#asja writes

“Big bro Leo told me to deliver this,” he handed you a small device, saluted, and ran off. “Thanks…?” you said, looking at his disappearing figure. Jason carefully took the device off your hands. “He must be planning something,” Jason examined the device closely, “I’m guessing with Piper as she wasn’t at breakfast either,” he sighed, “I just hope they didn’t entirely skip breakfast.” “I am sure they had something to eat, Leo loves food after all.” You noticed something on the device and quickly grabbed it, “Is this a button…?” you pressed it, and almost dropped the device as a small, hologram Leo came out. 

“Sure hope the timer works on this thing, right Pipes?” Leo laughed, before stepping away and holding his hands behind his back, as if they were bound together. Off camera you could hear Piper laugh. “Would be awkward if it didn’t,” her voice sounded, “otherwise the whole ruse might fall through. 3.. 2.. 1.. go!”

“Ah! I’ve been captured!” Leo looked around frantically, “I’m not sure where I am but I sure hope this lil thing will get out-” he coughed as he cowered, “Please, whoever finds this- I need help-” Leo pretended to think and shook his head, “All I remember is this name- Nona and something about a vault?” he looked straight into the camera, “please find me, and bring all your friends! I can’t die on my lover’s and my best friend's birthdays. It would ruin their lives! Please-” A loud rumble sounded from somewhere behind the camera, and Leo looked up before loudly exclaiming “FUCK” as the hologram stopped. 

“Nona?” you asked and Jason laughed. “It’s a Latin prefix for nine, he’s in Bunker 9,” he explained. “Leo’s a nerd,” you said affectionately, “Well, let’s round up all our friends before Leo fakes his death again.” 

───────────

Unsurprisingly, all your friends were really easy to find. As in, most of them were already talking, not suspiciously at all, in a circle, right outside the dining hall. Even more not suspicious behavior was when Jason and you approached them Percy very loudly went, “Hey guys! I sure hope Leo is okay, ah-” Annabeth elbowed him. “Happy birthdays!” she smiled, “Anything fun planned?” 

“Funny that you mention Leo, Percy,” you sighed, pretending to be worried “seems like he’s in a bit of a pickle right now.” “(Y/n), we both know he’s come out of worse situations,” Jason said next to you, and he put a hand on your shoulder, “The things he said was so cryptic, I think it’s for the best if we just let him figure it out on his own.” 

“Oh?” Nico feigned interest, “I love cryptic hints, what are they?” You could see Will hide a smile as he looked at his lover. 

“Something about a Nona-” you gasped, “Wait, Jason! Do you think it’s an ex?” Jason huffed, to conceal his laugh. “Maybe, or it’s Latin for nine, but Leo doesn’t know much Latin so that’s unlikely.” Jason sighed, “I’m sorry (Y/n), I guess we’ll have to travel around the U.S. to find Leo.” 

“Perhaps a monster is forcing him to learn Latin,” you looked at Jason, “and we both know how that changes people,”  “What do you mean, ‘how Latin changes people’?” Jason hit your arm. “They get all serious, Jason,” you gave him a look of pity, “and for Leo that might be deadly.” 

Jason gave your statement a moment of thought before nodding sadly. “Who wants to hold a funeral?” he asked, “That way from this year on we can celebrate three things on this day.” 

“How about we hold the funeral in Bunker 9?” Annabeth suggested, “It’s a place he loved most.” Before you could react, Nico started walking away. “I’m getting a coffin, be right back.” 

“Where will he get a coffin from?” Percy muttered and Will smiled. “He still has some left over from refurbishing cabin 13.” 

“Why?” Percy whispered, not expecting an answer. 

───────────

As your little progression moved closer to Bunker 9, you had trouble keeping it all together. Nico had six skeletons carry an empty coffin up front. Meg and Grover caught up to you with a bunch of flowers, all potted, which each person carried one of. Except for Jason, who was carrying a torch to light the pyre with that was yet to be built. 

The entire Hephaustus cabin was following you, holding up their banner, and Harley excitedly kept running around. Of course, you were certain everyone was aware that this was all a joke, especially when Chiron stopped you to ask what was happening and you simply went; “Oh, Leo got killed by Latin,” 

Chiron was confused, but did not ask further questions about the funeral progression. In the end, it made sense as Leo probably got permission to do something in Bunker 9. As you approached the bunker, you noticed that the door was opened, and as the skeletons with the coffin entered first you only heard a muffled “SUPRISE!” from inside. As you entered, most of the progression gave up the pretense, but Jason and you had a goal. So, fully ignoring Leo, Piper, and all the other people that were in the bunker, you both stepped onto the nearest empty table. You noticed Leo standing on the front row, but quickly looked away. 

“Today,” Jason’s voice boomed over the crowd, which was being rowdy, “we lost our dear friend Leonidas Valdez,” The crowd was silent except-

“HEY! I am not dead!” Leo’s said loudly. “Sometimes-” you sniffed, “I can still hear his voice. Gone too soon, rest in peace my love.” 

“What the fuck happened-” Leo exclaimed. 

“If I understand correctly,” Everyone suddenly looked at the entrance, seeing Chiron standing there, “You became Latin, a dead language.” Chiron’s scrutinizing gaze went over the party, “But as you seem rather alive, I think instead you shall be having stable duty for the next month, starting tomorrow, as you did not request to hold a party.” 

“Aw man,” Leo sighed, “Can we at least hold it now?” he looked with a hopeful gaze to Chiron who sighed. “As long as I do not perceive anything more to do with this activity. Happy Birthday (Y/n), Jason,” and he galloped away. 

Jason and you burst out laughing, as Leo pouted at you two. After you calmed down, you slowly made your way off the table. 

“Your timer didn’t work,” you said as you softly gave your boyfriend his device, and a kiss on the cheek. He fidgeted with the device for a little bit before he sighed. “So you made it more dramatic?” he asked, after which he sighed, “I love you. Happy Birthday, my love.” he smiled, “Oh, and (Y/n) of course-” 

“Hey!” you gasped and Jason laughed. “Love you too, Leo.” he said as he put his hand on Leo’s head, petting him “Pisada Carinosa” he muttered. 

“That’s it I am finding Nona and dating her-” you turned around, only to be met with Piper. “You could date me if you’re done with Leo.” she smiled and you grinned, before hugging her. “I just might,” you joked as you let her go. Leo quickly grabbed your hand, and pulled you towards him and pressed a kiss on your lips. “Nuhuh- you are not getting rid of me that easily corazoncito,” 

───────────

After a while, Piper said it was time for the main activity of the day. She led everyone into a “room” that was hidden behind curtains. As you walked in, you saw a gigantic screen and piles of pillows on the floor. 

She instructed everyone to sit down, as Leo and her handed out buckets of popcorn and other snacks. You sat next to Jason, who was holding a letter. 

“What’s that?” you asked, and Jason looked up. “Thalia couldn’t make it to camp, but she left a letter.” He showed you a picture of her and Reyna, standing at the Grand Canyon, “it’s weird how that’s where it started,” he smiled sadly, “how far we’ve all come since meeting each other.” “Hug?” you asked and he nodded. 

Engulfed in your presence, Jason began to relax. Certainly, losing his memories was hard and he often doubted whether he deserved Leo and Piper as friends, or if they even wanted to be his friend. But nowadays, he couldn’t be more certain that what he had was his. You, Leo, Piper, Frank, Hazel, Reyna, Bobby, his sister Thalia. All these friendly faces, that mean so much to him. He thanked the gods for his spot in both camps, and for allowing him to be happy and alive. As he let you go again, he had to blink away his tears. 

