#echo fics

Chapter 1: falling for you

Will yawned, squinting at Nico’s frail figure as he stumbled out of Will’s bed, probably for the bathroom next door. He smiled, eyes closing as he drifted in and out of sleep.

Nico and Will had only been dating for a few weeks, but it was amazing watching Nico become more comfortable around him, and, as of last week, they’d started sleeping in the same bed. Their hot and cold body temperatures complemented each other well, and Nico admitted it stopped a fair few of his nightmares, which Will was totally normal about.

Nico had been admitting more things as of late, but there was one thing Will just couldn’t get him to budge on: his health.

Nico had always been on the fragile side, with dark eye bags and a bag-of-bones physique. Nothing a good diet and absence of shadow travel couldn’t fix, right? 

Wrong. Nico had maybe gained a little healthy weight, but he still had chronic brainfog, got dizzy in training, lost his vision when standing up, and spaced out often—to the point he’d ask Will to repeat sentences he knew for sure Nico had heard. 

And the list of symptoms in Will’s brain kept growing.

He was worried, to say the least. They’d gotten into a sort of fight last night over Nico’s stupid belief that he “wasn’t that sick”. Will had watched in horror as Nico’s shell cracked back into place before storming out of the infirmary to give himself space from the healer. 

Thankfully, later in the night, he felt Nico’s gaunt body settle beside him, and everything was alright again.

A series of loud bangs sounded from the next room over, breaking Will out of his daze. He sat up, rubbing at his eyes. Had Austin accidentally knocked over his alarm when pressing snooze again? He shrugged, laying back down and returning to his daydreaming.

—————

Nico’s vision swam as he mindlessly walked into the bathroom, not even glancing at his reflection.

And then the ground was swept from underneath him, his feet leaning inwards and outwards as he tried to regain his balance. He swayed back and forth, limbs flailing, pawing for anything to grab onto. His pupils widened, blinking rapidly before he promptly collapsed, slamming the side of his head against the wall.

Just as suddenly as it had happened, it stopped, and Nico shook as if he’d been pulled out of the depths after drowning.

What just happened? How had he gotten here? Where was here?

One thought prevailed through the noise. Where was Will?

Nico lurched out of the bathroom, panic searing through him. He needed Will.

He searched aimlessly, tripping, hands shaking at a random door handle in blind terror, but it wouldn’t budge. His head ached, panging in a hollow way as his breath staggered.

Nico let out a hysterical whimper as he sought solace to no avail. Finally, his eyes caught on familiar socked feet, poking off of a familiar bed. He breathed a sigh of relief, quivering as he struggled to run towards Will.

“Will,” Nico sobbed, leaning on the doorway as cold tears streamed down his face in an instant. “I don’t know what happened, I–” He gulped down another shallow breath, staring at his boyfriend’s blurry, confused face. “I couldn’t stand, my–my head hit the wall.” Nico’s palm found his aching cheekbone as Will sprang to a stand.

“Oh, honey.” He took Nico in his arms, sitting them down on the bed. “Gods, was that noise you?”

Nico nodded. “I didn’t trip over or anything.” His lower lip trembled. “My vision was gone.”

Will rubbed away a tear, tender. “You must have fainted, darling.”

“I’m that sick?” Nico gasped. It made sense, but only really ill people fainted, right? Not to mention, he was so zoned out that he didn’t even know who he was or why he was walking into that bathroom. It was terrifying how quickly that could happen.

Will held his face in his hands. “Looks like it.” His gaze softened as he pulled Nico closer. “That must have been so scary.”

“It really was. I don’t even remember going in there. All I knew was that I needed you.” Despite it all, Nico was slowly calming down in Will’s presence, now understanding what happened, though not why.

“Oh, Precious. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” Will pulled away, grabbing both of Nico’s hands. “I hate to say it, but I think all these symptoms are pointing to a bigger issue.”

Nico shuddered. “Well, I don’t want it to happen again. How do we fix it?”

Will tugged Nico to the middle of the bed, tucking him in. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure that out later. For now, let’s get some food into you.” Will stood, kissing Nico’s forehead. “Rest, please. Eggs okay?”

—————

Nico got up slowly, being gentle with himself as he walked towards the big house kitchen to see two sunnyside eggs. He giggled a bit, seeing them positioned on the toast like eyes with a tomato sauce smile.

