a risk that Hazel would have to take. She had a responsibility to her cohort in New Rome, but for right now her allegiance was with her half brother and him alone. If this was a trap… well, Hazel had handled traps before. It wasn’t like she was going in entirely blind, and it wasn’t as though Myrnin was keeping everything a perfect secret from her. The only difficulty was that she didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him. That wasn’t very far, despite the fact that if the positions were reversed, Myrnin could probably throw Hazel quite far.
“If you know my brother you know there are crazier things in our world than vampires. It’s not very hard to accept that which doesn’t even touch the crazier things I’ve seen. Ask any mortal though and they might be just a touch more surprised by your existence.” Hazel mentally rolled her eyes. She had thought one set of gods was enough before she had learned that hers was split in two different personalities, and there were other sets of gods that existed alongside them. Gods that never interacted with them somehow, and whose existence didn’t cancel each other out. It was all big and complicated and frankly, vampire was a lot more tame than what she was used to hearing. It was almost a welcome break, if the vampire hadn’t been so dead set on finding Nico.
“You’re not the best at threats, are you?” Hazel replied evenly. Fortunately for the ‘everyone else’ Myrnin was referring to, she didn’t currently have any plans to kill him. “You have my word that unless you become a threat to me, any other demigods, or my brother, I won’t kill you. If you are, a threat, though… whoever you’re speaking of be damned.” Which was perhaps a little bit extreme, but it got the point across. She did not trust Myrnin yet, but she was out of options. This was the only lead she had on Nico, and she needed to make the most of it. Some of the tension eased away at Myrnin’s suggestion. She almost smiled as Myrnin mentioned killing Nico’s enemies.
“Whatever Nico’s told you, he’s not got any enemies left alive that I know of. Unless he himself counts as an enemy, which…” she shook his head, “he might. There are monsters who might be a little extra out for his blood, but it’s the same for most of us. You can’t win a war against unkillable enemies without some of them vowing to come back and make you regret it. Those of us with larger roles more than most.” There was a look in her eye – something obvious but something pained. Something that made it believable, if only for a moment, that she was Nico’s sister. “I think it best you stay outside the barrier for now. We don’t want anyone else to feel as though something is wrong. I can take you somewhere else, though. Somewhere where we can try to get an Iris message through, or at least start looking in the places he usually goes. I hope you don’t mind hitching a ride on Arion. He may not like you being a vampire, but he tolerates Nico so it should be okay… I’d rather not risk trying to shadow travel now. Not even sure I can take myself somewhere, let alone two people.” She mounted Arion and held a hand out to Myrnin. “We’re headed into the Labyrinth for now. I don’t want to believe he’s gone to the Underworld, but if he has that’s the closest we can get without actually entering. And frankly… I’m not sure what Pluto would make of you, and I’m not keen on finding out.”

Myrnin was… a lot to deal with. Not in a bad way necessarily, but he certain did have the type of energy that she couldn’t picture Nico tolerating for very long. Perhaps he monitored how he spoke depending on the situation, but even that was doubtful because surely then he would have toned some of this down for his first meeting with someone he needed to help find Nico. Either way, there was no use dwelling on it now. If she got too suspicious of the vampire, she could ditch him fairly easily. She had a horse that didn’t like dead things, and Myrnin was very much a dead thing. Not that she would say that to his face – that would be rude.
The look on Myrnin’s face when he thought of Nico being an enemy to himself.. either Myrnin was a fantastic actor, or he really was familiar with her brother. They both knew he could have gotten himself in a great deal of trouble for reasons that neither of them could really solidly comprehend, even as his friend. If Myrnin was, in fact, his friend. “Just.. think twice before you kill someone, alright?” There was an edge to Hazel’s voice when she said it. If Nico was in fact in the Underworld, if Myrnin was a little too hasty in killing monsters that had it out for Nico, he may unintentionally send them right to him, depending on how fast they were able to reform in Tartarus. The thought of her brother anywhere near that place again sent a shiver down Hazel’s spine.
“Did he say anything when you last saw him?” As far as Hazel was concerned, Myrnin had seen Nico last, and that was the only starting point they had. If Myrnin didn’t have good information, then they had almost nothing, and Hazel was still not quite sure she wanted to risk an Iris message if Nico were in danger. It rather amused her that Myrnin took the time to bow to Arion – it was certainly a gesture of respect the horse appreciated, though Hazel wasn’t going to tell the vampire that. The last thing she needed was her horse and this random vampire conspiring with each other. She just had to hope that Myrnin couldn’t speak horse as well as Percy could, otherwise they really would be in trouble.
“How’ve you been through the Labyrinth?” she asked, trying to keep her tone conversational. They both knew it was a pretense. While it wasn’t exactly an interrogation, there was something more than innocent curiosity in the question. If Myrnin had been in the Labyrinth, that meant Nico must have taken him there or have been running from him there. The former seemed far more likely, given that the Labyrinth was hard to find unless you were a child of the Underworld, which Myrnin was most certainly not. It was also hard to navigate after Daedalus’ death – where it had apparently been a big problem for a year, it was now almost forgotten and falling apart in places. Not exactly somewhere she would expect any self-respecting monster to dwell. Certainly not one like Myrnin.
Before Myrnin could answer the question, though, Hazel dug her heels into Arion’s side and the horse burst into a gallop, tearing up th4e ground beneath them and travelling faster than most forms of transportation could. Hazel felt the wind in her hair – tangling it even more, though she didn’t mind. She then leaned as far forward as she could as Arion plunged into a cave that seemed like it had appeared out of nowhere. Suddenly, the sunlight and the cool breeze was gone – they were tearing through the Labyrinth, Hazel sending out every signal she could think of – every signal she was capable of – in the hopes Nico might answer one.