“Thanks,” he whispered, and he leaned back against the pillows. Shortly after, the big screen started playing. Before the movie even got to its proper beginning, Leo squeezed himself between you and Jason, leaning mostly on Jason. Piper sat on your other side, and cuddled up on your shoulder, as you leaned a bit against Leo. 

The Barbie opening sequence started playing, to great delight of the people in the room. 

“How?” you whispered, “This movie has barely been out for a week-” “My dad pulled some strings,” Piper smiled, “got us a private release.” “That’s awesome.” you grabbed her hand, and looked her in the eye, “Piper I love you-” she laughed. “Anything for my friends.” 

───────────

After the movie was done, Leo asked the real question. 

“So who are the Barbie and Ken of Camp Half-Blood?” Out of nowhere he got out prisoner signs, one with Barbie on it and one with Ken on it. 

“Jason is Ken, right?” Piper stated, “I mean look at him, it’s like he’s made for the ‘beach’ job description-” unanimous sounds of agreement came from the crowd, and Leo gave Jason the Ken sign. 

“I fully agree.” Leo said, before he got interrupted by the laughter of Nico.

“Sorry-” the son of Hades wheezed, “Will’s pouty because he thinks Piper used charmspeak to convince people Jason is Ken-” Nico grinned as his boyfriend tried to forcefully shut him up by smothering him.

“Barbie is a doctor though,” you grinned, “I think Will makes a perfect Barbie.” 

“Oh! I was going to suggest our local Barbie, Pip-” before Leo could finish the sentence Piper harshly stepped on his toe, before ripping the Barbie sign out of his hands. 

“And our local Barbie!” she grinned evily, “Will Solace!” she handed the son of Apollo his sign, and he hesitantly accepted it, and he stood up. 

“Well, as I am Barbie I guess I will go to my Ken now. I hate you for this Di Angelo,” Will walked towards Jason, and sat down next to him, slightly awkwardly. As you looked at Nico, you saw that the smile of sheer delight had not yet left his face, “Love you too, Barbie.” he called from across the room, eliciting some laughter from the audience. 

───────────

As the party was slowly calming down, you had a moment of calm with your friends. Leo was softly holding you from behind, as you were conversing with Piper and Jason. 

“Thanks for organizing this guys,” you said looking at Piper and Leo. 

“It’s nothing,” Piper smiled, “I’m happy we got this many people here in the end.” 

“Yeah, you’re welcome! Too bad I have stable duty now though.” Leo looked sulky. “I might try to talk him out of it,” Piper said, “After all, your birthday is in like two days too.” 

“That’s true, hey Jason,” you turned your gaze to the son of Jupiter. “Yes?” he returned your gaze. “Wanna fake our deaths for Leo’s birthday party.” “Of course,” Jason grinned. 

“Please don’t” Leo pleaded. “I’ll help!” Piper smiled. After a second of silence, everyone broke out in laughter. 

Comfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

Surprisingly, Grover is very good at helping you feel better if you need it. The first few times he was stiff, and scared to mess up. He did mess up the first time you were having a panic attack by trying to play a ‘calming’ tune to sooth you and it resulted in getting you entangled in vines. However, Grover learned quickly the ways in which you want to be comforted and he remembers every single thing that calms you, helps you and soothes you. 

Dreams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

The future for Grover is no different from the present now. Sure, he knows things may change overtime, but he does not worry or think about any future unless it is threatening you or your relationship. His ideal future? Tomorrow, on your date sitting in the sun and while you eat some strawberries he chews on a can or two. Hopefully there will be some birds around. 

Equal - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

Grover is rather passive. He gets flustered easily and although he may often want things, he only passively mentions them. If you want to be more dominant he would love it, however if you are both on the more passive side do not be surprised when he steps up to be more dominant in the relationship, because he does love romance and is willing to learn how to put in more action in your relationship.

Fight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

Getting into fights with this guy would be hard. Grover is a mediator, he does not like conflict and rather resolves your problems before it actually becomes a fight. If something does happen that makes you actually fight, or makes him positively angry he will be very bitter about it. Especially if it is about your health or safety, and only when you admit being at fault he might talk it over again with you.

Gratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

Grover is most grateful for anything you do. He is hyper aware and whenever something good happens to him that he does not know the source of he asks around a little to try to figure it out. When he finds out it is your doing, he will smile softly while thanking the gods for letting you love him. 

Honesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

Even if Grover wanted to keep a secret from you, he physically cannot. You read him like a book and he does not necessarily mind. Very early on in your friendship Grover already gave up on secrets, which does not mean he never tries; but he will break eventually. His self doubt eats at him until he rants about it to you.

Inspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

Surprisingly he got more confident about expressing himself. Perhaps this is because his feelings developed during the period where he was growing himself, looking for Pan and learning how to look out for himself and his friends. He might change a little, but he will always keep his beliefs and morals. 

Jealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

Grover loves you too much to get jealous. Sure he gets insecure about himself, but it never manifests into jealousy. So he never really needs to deal with it in any way, although if you do see him sulking do tell him you love him for how he is and that he is your entire world. That will always cheer him up. 

Kiss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

He is a clumsy kisser. The first kiss was more teeth than kiss, and Grover quickly learned to tone it down and be very soft with his kisses. He just gets excited so quickly, and he loves the feel of your lips against his. 

Love Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

He did it simply with flowers and a lot of stumbling. The flowers were not even in a bouquet, he grew them for you in a patch of grass and took you there to show you. He made it heart shaped as good as he naturally could. 

Memory - What’s their favourite memory together?

Grover finds it hard to pick one favourite memory, because every day is filled with good moments with you. He would most likely think of something that happened in the past week, and if he is in a more poetic mood he would simply say ‘the first kiss we’ll have tomorrow morning,’

Nicknames - What do they call their s/o?

He picks a flower that he thinks fits you. He loves your name, but he is cheesy in this way, so after a bit of dating he slips up and calls you by the name of the flower and it sticks. He hopes he will become your flower when he dies, so his soul and your essences can be together for eternity. 

On Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

It is so obvious to anyone around. You walk within a 5 metre radius once while Grover is talking to Percy and Percy immediately guesses it. Annabeth got it three minutes after Grover tried to ‘ask for a friend’ on how to court you specifically. Even Coach Hedge at one point when looking at Grover and you interact told Grover to ‘suck it up and tell ‘em already,’. 

PDA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

This guy would love to have the confidence to show you off; he loves you to the moon and back and wishes he could show the world how great you are. However, he is easily flustered when in the eye of strangers and although he loves holding your hand in public; if you kiss him on the mouth he will bleat. 

Quirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

Grover knows the best nature spots to go hiking, picnicking or to get away from the bustle of the city. He rarely gets lost nowadays and even if it takes a while to get to the places Grover promises ‘are the most beautiful forests you have ever seen!’ it never disappoints. Of course, he would never admit that he always asks the birds and local wildlife to help him out find these places. 

Romance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

He is cliché if he can be, he just cannot help it. He loves doing romantic things with you and has some rose tinted glasses that love recreating the more nature type, cute dates. This does not mean he isn’t creative, he has his own interesting ways of putting together your more traditional types of dates. He freshly (tries to) grow the strawberries to go with your picnic, for example.

Support - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

Grover is cheerleader no. 1. He does not just believe in you, he knows you can do it and makes sure that you know it too. He would do anything within his power to help, if you even mention needing something he will get it for you, no matter how hard it is to get. 

Thrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice up your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

Thrills would kill Grover on the spot. Now, he does not need a routine. He likes his life free and chill but he does not need thrills either. If you want to try something new, ask him. Sometimes he suggests something new too, but it is never deemed as ‘needed’. Quite often, you need to convince Grover first to do something new if it is slightly out of his comfort zone, but in the end he often appreciates it and shows this appreciation by hugging you while telling you he will never do it again. 