Will enveloped him in a hug from behind. “That’s the face I make when I see you too.”

“A goofy lil’ grin?” Nico cackled when Will nodded dumbly. He winced as the feeling in the back of his head got worse, like how it feels when you change altitudes falling through the air. “I don’t want to feel like this forever.”

Will frowned, sympathy gathering in his eyes at the change in mood. “And you won’t. I have my suspicions about what’s wrong. We’ll figure this out.” He squeezed him tighter, careful around his face.

Nico smiled softly, “I trust you.” He took a bite of toast. “You make good eggs.”

“I’m a man of many talents.” Will chuckled, but he tilted his head in thought a second later.

“What is it?” Nico asked, curious.

“How do you feel about needles?”

i hope you enjoyed!! you can find the rest here

safe to say sejanus was going through the worst days of his life. good thing he had you though, his on-again off-again hook-up. sej had never been able to commit to you; too much despair about the state of the world making his head a place too troubled to truly allow himself happiness.

but he came back to you like a moth to the flame, time after time, because the thing was: he needed you.

it was the same today, he'd cornered you in one of the less busy corridors in the academy, begging you to let him fuck him just once more, just this once.

you had half a mind to refuse him, you'd promised yourself to stay away from him if he couldn't commit, but his eyes were big and shiny with need, his face tormented by the turmoil inside of him, his hands fidgeting restless by his side, itching to grab you, grope you, touch you to bring stillness to hus mind.

you'd never been able to refuse sejanus at his worst. so you just nodded, and he was on you in an instant.

"thank you, thank you, thank you," he blabbered, speaking your name like a prayer as he buried his face in the crook of your neck and rutted against you desperately. you could feel wetness on your throat, and realized that he must have started crying.

"oh sej..." your voice was a broken whisper as you drew his face up to yours and let him kiss you.

the two of you stumbled into an unused classroom, having just enough presence of mind to draw the door shut behind you.

sejanus undressed quickly, and buried his face between your tits, sighing with the relief the closeness brought him. not long after he disposed of your bra and pants, too, so the unbottened academy shirt was the only piece of clothing remaining on your body.

"do you have—" you asked, and sejanus shook his head, having understood your question instantly. no condoms.

"just the tip, though?" sejanus begged, voice strained with need. you know you shouldn't say yes, it was too dangerous and your family didn't exactly have the money to afford an impromptu abortion. but you needed to feel sejanus inside of you, so you closed your eyes against better knowledge and nodded.

sejanus stretched you with his fingers first, broad as they were their touch was sweet and had you rubbing against him with need.

"you ready, baby?" he breathed and you nodded. you'd screamed at him last time to stop calling you baby when he was ruining your life by never giving you what you needed: him by his side always, not just when he couldn't stay away. but right now you needed for him to be soft, desperate and crying with need.

when he pushed inside of you, you almost cried out with pleasure, but had the presence of mind to muffle yourself by biting on your hand instead.

"fuck, baby, you feel so good," sejanus groaned, and he tipped his sweat stained forehead against yours. he drew back, then pushed forward again slowly; just the tip, just like he had promised.

but your hips twitched against him, and with every push he got more and more of his cock inside. he'd averted his eyes from you, instead had a distant yet focused look on his face, mouth half open with rough breaths as he let himself feel more and more of you by pushing deeper and deeper inside of him.

"you said just the tip..." you moaned weakly, and sejanus nodded.

"i know, i know, sorry baby..." but despite his apology, he didn't stop. instead he rocked his hips back and forth, getting deeper inside of you with each thrust. "you just feel so good," he murmured against your throat, and you shivered. "make me forget everything, the stupid games, marcus..." he choked on his words, and you could hear from his voice that he was close to tears again.

he'd stilled for a moment, but now started rocking into you again.

you shook your head, you didn't want this—but when you started to squirm in his grip he held you tighter, mouth half open and eyes on you, staring at you enraptured.

he panted as he moved inside of you slowly, gaze still fixed on you. his hands were boring into your hips, and he groaned brokenly with each thrust.

"please don't, i dont want—" you started, but sejanus soothed you.