Hazel grimaced as Myrnin gave her almost no information. She wanted answers, and unfortunately it seemed that Myrnin wanted them to. The only frustrating part was that they couldn’t give them to each other. They would have to solve this mystery together, and before Nico ended up putting himself in danger. If he hadn’t already done that. Hazel swore, if they found him and he was just fine, she would slap him. Well.. first she would hug him, but then she would slap him. It was just like him to run off when he was faced with a situation he didn’t like, and Hazel understood it, she really did, but she was sick of it. He had friends who could help him deal with things, but he didn’t like turning to them. Hazel couldn’t change that about him, but she wished she could.
“Of course he did,” she muttered. Nico apparently had a whole other life that he didn’t tell any of them about. One where he befriended monsters and showed them places that would allow them to enter both camps if they knew how to use it properly. She knew that she was just his half-sister, he wasn’t required to share his life with her, but it still hurt knowing that he had all of these secrets that he kept from her and the others. She had prided herself on being one of the few people Nico was comfortable talking to, but how many secrets had he kept from her, really? Too many to count. He’d been keeping secrets since the day they met.
She kept reaching under the rock with her mind, trying to find any form of life. It was harder than she cared to admit, and she had a feeling that Nico would be better at it, but she had to try. It had always seemed to her that she got cursed with the worst side of Pluto’s powers. Nico got the death part, the part that could actually get things done… she could mess with rocks. Sometimes. She pushed the thought out of her mind, remembering what Nico had told her once before. They were both capable of amazing things. Things they couldn’t even imagine unt9l they had done it.
“He’s not in the Labyrinth,” Hazel murmured after a moment. She and Arion skidded to a halt, without warning to Myrnin. “I’m going to have to Iris Message him. If it seems like it’s going to put him in danger, we hang up right away. Don’t try to engage him in conversation if it looks like he’s busy.” They had to find water somewhere… “C’mon,” she muttered, and Arion sped off again, towards an underground reservoir.

Hazel turned back to look at Myrnin, uncertain what he was thinking. She didn’t like the idea of being in such close proximity with someone dangerous, but then again it wasn’t like she had explicit confirmation that he was dangerous. After all, he did seem pretty intent on not appearing dangerous. She raised an eyebrow as Myrnin spoke to Arion, but she didn’t mind it. The horse whinnied appreciatively as Hazel slid off as well. If Myrnin was putting so much effort into being kind to the horse… well, Hazel wasn’t going to try to dissuade him.
“You found his soft spot,” she commented lightly, shaking her head amusedly at Arion. “He likes flattery.” If Hazel believed that Arion would ever listen to Myrnin over her because Myrnin flattered him… she wouldn’t have told Myrnin the horse was susceptible to it. “If you become a threat you’ll find flattery won’t work anymore,” she added, tone light. They were done tossing around threats, but this wasn’t so much a threat as just… a warning. A reminder that Myrnin did not have an ally here. “He won’t hurt you unless you do something to threaten either me or him.” She felt bad not adding that, not reassuring Myrnin because he seemed a little bit on edge around the horse. Arion was an impressive animal, Hazel didn’t blame Myrnin for being wary.
“I… don’t know,” Hazel admitted, looking out over the water. She just knew it was water and it would serve their purpose, especially when she found a small pipe spraying water in.
“Over here,” she called, turning to Myrnin and beckoning him over. “I’ll warn you, Nico might not answer. If he does, he might be in trouble, and if he’s somewhere dangerous… I’m not sure how much trouble we could get him in by bothering him with an Iris Message.” It was a risk they would have to take.
Crouching by the mist building off the reservoir, she murmured something that sounded almost like a prayer as she tossed an unusually shaped gold coin through it. “If something goes wrong, I’ll have to end it quickly,” she informed Myrnin as an image began to appear in the mist.