Understanding - How well do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

Although he does not like the word, Grover is quite literally an empath. He is quick to learn all your ins and outs and will literally tear up if you are crying. The opposite works too - if you are laughing loudly he will always join you, even if he does not understand entirely what is so funny. He just loves your laughter so much, and it’s an honour to him to join in. 

Value - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

The relationship matters a lot to Grover, and he would give up more than what is healthy for him. He goes out of his way for the relationship, and if it is actively hurting him it will be a while before he is either being told by his friends that it is harming him, or that he is able to take a step back and review what he is doing. He would fight the world for you, but he knows he can’t defend you if he is dead so he learns to draw a line at influencing his own health. 

Wild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

It’s known that Grover loves playing his pipes and he has composed numerous ‘songs’ out of his love for you. He could serenade you until you fall asleep, but let’s be real, he is not great at playing his pipes. Sure, he thinks any love song he makes is great because whenever he plays it he thinks of you, this does not mean that these songs are that great in the end. Don’t tell him though, it would break his heart.

XOXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

Look, he is a mess whenever you give him affection. As said before, he is easily flustered but as soon as you are somewhere semi-private you can expect him to kiss your cheek. He tends to have a little trouble sitting still, but he loves to cuddle if it’s in a nice nature full area, a soft grass patch or something. 

Yearning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

Grover sulks. He tries not to! He tries playing a tune to distract himself, accidentally wilting some flowers you got him. Next plan; he tries going for a walk, stumbling upon your favourite flower and having the dryads question why this satyr is crying in the middle of the woods. Not too openly, just some tears in his eyes. He becomes a slight mess, but continues on with his duties as good as he can, and if they take up enough of his mind he will just sigh sometimes, a soft “I miss them” passing his lips. 

Zeal - are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

Comfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

Clarisse is surprisingly (or actually, not so surprisingly) good with emotional issues. She has learnt how to deal with her own issues a long time ago, and will easily teach you the tricks she has. She is great at bringing comfort to you, when you are down.

Dreams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

Most of her plans are rather short term, because she never had the chance to plan things on the long term. Tomorrow was hardly guaranteed to come, so what is the use of planning for next year? Right now, she is thinking of going to college and she would love to take you with her, so you can study and grow together. After that? That is up to the fates.

Equal - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

Clarisse is very dominant, it is in her blood. She will seek you out wherever you are and loves taking charge. She does appreciate it if you speak up to her though, tell her what you want, so she can change the things you do to be to your liking too/ 

Fight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

Fights with Clarisse are brutal. She really tries to take deep breaths and count to ten, but if you really pissed her off (probably by endangering yourself) she has a hard time controlling her anger. Give her a moment in the arena, where she can blow of steam, before breaching the topic again. She will want to reach mutual understanding, but she won’t use the word “forgiven”. 

Gratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

You are kind off a second heart to her, she is aware of you but she does not always actively see what you do for her. She can’t imagine being without you and your help, but she simply doesn’t know how to be grateful towards you. Only when you disappear for a little while, does she notice how much you did for her and she is sure to repay you in some way. She really is an acts of service kinda gal. 

Honesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

Clarisse does not believe in secrets. It might take time for her to open up about her childhood, fears and worries, but she wants to. There is no good in a relationship where you cannot trust each other.

Inspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

To be able to be Clarisses significant other, you have to have gained her respect. However, this does not mean that she easily accepts your help. She does love helping you push your boundaries though, help you get over your fears and every time you do, she gets a little braver herself. 

Jealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

She does not get jealous easy, however she is scared that you might leave her behind (like her dad, who doesn’t care about her). If she is having a bad time, she will isolate herself from you. She doesn’t need more harm than she will already get when you leave. However, you find her at your spot, a safe haven for the two of you, and as you hold her tight she shares her worries. 

Kiss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

Her kisses are rather clumsy, because she often is very excited to kiss you. The first kiss was aggressive though, you were talking about an upcoming fight or quest (who remembers?) and said something among the lines of sacrificing yourself. Clarisse got angry, and at one point to shut you up she just kissed you. “If you want more of that, you better came back alive, you hear!” she yelled before she ran away, trying to still her beating heart. 

Love Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

She takes you apart, finds a silent spot and confronts you. In  her mind this is a battle field, she needs to win this battle but for you she is also willing to lose. Her adrenaline made her half scream out her confession, but when you accept she almost breaks down. She won one of the hardest battles out there, and as she hugs you she cries a little. 

Memory - What’s their favourite memory together?

Clarisse has too many good memories about you to pick a favourite, although she always thinks back to the times where you assure her of your relationship. Whether it is you addressing her as your girlfriend, or the handholding during the campfire, she lives for these reassurances coming from you. 

Nicknames - What do they call their s/o?

Affectionate insults, or you name. Not your last name, your first name (until you have her last name, after which she loves saying it because it is you and you are hers)

On Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

It might be obvious to those who know Clarisse, but she does not understand that she is in love with you until someone else points it out. It shows in how her insults do not have their edge when she talks to you, or how she tends to seek you out in battle, not to fight you but to make sure you don’t get hurt. 

PDA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

I hope you have no shame left, because you will be the number one bragging subject for Clarisse. She will use your perfectness as a tool to insult others. If it gets too much and you tell her, she will reluctantly tone it down (when you are around, at least.)

Quirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

Her sheer strength can break mountains, but also means that she would gladly do all your heavy lifting. If you are too tired to walk, she will help you. If you need protection from monsters, she is behind you. 

Romance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

Romance is not her strong suit, but if you mention wanting to do something romantic she will awkwardly recreate something out of the movies for you. It might be a bit messy, but I can guarantee you that she swallowed her pride and asked for help of the Aphrodite cabin, which results in the scene still being very pretty. 

Support - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

Determination is one of her strong suits, she will in fact hold enough stubbornness for the two of you. If you seem freaked out about something you want to do, she will help you break it down into chunks that she herself understands and can help with. Seeing you smiling at your victory over your goals is one of the bests sights to her. 

Thrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice up your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

Don’t call it “spicing up your relationship” because she will argue against it, saying (affectionately) that “When you started dating me, you should have known this would happen, idiot.” Clarisse finds a sense of home in the hectic life. Maybe it is in her roots, her dad being to god of war and war being messy. 

Understanding - How well do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

At first Clarisse might seem to be the type to not be empathetic, however it depends on how much she respects you. When she fell for you, a whole new person was there to help you through all your problems. She knows how to read you like a book, and often finds some alone time for the two of you if she thinks you need it. Somewhere where you both can be vulnerable. 

Value - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

As a year round camper, Clarisse has a deep attachment to anything that is camp related, including you. However, she might take you for granted a little, because she never thinks about what extremes she might need to go through to be with you. This relationship for her just has to be there and she refuses to think of giving it up, for it is just that integral to her life. 

Wild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

Unbeknownst to most, Clarisse is very aware of how someone’s mental state can affect their everyday live. She has had to deal with anger issues and abandonment issues herself, and is still working through them. So, she often urges you to take a mental break, to entrust her with your worries. She might not be a therapist, but she wants to be there for you. 

XOXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

She is aggressively affectionate. I’m talking affectionate bumps in your arm, holding you too tight for your comfort, kissing you mid-battle as to throw you off your game. 

Yearning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

People won’t notice as much that she is missing you, because she always seems threatening to the people around her. Clarisse will be more snappy. However, those who know her better do see the sadness she has on her face whenever she thinks people aren’t looking. 