"i'll just pull out, baby, nothing will happen, it's not dangerous, i know lots of guys who do it like this." you didn't exactly trust him after he'd promised "just the tip" then broken that promise just as quickly, and you knew it wasn't safe to pull out, but his chest was sweaty and his body crowding close and into yours with need, and his face was slack and relaxed, focused and even happy in a way you hadn't seen it since the games started.

his dick inside you felt so good, too, he was big and stretched you out just the right way—so against better knowledge, you nodded.

"thank you, thank you, thank you," he babbled again, now starting to fuck into you in earnest. he pulled back and plunged back in, then his thrusts became quicker and quicker, more and more desperate.

he cried out and your heart pounded—what if someone heard you?

he kissed you and you closed your eyes, let his arms draw you against him as you came closer and closer to your orgasm. you should've pushed him away, bit him and fighted tooth and nail when he fucked you although you'd said no, but in this very moment it felt just too good to care.

he and you, moving together, being one, like you were meant to be.

you almost got lost in the haze of pleasure until you recognized the tell-tale hitch of his breath letting you know he was getting close.

"sej, sej," you patted his arm, panting. "pull out sej."

"i—" sejanus groaned. "baby i can't, it..." his hips snapped into you faster and faster. "fuck it feels too good, baby i'm sorry—" he sobbed, burying his face in the crook of your neck.

all color drained out of your face and you tried to shove him off you, but his hold on you was too firm.

"sej, get off," you shouted," but your body was betraying you. arousal shot hot through your core, and his thrusts carried you closer and closer to the edge until a blinding orgasm crashed through you.

"thank you, thank you, thank you—ah—AH—baby—"

sejanus didn't seem to hear or register you anymore, just pounding into you blindly, groping your breasts and placing open mouthed kisses all over your throat.

he gripped your face in his hands and kissed you hard as his hips stilled and his cum pumped into you.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

“Niccolò!” Bianca protested, from the other side of the bed. “I see your torch and I can hear your pencil moving – go to bed!”

“Please, just five more minutes!” Nico begged, poking his head out of the blanket bundled around him. “I need to write this down or I’ll forget it!! It’s important, Bi!” He tunneled back under the covers.

Bianca rolled her eyes, exhaling fondly. “Okay, fine. Just promise me this is the last ‘5 more minutes’. You need to sleep, otherwise you’ll be too tired to play games with me in the arcade tomorrow.” She ruffled his hair through the covers. 

“Promise!”

Ever since Nico was younger, he’d always loved writing. He filled notebook after notebook with poems and stories, in both English and Italian, each page a peek into the thoughts rattling around in his head. Bianca had always joked he’d been born with a pen in his hand, but Nico just played it off as something he’d inherited from their father, who left their mother before they could meet him.

The main thing was: he wrote nonstop for years to the point his hand hurt. His journals were his sanctuary, shown to nobody—except his older sister when she promised not to tell a soul. He had written throughout almost every aspect of his life: from after his mother died, to when they stumbled upon the Lotus Casino, to being saved and taken to Camp Half-Blood, and to his sister’s death. After that, he didn’t write for a while.

On the run, sleeping on the forest floor, and camping out in the maze, he missed Bianca. He missed her laugh and the way she ruffled his hair and how she always gave in when he pleaded with her, giving an exasperated yet affectionate sigh.

And he missed writing. His books burned and died when Bianca did. Every word that echoed through his head ached to be written down, and when they weren’t, they built up, weighing down on his shoulders. Every moment he didn’t spend writing was a moment those words evolved into a heavy mist covering his memory until he couldn’t even cry. Couldn’t even express his grief. Couldn’t even remember his sister.

He returned to camp after a while, having run out of food and needing shelter. After that, he left for weeks at a time, back into the wilderness when all of the campers inevitably seemed to turn their noses up at him. Even his own half-siblings, the Athena kids, he’d learned. He hadn’t understood why he, of all people, was a child of the Goddess of wisdom. He was stupid and silly, and he couldn’t even bear to look at a notebook, no matter how much his heart begged him to write. He didn’t deserve to even be called Athena's son. Or Bianca’s brother.

After years of anguish, his mind a maze of smoke and mirrors just like the one he used to inhabit, Nico returned to camp, refreshed. For a few weeks, he was praised; A Hero of Olympus, the boy whose calculations and quick thinking helped bring his mother’s Parthenos home. But those few weeks inevitably ended, and he faded into the background just as fast.