“Me too,” Hazel admitted, staring into the thin rainbow. If Nico didn’t answer, or worse, if their attempt put him in danger… she’d punch him. Well, first she’d hug him and not let go until he pushed her away. But then she would definitely punch him. She glanced over at Myrnin, who would be able to be seen and heard if he watned to, but who seemed to be minding his own business for the moment. At least if Nico picked up she would know for certain whether she could trust the vampire or if she needed to get as far away from him as she could as quickly as possible.
And then the rainbow seemed to solidify – wherever he was, the Iris message was deliverable at the very least. It hung there for several moments before finally a face appeared in it. Nico.
---
Nico looked up at Arthur’s words, eyes narrowing at the rainbow. Who...? He cursed under his breath, not wanting to deal with it. Not wanting to answer, because then he would need to explain where he was and why he was there. And then he would need to explain the fact that loss was something the son of Hades had no idea how to deal with, and somehow it was worse to have another Sam in this world than it would have been to just… never see him again. That was an extraordinarily selfish thought, but part of Nico found he didn’t care.
He let the rainbow hang there for a few more moments before looking up at Arthur. He had no excuse not to handle it and they both knew it.
The face that appeared in the rainbow once he approached it was certainly not the one Nico had expected.
“Hazel,” Nico murmured, surprised.
“Nico, where the gods have you-“
“Look, it’s a long story. I’m fine.”
“You’re obviously not, you’re not in either camp and I’m not the only one looking for you.”
Nico’s eyes widened and he cast a glance at Arthur before taking a very deep breath. “Let me guess. You made a new friend and he’s got impeccable fashion taste.” Trust Myrnin to get involved in this… or maybe it was him who got Hazel involved.

“Brilliant idea,” Nico replied sarcastically, hugging his knees to his chest. “She could’ve killed you, you know.” The collision of his two words suddenly felt far too sudden, far too dangerous. The House had rejected him for whatever reason, cutting him off from the people he most considered ‘home.’ He didn’t want to conflate Myrnin and Camp Half-Blood anymore. Myrnin was all that was left of a different existence. Myrnin was the only proof Nico had that it had ever happened. Well… that may have been hyperbole but it was close enough to true.
“Am I ever in a safe place?” Nico shot back, suddenly annoyed that Myrnin was asking. Annoyed that Myrnin cared, which wasn’t fair, but maybe that was grief. Something he’d really only felt when it came to Bianca, because every other loss hadn’t been permanent until the House had turned its back on him. For the first time, Nico thought he might hate it. “Yes,” he murmured after a moment. “I’m safe and I’m not alone.”
“Good.” Hazel cut in, arms crossed. “Because you won’t be when you come back to Camp. How hard would it have been to leave a note? Gods, Nico! The last time you disappeared like this we found you half dead in a jar. The least you could do is-”
“Yes, as I recall you were quite easy to find when you realized Sammy was dead,” Nico snapped back, eyes flaring. It was mean and he knew it. It also hit him for the first time that he had his own ‘Sammy’ to grieve. He had the same name, too, only Nico’s was probably alive still, just far more unreachable. Hazel’s expression set itself, her features hard and almost unreadable.
“We were worried, Nico. And just because you’re hurt doesn’t give you the right to be a jerk about it.”
Nico almost disconnected the Iris message when he cast a long glance at Arthur and sighed.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, and he meant it. “I just don’t want to be found right now. You wouldn’t understand.” He glanced in the direction Myrnin had been. Myrnin understood. Myrnin understood better than anyone else could, and he was the absolute last person Nico wanted to talk to about it.