Zeal - are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

You weren’t going to lie though, the predicament you found yourself in right now was not optimal. Sherman Yang, son of Ares, had decided to target you during sword practice, and if the immense amount of taunting wasn’t enough to piss you off, it was the fact that you were losing badly. You knew your way around with the sword, it just was not your best weapon and Sherman was a murder machine with any weapon he held. All you could do was dodge and parry his hits, helplessly trying not to die in the process. However, Sherman made quick work of you as he slashed your arm and pushed you to the ground in the process. You looked up at him, scared of the sword that you could not dodge coming your way, only for it to be quickly parried by a black sword.

“That’s enough, Yang,” Nico spat as he held back the son of Ares. Sherman just smiled menacingly, locking eyes with you once again. Nico had seen the fight happening as soon as he entered the arena, and as he saw you in trouble, he felt an unfamiliar anger bubble in his chest. “I’ll kill you next week then, (Y/n),” Sherman removed his sword from Nico’s, “Just to make you see how pathetic you truly are,” he laughed as he walked away. Nico wanted to hit the son of Ares; however, he knew what Sherman’s strength was from watching the training and he did not want to try his chances. When you finally looked away from Sherman, you noticed Nico holding out his hand. Grateful for the help, you grabbed it and stood up, quickly letting go again. Nico looked at his hand, secretly missing your touch, before he looked you over. He glared at the blood on your arm, a need to protect you flashing in his heart.  

“You should get that checked out,” he gestured to your wound, which you had forgotten about momentarily. “Uh, yeah, thanks- for the help I mean,” you smiled weakly at Nico, who seemed like he wanted to say something. You looked at him expectantly, and he just shook his head. “If you need help, just ask me. I’ll be there.” He quickly muttered, as he briskly walked away. You looked at his disappearing form, as you were reminded about the early days of your relationship. He was the reason you got to camp, and you always wished you could have helped him more, or at least properly befriended him after the first great war. These thoughts kept playing in your mind, as the stinging in your arm beckoned you to make your way to the infirmary.

───────────

As Will patched you up, you explained what had happened.

“I just don’t know why Sherman is targeting me right now?” you complained. Will looked up, before he sighed. “He just targets who he wants, (Y/n).” Will checked your wounds once more, to make sure it would heal well before he handed you some ambrosia. You quickly ate the medicine, and your arm was as good as new.

“How am I going to survive?” Will smiled at your dramatics.  

“I am sure you will be fine,” he stated but you looked at him worried. “He only picks me during sword practice, Will,” you sighed, “I suck at sword fighting, and getting my ass beat every time is not teaching me anything except how to apply first aid to my wounds.” Will laughed, when suddenly his eyes lit up with an idea.

“Why don’t you ask Nico to train you? He is pretty good with his sword.” Unbeknownst to you, Nico had confided in Will how he didn’t know how to approach you. Will found it endearing how his boyfriend seemed to become shy whenever you were involved. “You think he would want to?” You asked Will, not wanting to bother Nico too much with your request. Will nodded eagerly. “He cares about you, a lot,” Will got a thoughtful look on his face, “I am fairly sure that he considers you his first friend from camp, he just doesn’t know how to be … friendly.” As Will said this he grimaced a little, “So you need to be a little patient and most importantly, don’t give him the chance to push you away.”

You nodded in understanding.

───────────

Will insisted on accompanying you to Nico. Something about beating his boyfriend up if he tried to deny your request. But that seemed unnecessary because right after Nico and Will greeted each other with a kiss, Nico turned to you.

“Could I teach you how to sword fight?” Nico’s posture seemed rigid, and he squeezed Will’s hand for reassurance. Will looked at his boyfriend endearingly and surprised as he squeezed back, “It’s so you don’t have to rely on Sherman for practice and perhaps you can even beat him next time.” Nico quickly clarified while you were too stunned to speak. After a beat you finally got out of your stupor.

“Please!” You grinned nervously, “That is why I am here actually, if you’re willing, please teach me,” Nico blinked slowly before he seemed to relax a bit. He turned to Will.

“Are they alright to train now?” Nico asked his boyfriend, who gasped. “Are you doubting my doctor skills?” Will put a hand on his heart and Nico rolled his eyes. You looked at the interaction, as you felt your heartbeat strongly. As Will mumbled ‘of course’ to Nico before pressing a kiss on his cheek a sudden surge of longing took over your body. You quickly averted your eyes, cursing yourself for wanting a love life so bad that seeing this private moment made you feel this way. Well, that is if Nico even considered you a friend.

After Will went back to his shift at the infirmary, Nico carefully told you to grab a sword and charge at him. But before you could even move, he told you to stop.

“You need to fix your stance first,” Nico started posing more elaborately to show you how to pose, but after you uncertainly tried to copy his form, he sighed. Slowly, he walked up to you as he put his sword back in its sheath. His hands moved towards you, but he paused suddenly.

“Is it alright if I touch you?” Nico asked, looking you in the eye. You couldn’t make out what he was thinking, his face as stoic as ever. “Yes,” you nodded quickly, “Otherwise I might never learn, right?”

Nico moved carefully forward; his touch almost ghostlike in correcting you. If Nico was surer of himself, he would have grabbed your arm, but he didn’t know whether you would move away from his touch. He did not want to make you uncomfortable, for Nico knew that his touch often was rumoured to bring death. Nico did not know that you wouldn’t have minded his touch.

From here on, Nico continued to guide you through certain moves, often stopping mid swing to carefully tell you how to parry. He pointed out some weak points and promised to work on them with you. He was careful, and after a bit you moved on to some more free sparring together.

“That was good!” Nico complimented you as you sighed. “Good? But you won!” you breathed heavily, your arms sore from the sparring, but unhurt in any other way. “Sure, but you did manage to parry both hits without limiting your mobility.” It might have been your tiredness, but Nico seemed proud, “And your footwork is way better than it was when we started. You’re doing great, (Y/n).” Nico’s compliments made you feel warm inside, and you simply smiled.

“It’s all because of you, you know.” You straightened up, “Maybe we can take a break? My arms are mush.” Nico agreed quickly, still feeling elated from spending time with you. Nico didn’t know why, but simply sparring with you somehow gave him energy. You both walked to the side of the arena and sat down. After a few minutes of silence, Nico spoke up.

“Look, if you want to beat Sherman next week you should try to sweep his leg.” Nico took a sip of water. “That’s not a thing in sword fighting, is it?” You asked and Nico shrugged. “All is fair in a fight, and although Shermans foot work is good, it might be the only thing that is penetrable without too much extra training.”

The dinner bell rang loudly, and only now did you notice you spend almost the entire afternoon together with Nico.

“Ah! I guess this is it for today uh,” You looked at the boy sitting next to you, “Can we train more tomorrow? Perhaps in the morning so Sherman won’t be there?”

Nico nodded in response, before he stood up.

“We could just train together every morning?” he extended his hand out to you, which you grabbed, “It never hurt any demigod to be prepared for a fight after all.” Nico smiled.

───────────

That evening at the campfire Will noticed that his boyfriend seemed more fidgety than normal.

“How did the training go?” Will asked and Nico tensed up. Will carefully looked at his boyfriend, wondering what happened between you and Nico for him to feel so on edge.

“I have something to confess,” Nico started, and Will squeezed his hand. Nico hesitated, feeling guilt in his stomach. He should have thought this through, or first talked it over with Will or-

“What? Did you catch feelings for (Y/n) already?” Will asked teasingly, “Because if so, we can figure something out. They are cool.” Will looked back at his boyfriend, but as he saw Nico blankly stare at him, clearly panicked, Will apologized.