Surprisingly, fading into the background wasn’t as bad as he expected. People weren’t actively worshipping him, but they weren’t exactly shunning him out of the camp either. 

Slowly but surely, he interacted with campers, made friends, and got to know his siblings better. Soon enough, those campers he used to hate and fear started to make sense of his hazy brain, damaged by years on his own, raising himself. Some of them tactfully ignored a few boundaries to get to this point (Will), but they made sure Nico knew that they understood why those boundaries were there in the first place.

And then he came to terms with being an Athena kid. He was no Einstein compared to his siblings, but he was useful, quick on his feet, and smarter than the average camper, which didn’t hurt.

And with the help of Kayla’s serious yet sassy words, Nico had realised that the circle of self-hatred he found himself trapped in for years because of his sexuality was simply stupid. He had two mothers. When he was claimed as a child of Athena, it didn’t go through his brimming-with-wisdom brain that his parents were lesbians. Love wasn’t unnatural, as he’d been conditioned to believe; the suppression and dehumanisation of minorities was. He was all the more grateful to Kayla and his other friends, who taught him the truth – they were Greek, after all.

Nico still had his moments, the times when he lashed out, running away. But Camp had gradually become home again. He always came back, apologising for the bitterness and resentment that held him in a death grip he couldn’t escape. He still felt broken, no matter how much his friends tried to assure him.

And even more surprisingly, those same campers were like him. Broken by their experiences. Having lost one too many. They understood, and they cared, their actions speaking volumes.

One sunny afternoon, months into settling at Camp Half-Blood, Connor Stoll entered the Athena cabin. He strolled in, a beaten-up drawstring bag that looked like it had been through multiple wars was clutched in his hands. Connor’s eyes locked onto the only other camper in the room, sitting languidly on his bed, reading: Nico. 

“This,” He dropped the bag next to Nico’s feet on the bed. “is yours, I believe.”

Nico looked at him with a raised brow until the embroidery etched into the side caught his eye. Bianca di Angelo, Huntress of Artemis, it read in shimmering, silver thread.

“I found it in the Big House attic and recognised the name; your sister, right?” Connor asked, his usual devilish smirk replaced by a solemn smile of understanding.

“Yep,” Nico replied, looking off into the distance. It didn’t feel right to have something of hers there, other than the ring with the crystal of Athena, Lapis Lazuli. The same ring he twisted on his finger whenever he was nervous. Nico grabbed at the bag, his fingers traced the stitching absentmindedly.

“My, uh. Brother, Luke…” Connor spoke slowly, as if he wasn’t used to being vulnerable. “I understand.”

Nico nodded, realising the gravity behind Connor’s words, a pain they both shared. “Yeah.” 

The son of Hermes placed his palm on the back of his neck. “I’m not too fond of the hunters either.” He took a breath, eyes flicking to the door. “I’m gonna head back to– yeah.” Nico hummed. “I didn’t uh, look inside, by the way. If you’re wondering.”

Connor went to leave the cabin, but Nico grabbed his arm. “Hey, uh. Thank you.” He said, motioning to the backpack. “Good to know I’m not the only one.”

“Any time, man. I hope you get closure from what’s in there. I’ll, um, see you.” And without another word, Connor was out the door.

The silence was all-encompassing, the suspense heavy in the air. Nico didn’t even pause to wonder why Connor was in the attic; instead, his mind was set on what was inside the rucksack, what Bianca had left behind.

It took Nico a few days of pondering to decide whether to open it. The bag had been sitting in that attc for years, collecting dust. He knew that there probably wouldn’t be anything too interesting inside – some bad rations, maybe – he was probably just making a mountain out of an ant hill, but he couldn’t help it. He hadn’t even known this backpack existed a couple of days ago, and yet it felt like opening it was truly saying goodbye. For good. The painful fog in his brain thickened, swirling.

In the end, Nico understood it would eat him alive if he didn’t open it, so he knew he had to. He sat behind the Athena cabin, hearing the joyful sounds of the morning activities from behind him. He stared down at the rucksack, Bianca’s name glittering in the shattered sunlight.

Nico closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and prepared himself for what he might find. His stomach swum, his breakfast threatening to make another appearance.