“I’m sorry, this was not the time for jokes. All in your own time, my sun,” Will smiled patiently and Nico’s heart stuttered. Nico wasn’t sure whether it was his brain catching up to what Will was insinuating, or the love he held for his boyfriend, but a warmth overtook his body. “I invited (Y/n) to train every morning but it would mean less opportunity to spend time together for us.” Nico said, looking to the side.

“And?” Will grinned, “You are spending time with a friend, I am proud of you Nico.” Nico at that moment let his guards down and smiled lovingly at his boyfriend. “You are? But what about our time together-” Will pulled Nico into a hug, entangling his fingers in his boyfriend’s hair.

“I always am proud of you,” Will whispered, “And I love you, and if push comes to shove, we can figure something out. But I don’t mind you spending time with (Y/n), I am glad you finally got the chance to.” And, unadmitted, Will could feel his happiness soar at the thought of Nico and you together, or even spending time with the three of you together. Will recognized that perhaps it wasn’t just Nico making friends that made his heart swell, perhaps it was you specifically that made him feel this way. And maybe, the blush that took over Nico’s face after Will’s remark about you meant that he agreed. But that could wait for later, for now he was holding his boyfriend close, and loving him for all that his is.

───────────

A week passed too quickly for your liking. Although you had practiced a lot with Nico, all your confidence disappeared as soon as Sherman glared at you. You had hoped he would wait at least until the scheduled sword practice, but he seemed eager to beat you up.

“You really thought that practicing with death boy could help you?” Sherman glared at Nico, “After this you’ll see you have much more to learn from me than him (Y/n).”

You see, Sherman Yang might come over as solely a bully, but he did not mean it that way. He had noticed that you seemed okay with a sword but could use a better training regimen than hacking at a dummy during practice. Besides this, you also never seemed excited to train sword fighting. So, who better to train and inspire you than him? However, Sherman had not realized that perhaps charging at you heads on was not a way for you to learn how to fight properly, even if it resulted in you actively practicing with the son of Hades in the past week.

Yes, Sherman had kept an eye out on your progress and now was time to test it.

Anyways, Nico tried to ignore Shermans comment as he stood to the side of the fight, ready to intervene if necessary. However, you seemed to hold your own well against the Ares camper. Instead of only dodging and parrying Sherman’s attacks, you managed to almost hit him once or twice before you quickly put your leg behind his and made him tumble to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, you jumped on top of him and put your sword against his neck.

“That was not a sword fighting move, (Y/n).” Sherman spat as he glared at you. “But I won.” You breathed heavily and Sherman pushed you off him, using his body force to keep you down for a few seconds before standing up and brushing off the dirt from his clothes. “This time you can have the victory.” Sherman grinned, an anger glint in his eyes, “But you are not cleared from fighting me.” Sherman grabbed his sword from the ground and walked away.

You sat up, looking for Nico. However, he seemed to have disappeared.

───────────

Nico didn’t know why, but he felt disappointed that you won. He realized as soon as the fight was over that he couldn’t congratulate you without ruining your day. Nico had realized that he only promised to train you until you won from Sherman, and yet he wished he hadn’t just promised that. What if this was it? What if you won’t seek him out afterwards? Nico had not yet realized how much he longed to spend more time with you.

Nico had not realized how attached he could get to your presence.

As soon as Will saw his boyfriend enter the infirmary, he felt slightly panicked. Nico didn’t like coming here, something about the possibility of bringing death into the place, and yet here he was seemingly uninjured.

“Are you alright?” Will kept Nico at a distance as he scanned his body for any invisible injuries, but besides Nico’s slightly paler than normal face nothing seemed wrong. “Is (Y/n) alright? How did the fight go?” Nico looked up with panic and pain in his eyes. Will quickly let go to grab a first aid kit, his adrenaline building as he thought about possible injuries you could have but stopped when Nico grabbed his arm.

“They won,” Nico’s voice sounded small, “And I am upset about it.” Will turned around to face his boyfriend, concern in his eyes. “Can I hug you?” Will carefully asked and Nico nodded. As Will softly engulfed his boyfriend in his arms, “Why do you think you’re upset?” Will felt Nico let out a sigh as Nico put his arms around him.

“I wanted to spend more time with them,” Nico’s voice cracked a little, “But now that they beat Sherman I can’t.” “You know that that’s not true.” Will tightened his hold on his boyfriend, “You can keep training together, or just hang out.”

“But what if (Y/n) doesn’t want to?” Nico’s voice was quiet. “I think they do want to, I bet they will show up for your training tomorrow as they did in the last week even.”

Nico broke away a little from the hug, seeing a soft smile on Will’s face. “And what if they don’t?” Nico asked. “Then you need to ask them,” Will cupped Nico’s cheek, “Or I can help. It’ll work out, I promise.” Nico breathed out deeply and kissed Will slowly, hoping to convey his gratefulness.

───────────

The very next day you were unsure whether Nico would be waiting for your practice session. After all, he had only promised to help you beat Sherman and technically you have done that now. Plus, you still had no idea where he went yesterday after you won your fight. However, as you were making your way into the arena you saw Nico leaning against the wall, looking slightly anxious.

“You’re here.” Nico’s shoulders relaxed as he saw you approach, “I thought that maybe you wouldn’t want to practice together anymore.” “I thought you wouldn’t want to teach me,” you looked sideways, “After all you only promised to help be fight Sherman,” Nico shook his head as he felt his heart stutter. Were you just here to thank him and leave? “But I have to admit,” you continued, “You are a great teacher and I could use some sword skills and-“ you hesitated, “Perhaps we can spend some time doing other things, if we are friends and you’re comfortable and” Nico realized he found it cute when you were nervous for him.

This weekend, Annabeth invited you and Magnus to come to New York for a visit. You had been staying at camp after summer, however with the newly revived and resurfaced cousin Magnus being able to come over you did not hesitate. Annabeth noticed that there was an exhibit at the Discovery Center in Times Square called The Vikings and decided it would be perfect to meet at. You know, given that Magnus apparently was the son of a Norse god, and neither you or Annabeth were too well versed in that pantheon.

“You bring me to New York and show me Vikings?” Magnus sighed, “I’ve got enough of those in Boston.” “Look I think it’s important to understand your world Magnus,” Annabeth smiled, “and I promise to take you to Mamoun’s Falafel and Shawarma afterwards,” “It’s a lot less boring than the Greek architecture exhibit,” You commented. Annabeth punched your arm softly. “I will just ask Percy next time (Y/n), no more bonding time for us.” She joked and you gasped. “Betrayal!” You exclaimed, and you noticed Magnus smiling. After a moment of hesitation, you spoke up again, “It sucks, you know, that we just,” you looked at your cousins sadly, “That we never got to be a family together. No holidays, or meetings. I barely even knew what you would look like Magnus!”

“But we can catch up now,” Annabeth softly grabbed your hand and squeezed it, “right some wrongs or something.” Magnus nodded. “I literally have all the time of the world now,” he shrugged, “most of the time anyways. We’ll be a family from now on, help each other and stuff.” “Yeah, that’s nice,” you sighed, “I’m glad.”

“Well, let’s get the exhibition over so I can get some falafel.”

───────────

One of the first things you saw was a full-sized reconstruction of a Viking River boat. The most impressive part? Someone made it with historical tools, meaning no saws and no machines. Magnus commented on how, if the boat would have been more portable, he could’ve taken it with him on his quest to stop Ragnarök. Sadly, unlike the one he got, which folds into a handkerchief, this one he could not carry around.

“Huh, life must have been pretty hard for Vikings back in the day then,” you joked, eliciting laughter from both your cousins. It was then that Magnus gasped.