A trembling hand touched the opening. The atmosphere went quiet, Gaia holding her breath in anticipation. A sharp inhale, and the bag was open.

Nico carefully emptied the bag’s contents, gently placing them on the grass.

Inside, there was a spare jacket that Bianca always wore, her signature green hat, a deck of Mythomagic cards she presumably kept for Nico, a couple of drachmas, and a few hair ties. 

Tears streamed down his face as he violently shook the bag upside-down, only for nothing else to come out. He flopped against the outside wall of the cabin, hands clutching at the ends of his hair like it was a lifeline. His eyes screwed shut.

He tried not to be disappointed—he was still happy to get some items from his sister, but he was distraught that that was all. Somehow, he expected more. Rivers of tears turned into oceans as he sniffled and struggled for air. Nico grabbed Bianca’s hat, wringing it in his hands until his knuckles went white, like that would bring him any comfort. Athena’s gem in his ring glinted in the light, and he threw the hat onto the grass, starting to snatch and aggressively shove all of the items back into the bag. Bianca was gone. Forever. And he couldn’t have be more hysterical.

He was cramming the last item into the rucksack, the jacket, when he felt something hard, unlike fabric, inside it. A shallow breath turned into a gasp as he dropped the jacket like it was burning and scrambled to undo the zipper of the jacket pocket.

Shaky hands got shakier. The pocket opened to discover a black leather notebook, a clasp embedded with Lapis Lazuli keeping it closed. He picked up the journal, grounding himself with the feel of the cover, wide-eyed. Hidden inside the fastener was a calligraphy pen, black. The book was of amazing quality, obviously expensive. It was perfect for Nico, a present only his sister would have known to get. It would have been everything he needed back then, and it was everything he needed now.

For years, Nico had been afraid to journal, to write down his feelings – he believed it died with his sister – but to hold in his hands something that Bianca, who’s been twelve for too long, had gotten him before her death, was just what he needed to get over that fear. His heart skipped a beat with a familiar melancholy, bittersweet.

Nico let out a shuddering breath as he clicked open the clasp. The inside of the cover had a paragraph sprawled in Bianca’s handwriting: beautiful cursive. Nico choked on a sob.

My Dearest Niccolò,

I won this journal at a game in the casino, but I thought I’d wait till your 11th birthday, so happy birthday, fratellino!!!

Mama would be proud of the little writer you’re becoming, and I am too!! Please remember me when you’re a famous author within the next few years – your stories are my favourite thing and it warms my heart when you show me them! Those 5 more minutes really pay off!

Ti voglio bene!!!

Bianca di Angelo (Your first and biggest fan!)

Bianca liked Nico’s writing. She was proud of him. She wanted him to keep writing. 

So that’s what he was going to do. He had to. 

Famous or not, Nico would remember her forever. Though he may as well be what she always thought he’d be. An author. 

Nico wiped his tears with the heel of his hand.

He may as well get started.

—————

Nico sat at his desk, one of the blankets off the bed draped across his hunched-over shoulders. Piles and piles of finished notebooks were sprawled across the back of his desk. Amongst the stack, a particular black book fashioning a purple gem glinted in the low light. His peppermint tea sat cold, untouched on the counter beside him.

“Nicoooo,” Will called, sleepily from the bed. “Come to sleep. You’ve been writing for hours.” He snuggled further into the covers, yawning. “You and your hand are going to be too tired to go to the signing tomorrow.”

Nico looked over his shoulder, a fond, soft grin on his face like it was always meant to be there. 

“Five more minutes?”

What do we think? It's all goin full circle baby!!! (also if it didn't make sense, the ending meant that nico became an author, therefore him AND his hand being too tired to go and sign peoples books)

Translations for the italian (i used websites off Google, so please lmk if its wrong):

Fratellino: Little brother

Ti voglio bene: friendly or familial 'i love you', more directly to wish well and take care, which i find so sweet!!

(p.s lapis lazuli is depicted as Athena's gem in some places, so i thought i'd replace the skull ring for that!!! and in this story, the hades figure isn't what bianca leaves for nico, it's the book, which i think it more fitting :D)

Also, i absolutely adore feel again (the song in the title), and it got released today so i totally recommend giving it a listen!!!

Nico was sulking (as usual) over Will leaving to go for a supply run when he heard a knock at his door. He strolled over to it, somehow hoping it’d be his boyfriend, even though he knew he was busy doing “Head Healer duties” or whatever. Instead, to the surprise of no one, Hazel was outside. As if anyone else would ever go to see him, other than his own sister, visiting from the other camp.

“Hey, Nico!” She smiled warmly, and Nico found himself doing the same. “Want to hang out?” He probably needed it, so he nodded and invited her in. Hazel chuckled, and instead of following him into their room, she gripped his hand and dragged him out towards the Zeus cabin.

“What, are we hanging out with Jason?” Nico asked, confused as to why she needed to drag him. “I can walk on my own, you know.”

Hazel giggled, glancing back at him as they got closer to cabin 1, “I know that! Just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t back out. Also, kind of.”

What does any of that even mean? “Why would I back out?” He asked, though his question fell on deaf ears as they walked up the cabin stairs. Until she opened the door, he was puzzled as to why his Hazel had rushed him there.

“Ta-da!” She held out her hands. Spread across the couch and beanbags were Jason, Leo, Piper, Frank, Annabeth, and Percy, all sprawled on top of each other. The first three (dubbed ‘The Lost trio’ because of the time they got lost in an Ikea after they switched around all the arrows) were in a large cuddle pile, Piper leaning on Jason’s shoulder and Leo lying in his lap, while on the other side of the couch, Percy’s head laid on the arm rest and Annabeth was flush against his chest, accompanied by a variety of pillows. Frank sat on one of the beanbags in front of the couch, patting beside him like an invitation. All of them were in fuzzy, matching pink pajama pants (sporting a white, cartoon cat that had a bow on its head) along with an array of different shirts. Now that Nico noticed it, Hazel was wearing them too.

The statue of Zeus behind them was as brooding and creepy as ever, but the warm, smiley faces below him made up for it. On the pedestal of the statue sat a contraption of some sort, looking like a cylinder with a circular lens. Before Nico could ponder as to what it was, their chattering stopped, and Leo called out. “Family movie night!” 

Hazel laughed and ushered him into the room, closing the door behind them as people greeted Nico.

“Hey Neeks!” Jason welcomed him, lifting his arm off Piper’s back, who waved with a smile. Leo held up a black brick, maybe a remote, and grinned like a mad scientist whose plan was falling right into place. 

Frank simply waved with his usual kind demeanor as Hazel made her way towards his beanbag.

Annabeth chuckled a “Hi,” and explained what was happening. “We thought you’d be missing Will right now, and it’s been way too long since we’ve all hung out!”

Percy chimed in, reaching behind his back, “We know he’s only gone two days, but still,” He pulled out a pair of the matching pants, except in black, “We even got you some Hello Kitty pants to match your aesthetic!”

“Oh my gods, you people are crazy.” Nico stated, though he knew his friends understood he didn’t mean it. Percy threw him the pants and started up a chant that sounded sort of like “Put them on!” Though it morphed into “Emo boy!” once Leo joined in.

Nico chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief as he held up the pajama pants. “Okay, fine.” A chorus of cheers sounded as he made his way to the bathroom.

He didn’t even realise that people could care about him enough to invite him to a hangout, let alone one created to up his spirits, AND get him matching (‘hi cat’?) pants that were black because his friends knew him so well. A small bubble of something he could only describe as belonging popped in his chest, leaving a warm aftertaste in his mouth. He quickly changed his pants and exited the bathroom to be greeted by Leo holding a Leo-oid camera (as he named it when he created it a few weeks ago), which flashed in Nico’s eyes, spitting out a white piece of paper.

“This is the best day of my life!” Leo cackled, pulling Nico into a hug as he turned the camera around to take a selfie with everyone in the frame. “Say cheese!”

——————

After they were all settled and Nico was cozy on the beanbag, leaning against Jason’s legs, Leo turned on the cylinder that Nico saw before, using the remote he was holding, and a large projection of a red “N” appeared on the adjacent wall.

Leo approached Nico after turning off the lights. “Ever seen a projector, Grandpa?” He twirled the remote

Nico scoffed, “I was born in the 1930s, not the 1800s, Valdez. I just remember it looking a little less… compact.”