“The Hammer of Thor! I found it! That was legit the easiest quest ever.” He pointed at a display case, “You know, this is the second time I found it.” You quietly laughed as Annabeth go a mischievous smile on her face. “This is just a silver replica,” she pointed out and Magnus sighed, “The Norse wore these all the time, kind of how Christians wore crosses.” “Dammit!” Magnus exclaimed. The security glared at him, and he looked apologetically at them, “sorry.”

As you were walking together through the exhibition, there was some comfortable banter between the three of you. At a depiction of Jormungand, Magnus noted how it did not look like the serpent at all, while you joked when coming across a necklace made from beads that that person must have spent a lot of years at camp. At one point, Annabeth looked a little melancholic when she saw a bracelet that looked like Thalia’s.

“Must be why Valkyries wear keys on their belts,” Magnus guessed. “So they can lock up their stuff and flog anyone who tries to take it.”

“I want to meet these Valkyries,” Annabeth said.

“I can introduce you to one,” Magnus offered, “You both can come to Boston and meet my friends,” he pondered, “Perhaps there will be a Greek Mythology exhibit, so I can get you back for bringing me here.”

“I will take you up for that, Magnus.” You cackled.    

Further into the exhibit, you stumbled onto bones from an actual Norseman. There was a lot of information about how the living situation of this person had been, however Magnus tried to lighten the situation. “I’m pretty sure I did Bikram yoga to the death with this dude last week,” Magnus squinted his eyes as if to examine the bones more closely, “he must be an einherji now.” “How do you do yoga to the death?” Annabeth asked, before her eyes widened, “Wait. I don’t think I actually want to know.”

Quickly after you entered the room with Norse instruments. Among everything there was something that looked, and sounded, suspiciously familiar.

“Is that a kazoo?” you guessed, “Did Vikings invent the kazoo? I am going to change religions.” “Ugh,” Annabeth said. “I got Percy a kazoo as a joke one time, and he would not stop playing it. It’s literally his only musical talent.” “Where is Percy?” Magnus asked. “I though I’d get to meet him.” Annabeth frowned. “He’s studying. He is not allowed to do anything fun until he passes his midterms.” “Ouch,” Magnus said, “His mom grounded him?” “Nope,” you interjected, smiling knowingly. “I did,” Annabeth said, “If he doesn’t graduate high school, he doesn’t get to go to college at New Rome with me. And if that happens, I will have to kill him with a kazoo.” “That is if he doesn’t die during the,” you flailed your arms around a little, “‘Godly entrance exam quest’ or whatever bullshit he has to do.” Annabeth sighed, “Yeah, because saving the world twice is not enough for a scholarship apparently.” Magnus looked at the two of you as if you were crazy, “You know that, even if it’s ‘to the death’ at least Valhalla has free education.” “I would rather not have Percy die yet, but thanks for the offer.” Annabeth sighed, “Are those Viking ice-skates?”

“They’re made out of deer bones, they used to be strapped to your shoes.” You mused, “looks pretty metal to me, to be honest. Just, whip out your bones, to your shoes and away you go!” “Sideways,” Magnus speculated, “straight into the nearest tree.” “I’d hate to see Viking skis,” Annabeth said. “You would need really big deer for those.” You commented, before moving along to the next display full of Viking swords.

“That’s sad,” Annabeth said, “Nothing is left but corroded metal.” “Oh, you should’ve seen Jack when I pulled him out of the river,” Magnus said, “He looked much worse.” “You named your sword Jack?” you questioned him. “No, he named himself that.” Magnus answered. “He … what?” “I’ll introduce you later. But I’m warning you, once he starts talking, he doesn’t shut up.”

“Your sword talks?” Annabeth asked and Magnus nodded nonchalantly. “Does he also talk to other swords? Or weapons?” you asked, and Magnus kept nodding. “I’ll let him answer for himself, I am sure he would love the attention,” Magnus grimaced, “just not here and now.”

You agreed to keep going forward. There were several pieces of jewellery, including a broach that looked amazing despite being on the earth for thousands of years. “I think it’s supposed to resemble the pendant on Brisingamen, Freya’s necklace,” Magnus mused, “It looks nice, but the real necklace is much fancier.” “Why are you blushing?” Annabeth asked. “I am not blushing,” Magnus insisted, “Freya just has a nice ear- uh, necklace. I mean necklace.”

You were already standing a bit further, reading the text next to some shoes with spikes in them. “Hey Magnus,” said boy turned to look at you, “did you know that if you die a dishonourable death and you go to Helheim, you are buried with spikes on your shoes like this? Apparently the road to Hel is icy and slippery.” “I did not know,” he remarked, “but wouldn’t deer-ski’s be faster?” he joked. “Personally,” Annabeth piped in, “I’d go for the deer bone ice skates. Can’t die by hitting a tree if you’re already dead, right?” All three of you laughed, before moving onto the next display. It contained a magic amulet, used for cursing your enemies or protecting yourself from rune magic.

“I wish Hearthstone was here,” Magnus said, “He would love this.” “Yeah,” Annabeth said, “Carter and Sadie would think that was pretty awesome too.” “Why does everyone know people that I don’t?” you said.

“Oh, Hearthstone is a friend of mine,” Magnus clarified, “He’s an elf, I guess. Likes rune magic.” “Yeah, and Carter and Sadie are some uh… Egyptian friends of mine.”

You looked at her, “Egyptian? Are you telling me-“ “Maybe we’ll talk about that at lunch,” Annabeth said, “Over falafel and a large bottle of Advil.”

As you moved further with Annabeth you both shuddered at a bunch of sickles. “I don’t like sickles. They remind me of a certain Titan,” Annabeth elaborated, but as you both kept walking you didn’t notice that Magnus lingered at this exhibit.

You see, the sickles were actually a talisman that was the symbol of Frey. They would be used for the harvest. And maybe it was Magnus’s imagination, but the light seemed to get brighter and warmer in the display case when he looked.

“Hey dad,” Magnus said, after which he reluctantly moved along.

One of the last displays of the exhibit was a bunch of little silver Valkyrie amulets. As Magnus caught up to you and Annabeth he spoke up, “Sam would love these,” “I’ve got to meet Samirah one of these days,” Annabeth said, “She sounds great.” “Yeah,” Magnus said, “Just try not to meet her the way I did, by dying.” “I think if we die, we get a different afterlife,” you commented, but Annabeth ignored you. “Deal,” she said, “Ready for some falafel?”

“The answer to that is always yes,”

-He doesn’t understand human traditions, and hardly gets past “normal” behavior. He thinks it is cute how you solve things, and how you behave. He finds you intriguing, therefore he seeks you out every now and then.

-You will have to explain holidays to him, and parties. You will need to tell him why he cannot suddenly show up at your house at night, when your parents are in the room next door. He tends to tilt his head when he is confused by your rambles, but there is always an affectionate smile on his face. 

-Be prepared for him to be gone for weeks on end. He gets in trouble if he grows too attached to you, and tries to avoid raising suspicions from the other gods. He does not want to be banned from seeing you, but the real question is on how long he can keep this up. They are bound to notice the small changes in his behavior (he seems happier lately, less moody). 

-He doesn’t realize how much he cares about you, until he sees that you are in danger. This need to protect you surges over him, and he basically growls as he saves you, quickly removing you from the situation. After he quickly scans you for injuries, he excuses himself and immediately goes away. He does not come back for a month, because he is trying to settle his feelings. But this just makes him grow fonder of the idea of being close to you, and he gives up denying himself time with you. 

-This is when he becomes really aware of the dangers that seeking you out pose. Not only can he be banned from seeing you, but it can also put some kind of target on your back. He wouldn’t know who would dare to challenging him but there might be a stupid magician out there who could try to use you as blackmail.  -If this results in you actively seeking him out, he will only turn more and more sour towards you. You are a fool for even talking to him. He tells you to stop, to live your mortal life without worrying about him. He is a god and he can take care of himself. If you are too stubborn, you can be sure you won’t see him again for the rest of your mortal life. 

-He might sometimes get jealous of your mortal life, when you talk excitedly about it. It’s not like he cannot take a mortal host, but he knows it will not be the same. Will he be with you, or his host? Will he be able to reach a balance with the host, or will it only bring problems? There are many doubts, and Anubis does not enjoy those, for uncertainties only brings more complications. He doesn’t want to complicate your life any further.  

-Anubis holds hope though- that one day, maybe after you die but hopefully sooner, he can become your significant other. It’s a guilty pleasure of his, to think about having you around all the time, to hold you close and to traverse your world. He is not heartless, he simply fears for the worst and does not understand that he might have eternity to figure things out, while your mortal years are going by fast.

-And if you were to hold onto him, or the concept of him even when he refuses to see you, if you keep asking for his attention, begging for him to love you, his guilt will force him to erase himself from your life. He will look at you from far away, protecting you silently if he needs to, but he never meant for you to get attached to him, not like this. He is a god, and he cannot physically be with you, but once upon a dream you can converse with him. Lay yourself bare, as he gets crushed by his mistakes.

A moment of silence fell as you both returned to the tasks at hand.

“Will would kill me though if I don’t-” You hit Austin on his arm and he faked that he was in pain, grinning at you, “Okay, okay, I won’t tell Will.” he laughed and you sent him a smile, happily distracted from the pain in your body. Your peaceful moment was harshly interrupted by shouting as a camper got carried into the infirmary.

Austin and you quickly scrambled to the unconscious body of Cecil Markowitz. You grimaced as you saw the wounds, your head pounding a little harder as if to remind you of your own bodily issues at the moment.

“We’ve done this before, (Y/n).” Austin reassured you and you shook your head. “Not the reason.” you quickly shot back as you both started working in sync, quickly healing Cecil.

After Cecil seemed to be alright, Austin decided to take the last check up alone. You had sat down, and Austin noticed that you looked even worse than before. You let out a breath, closing your eyes to stop your head from pounding, which did not work. You leaned your head back, reasoning that if you just got up and drank some water it would go away eventually, at worst you would just lay down after your shift until dinner. Austin looked you over and sighed as he quickly asked Cecil to both get Will and Kayla. Austin reasoned that Kayla wouldn’t mind starting her shift early, and Will would forgive him for not getting Will sooner to take care of you, at least Austin hoped that much.

You had noticed how your body seemingly seemed to drift off- a familiar feeling settling in when you realized you were on shift and needed. You opened your eyes to see Austin hover above you, about to put his hand on your forehead. You huffed as you quickly pushed it away and sent him a tired glare. “I told you, I am fine.” You stood up from the chair, and as black dots appeared on your vision you thought ‘too fast.’ as you blinked a few times. You hadn’t noticed how Austin shook his head.

“Ouch, (Y/n) you really do look dead.” You heard the familiar voice of Kayla as she entered, “Good thing Cecil told me to take over. How long have they been like this?” Kayla turned to her brother who just sighed. “It only got this bad after Cecil was brought in, but they’ve been off the entire afternoon.” he said gravely. “Hey, I am right here!” you waved your hands around as if to get their attention, “Besides, I am good enough to keep going, so thank you Kayla but you can leave.” She shook her head. “And face Will’s wrath when he sees you? No thanks.”

“Why would I be angry?” your eyes widened at Will’s voice, which quickly turned into a glare towards Austin. “Snitch.” you accused him and he just shrugged with a smile. As Will entered you noticed an awkward Nico behind him, who as soon as he saw you quickly walked to your side.

Will looked you over and concern flooded his body. Nico had told him before that you weren’t one hundred percent during training this morning, but Will never was too concerned, everyone has their off days. However as he saw you he wouldn’t be surprised if you told him that you hadn’t slept at all in the past week. He reached you in two quick strides as Nico softly held your hand and studied your face.

“You didn’t look this bad in the morning.” Nico simply stated, but you could see the depths of his worry in his eyes. Will was tempted to force you into an infirmary bed right away, but he knew that you would be more comfortable in the privacy of their cabin- the Hades cabin. It had become their own sanctuary within camp, given that Nico didn’t have siblings to bother them all the time.

“When…?” he quietly asked Austin, who was still near enough. Austin noticed the danger of either lying or letting Will know he had kept you there when you weren’t well and he gulped, fear crossing his face.

“Just now, after Cecil.” you quickly saved him and Austin sent you a thankful look which went unnoticed by Will, but not by Nico who quickly glanced at you but didn’t comment on it. He knew what it is like to receive the anger of Doctor Solace. It was endearing, but sometimes a bit much as Will didn’t stop until you were fully healthy again. Will eyed you in suspicion, but he reached for your other hand. As you left the infirmary, you sent a thankful nod towards Kayla, who just smiled mischievously in return, she didn’t mind covering your shift if it meant she got to tease her brother about it later.

As your boyfriends slowly walked you to the Hades cabin, you caught your foot on something and stumbled a bit forward, only to be quickly caught by two pairs of arms holding you steady.

“Can’t even keep yourself upright now?” Nico flatly joked and Will shook his head.

“My foot just got caught- I’m fine.” you said as you slightly pulled yourself out of their hands. Nico and Will exchanged a glance of worry as they unwillingly let you go, trailing behind you as they took each other's hands. You hadn’t picked up on the joke- which you normally easily did, you hadn’t joked back and you had shaken them off, not even given them the chance to hold your hands again.

You reasoned that trying to avoid your boyfriends, so you can just sleep and ignore everything for a bit, would be futile, especially since they seemed so admanted on hovering around you right now. You knew it was your tired brain talking- the only reason why they wanted to be close is because they cared, and you normally appreciated that, but today your whole body was against you and it was bothering you endlessly, which you didn’t want to accidentally take out on the people you love the most. You laid your back on the closest bunk bed- one that was unmade and Nico wondered why you didn’t take two more steps to lay in his bed. However, Will seemed to kindly ignore that and started his speech.

“Next time you feel even slightly unwell-” he pointedly looked at your pathetic form on the bed, “You tell me. I could’ve covered your shift, or something!” Will was frustrated because he wanted to take care of you, in fact he liked caring for you, what he did not like was you overexerting yourself even in the slightest, or being in pain. You groaned as you sat up and glared at him. “If you’re going to be like this, I will go to my own cabin and suffer there.” you felt yourself get smaller under the worrying gazes of your boyfriends, Will seemingly losing his will to lecture you. You looked away from them, feeling guilty for sounding so angry.

“I’m sorry I didn’t-” you started, and as you noticed Nico reaching for your hand you moved it away, “It’s probably better if I do that- I don’t want to-”

“No way.” Will said as he quickly crouched down, undoing your shoes for you, “What kind of boyfriend would I be if I let my significant other suffer alone.” He let out a small laugh and as your feet were freed from their prison, Nico softly tugged on your arm, gesturing for you to get up. Nico wasn’t sure why you had moved away from his touch, and he feared you would keep moving away when all he really wanted to do is make sure you would feel better soon. You reluctantly followed him to his bed, and he swiftly grabbed his blanket and put it around you. A warmth filled you as Nico pulled you into his bed, forcing you to join him and as you laid down you closed your tired eyes, snuggling close to him. He put his hand on your head, softly petting it.