“Sure, sure.” Leo said sarcastically, but his face suddenly got deathly serious. “The honour I am about to bestow upon you is not to be taken lightly, di Angelo.”

Nico looked back at the rest of the group, who were trying not to laugh, especially Percy. He looked to Hazel, concerned, for her to bat her hand through the air like it was no big deal, which just confused him more. He silently questioned Jason, who simply replied with a nod of his head back towards Leo.

“Um, okay.” Nico said, questioning, “What is it?” He was starting to question the traditions of these ‘Family Movie nights’. What sort of cultish thing did he get himself into?

Without warning, Leo dropped to a kneeling position, holding the TV remote up like he was giving an offering to a god. “Here, Sire. Make The Decision .”

Nico, bewildered, took the remote reluctantly to see the rest of the group cackling at his confusion. He knew some other people might be upset that his friends laughed at him like that, but the fact that they weren’t too scared of Nico was shocking. The fact that they were comfortable enough around him to joke about him said everything Nico needed to hear.

Leo wiped a tear from his eye. “Oh man, you looked so scared.” He settled back into his spot on Jason’s lap (still laughing, mind you), who started playing with his hair, which Leo melted at almost immediately.

Hazel chimed in from her beanbag, where she was leaning against Frank. “Don’t worry, Nico. He just means you get to decide the movie we’re watching.”

“Oh,” Nico said, nodding and looking down at the remote. “Well, what movie do you guys want to watch?” He held the ‘down’ button on the remote, letting it scroll through all the options.

“Noo, you get to decide!” Percy called out, muffled by Annabeth’s hair. A chain of ‘Booos’ followed after, and Nico just rolled his eyes. 

“I don’t know any movies though,” His shoulders slumped, and his head flopped back onto Jason’s knee. “You want to decide, Jace?” The screen was still scrolling in the background when-

Out of the corner of his eye, Piper gasped, “Wait, scroll back up!”

“Huh? Okay.” Nico obliged, going back up until Piper confirmed.

“There! Oh my gods, they’re twinks.” She pointed towards a title on the screen, and Nico could confirm; there was a whole group of twinks with multi-coloured hair. 

“Huh..” Nico said with a different tone from before. The one with black hair was kind of… Nevermind. 

Leo raised his arm from where he was lying. “We have to watch it now! I think Nico has a cru-ush!!” He almost sung and Nico turned to glare at him.

“What gives you that idea?”

Leo looked smug, his eyebrows raised and his mouth in a tight smirk. “The blush on your face and the back of your neck, Neeks.”

“Why-” Nico started, though he was interrupted by Jason.

“Hey! Only I can call Nico that!!”

“And Will Solace!” Percy added to the conversation. Wow, thanks Percy .

“Not helping!” Nico replied, covering his cheeks to hide his blush.

“Okay, let’s just start the movie.” Annabeth called, waving her hands in the air like a referee.

“Isn’t the name a little odd, though? I’ve never heard of it before.” Frank spoke up for the first time that night. “Kpop Demon Hunters?”

Hazel’s mouth stayed open for a few seconds before she spoke. “Wait, what’s K-pop?”

——————

For the first 10 minutes of the movie Nico wasn’t too interested. It was a cool enough movie, sure, but like Hazel, he’d never heard of K-pop, and the music sounded mediocre at best. He wasn’t that big of a fan. Well, until about a minute later when Jinu popped onto the screen.

“Gods have mercy.” He whispered to himself, though it wasn’t quiet enough, apparently. 

“I KNEW IT!” Cackled Leo an the rest of the group at Nico’s newfound love.

“Hey, he’s hot, okay!”

Frank giggled a bit, “I guess he doesn’t miss Will anymore.”

“Frank!! I expected it from Leo, not you!” Nico gasped aggressively, acting shook. “And just putting this out there, nobody can judge my taste in men when Leo unironically likes Zarkon from Voltron.”

A choir of ‘Ewws’ and ‘Boos’ echoed throughout the room and Leo tsked in betrayal.

“I never should have confided in you or shown you VLD, you traitor!” Leo smothered his face further into Jason’s thigh who patted his head. 

“At least you don’t like Darth Vader.” He comforted him

“HEY!” Nico’s head snapped back faster than the speed of light.