“Just take a nap, we’ll be here if you need us.” Nico told you as you hummed in a sleepy agreement. Will looked at his boyfriend, simultaneously loving the sight of the two of you cuddled together and feeling a nasty helplessness. His lecture wasn’t meant to make you feel worse- it was meant to help, to show you he could help, they could help and yet- you had looked so downfallen and angry and it made him feel so bad. He wondered if he could allow himself to hold you, if he could find the words to ask. He looked Nico in the eye, only to see him questioning Will with just his gaze, wondering what the inner turmoil was about.

You on the other hand were finally resting, your body easily falling asleep before your mind did in the hold of your boyfriend. You were still missing another body, so you slowly lifted your head a little and opened your eyes as you yawned.

“Mmm, Will,” you looked at the boy still standing, “C’me here.” When he seemed reluctant to move you sat up a little, noticing the strong hold Nico had on you, as if he was unwilling to just let you get up again. “Will, I thought you wouldn’t let me suffer alone?” you joked as he looked up, a guilty face.

Against Nico’s request you had told Will – one of the few campers you were entirely sure you could trust with your life. In the past few months, you had spent almost every minute of the day alongside Will, learning the ways of healing but also mostly finding solace in him. You figured that if you hadn’t told Will, he would have actively hunt you down into the underworld, hence why you entrusted him with your whereabouts for the coming few days. At least, that was the plan because Percy Jackson would turn sixteen in a matter of days and Nico asked you to be the last drop in convincing Percy that he needed to agree with Nico’s plan.

You had only just arrived in the clearing, gaining a small wave from Nico who was seemingly in the middle of a conversation between a nymph and satyr. He was wearing an aviator's jacket, black jeans, and a T-shirt with dancing skeletons on it, like one of those Day of the Dead pictures. His Stygian iron sword hung at his side. You barely made it to his side when a hellhound pounded through the bushes. You stumbled back, instinctively stepping behind Nico as you felt your throat close at the memories of hellhounds hunting you- the memories of your parent getting out a gun-

Nico smiled as the dog laid its head on the ground, ready to receive ear scratches from the son of Hades. You felt like you couldn’t breathe – it was not the first time you had seen Mrs O’Leary around camp, but every time Will had been at your side to calm you down. Gods if only he was here- if only-

“You alright?” Will had noticed your panicked gaze as you passed the arena. He pulled you away and looked behind him, seeing Mrs O’Leary sitting there, “Hey, (Y/n), look at me. Don’t worry, she’s friendly.” Your eyes were out of focus, seeing a different time, seeing your parents face. Will saw that you were not getting out of your stupor and pulled you away from the arena. He made sure Mrs O’Leary was out of sight as he sat you down on the ground.

“Hey, just breathe- Follow my breathing,” he started guiding you and as you slowly came back to your senses you saw the worried eyes of your friend.

“Care to explain, sunshine?” Will squeezed your arm as you sighed and started your story.

“She’s friendly, (Y/n).” Nico said as he glanced at you. You closed your eyes as you breathed in deep, counting to yourself. This was an exercise you learned quickly after encountering Mrs O’Leary a few times at camp. As you felt your heart calm down, you looked at Nico with a tired smile. He cocked his head to the side as to ask if you were fine, and Mrs. O’Leary copied his movement. “I know, sorry.” You softly said and Nico shrugged, going back to scratching her ears.

Looking at your companions in the clearing you saw the shape of the old satyr. His fur was dust-bunny gray, and a spiderweb grew between his horns. The tree nymph was pretty, wearing a purple gossamer dress and having an elfish face – although something in her eyes seemed off. You noticed a boy – Percy Jackson – entering the clearing, just in time for the old satyr that was there to explode.

"Will someone—what is this underworld creature doing in my forest!" He waved his arms and trotted on his hooves as if the grass were hot. "You there, Percy Jackson! Is this your beast?" "Sorry, Leneus," Percy apologized, "That's your name, right?" The satyr rolled his eyes.

 "Well, of course I'm Leneus. Don't tell me you've forgotten a member of the Council so quickly. Now, call off your beast!" Lenues retorted, aggressively pointing at Mrs O’Leary. "WOOF!" Mrs. O'Leary said happily. The old satyr gulped. "Make it go away! Juniper, I will not help you under these circumstances!" Juniper turned toward Percy, a hopeful look in her eyes. You felt a bit awkward and left out in the situation, you looked at Nico as he stood up and took in the situation.

"Percy," Juniper sniffled. "I was just asking about Grover. I know something has happened. He wouldn't stay gone this long if he wasn't in trouble. I was hoping that Leneus —" "I told you!" the satyr protested, "You are better off without that traitor."

Juniper stamped her foot. "He is not a traitor! He is the bravest satyr ever, and I want to know where he is!"

"WOOF!" Leneus's knees started knocking. You snorted softly. Sure you are scared of Mrs O’Leary, but seeing this old satyr basically pee his pants because of her did feel good.

"I . . . I will not answer questions with this hellhound sniffing my tail!" Nico looked like he was trying to not crack up. He looked at me and then back at the group.

"I'll walk the dog," he volunteered as he motioned for me to follow him. He whistled, and Mrs. O'Leary bounded after him to the far end of the grove.

You didn’t walk far before Nico stopped and turned to you, letting Mrs. O’Leary bounce around us. “Are you scared of her?” he gestured to the hellhound, and you shuddered. “Well, you know, you were there,” the last bit was more of a whisper, but Nico nodded his head as he beckoned Mrs. O’Leary over. “Here, just,” there was often this hesitation to Nico when he wanted to help you, you noticed, “Just scratch behind her ears,” he carefully grabbed your hand, and you noticed him shivering at the contact. How long had it been since he had been held with love? 

You let him guide you towards Mrs. O’Leary, accepting your fate. For some reason you started shaking, and you wanted it to stop, you didn’t want Nico to think that you were weak – too weak to help him. You closed your eyes, and as you felt fur beneath your fingers you released a breath. You heart was racing, and your felt your legs give out.

“Woah!” Nico half heartedly tried to catch you, but as you sat before Mrs. O’Leary, eyes half opened as she appreciatively wagged her gigantic tail. Nico felt his heart beat an extra time as he saw how you deflated in front of Mrs. O’Leary. Why did Nico not like it that you were so scared? Why had he felt the need to make sure that you would be alright?

“You alright?” Nico crouched down next to you, his stygian sword’s handle poking uncomfortably in his side as he put an arm on your shoulder. You slowly nodded, continuing to scratch Mrs. O’Leary’s head.

“Just peachy.” You removed your hand from her head, and she whined a little as you let out a breath of air, “You are just like a normal dog, ey? Sorry for being so scared, some of your family weren’t so nice to me,” you felt as if you would not be able to say another word, so you put your hand back on Mrs. O’Leary’s head and started petting her again.

“That was brave of you,” Nico noted as he stood up again, denying himself the warmth of your touch.

“Thank you,” you told him as you looked up at him, “And Nico, you’re a good friend.” Nico’s face filled itself with confusion. “Where did that come from?” he spluttered out.

“Mm, the fact that you just helped me, and the fact that we are friends.” You smiled at him, hoping it looked genuine after everything you just went through, “Whether you like it or not.” Something crossed Nico’s eyes, but you could not pinpoint what it was.

“Well, before attaching yourself to me, are you sure you want to help? It is dangerous, and I do not want you to do this for the sake of ‘friendship’,” he did the quotation marks around the last word. You found the strength to stand up, ignoring Mrs. O’Leary’s whines at the loss of pets. You knew Nico wouldn’t have asked you to go if he didn’t need any support

“Yes, although I would only endanger my life for friends though, so,” you held out your hand towards the son of Hades, feeling butterflies in your stomach. This was stupid – you would go on this mission for Nico either way, but you wanted him to acknowledge you¸ to acknowledge that he had friends in camp. Nico sighed but grabbed your hand.