——————

For the rest of the movie, Nico was absolutely enthralled. The moment Jinu started singing, he changed his mind on K-pop. It was the best thing he’d ever heard. And every song after that, especially during ‘Soda Pop’, he bopped along to the beat. It was safe to say he loved the Saja Boys.

When the cheshire cat and the crow (raven?) appeared, he might have swooned. Whatever type of bird it was, it fit his aesthetic perfectly. And when Frank chirped from across the room, he might have cackled or screamed. He forgot Frank was a shapeshifter sometimes, and the double take he took was insane. All he needed was a little hat and and an extra pair of eyes and he was set.

The more he watched the movie, the more he was immersed.

Ever since he was younger, Nico hadn’t understood the appeal of straight ships, but the chemistry between himself Rumi and Jinu was incredible! For the first time, he was rooting for a straight couple, and it was bliss (if he ignored the snickering from behind him). 

And oh if the symbolism didn’t remind him of him and Will. The way Jinu seemed to love Rumi, even with her scars which she was ashamed of (and Jinu had some too).

Even though Nico was so happy and grateful to be hanging out with his friends, it made him miss Will, watching something that reminded him of them. The way they bickered and bantered, and the way they cared about and accepted eachother.

And wow did he relate to Rumi in the ending scenes. Suddenly, the patterns she had were no longer about her being a demon, they were about Nico being gay. She acted exactly the same as he did, concealing and praying that nobody would notice. Hating who she was underneath. Yet when someone inevitably found out, instead of not trusting him and feeling betrayed like they did in the movie, Jason did the exact opposite. He immediately accepted him and supported him, no hesitation.

Nico looked back at Jason, tears in his eyes during the scene and Jason smiled softly in understanding. “It’s who you are, Neeks.” He whispered, removing his hand from Leo’s asleep head to ruffle Nico’s hair.

“Thanks Jace.” If a few tears fell, that was no one’s business.

——————

The ending absolutely wrecked Nico. Not only was Rumi finally accepting her scars as part of her – as Nico learnt slowly through his friends and Will – then Jinu went off and died, sacrificing himself for her. If Nico wasn’t crying before when he spoke to Jason, he was bawling when the credits scene played. He couldn’t even focus on the new generation of Demon Hunters being hinted at through the little trio of girls, all he could think about were Jinu’s last words.

“You gave me my soul back. And now? I give it to you. ” He knew he was selfish for seeing the whole movie to only correspond with his own life, but he couldn’t help it. It reminded him too much of Bianca. He could feel the hurt in Rumi’s chest; the pain of losing someone you loved so much. His sister sacrificed her life for a mission, and when she passed he felt it. Felt her soul passing on. Into the underworld, and now as he was realising, into him. Every where he went he spread her legacy, her smile. Their mother always said they looked alike. She lived on through him.

Nico’s hands gripped onto his fuzzy cat pajama pants that he still didn’t get the reference to and he looked back at his friends, sleeping soundly as the credits rolled on the screen. Bianca would love them. Bianca would be proud.

Try not to be sappy: hard edition I really enjoyed writing this, and I wanted to thank everyone who helped me decide what movie they should watch in the PJO community here on Tumblr - I'm really happy with how it turned out!!

Click here to see a really badly pic i edited of Nico wearing the pajama pants!!

Oh and let me know if there's anything else I should have warned in this fic, I don't think there is but yeah :)

Thanks again @nicodiangeloappreciationweek

“Jason!” Nicola banged on the door panickedly, praying he was home. “I’m having a crisis!” She screamed dramatically, throwing the door open and running to flop on the bed and faceplant into the pillows to mask her squealing.

“Nicola, You okay?” Piper asked, head tilted, sitting cross-legged on the couch; she was leaned against Jason, who had a sheepish look on his face. They seemed to be playing a game of Uno, the cards laid out in front of them on a couch cushion.

“Sorry,” Jason mouthed, “didn’t know you’d visit.”

Oh gods . The ravenette sat up and dragged her hands down her face. “It’s okay, Jace, I’m just having a… moment, I suppose.” She soothed herself, dragging her thumb over her closed fist.

“Oh.” Jason’s eyes widened, and he coughed awkwardly, shuffling in place. The silence dragged on for a few long seconds, and Nicola weighed her options. She could let Piper leave and speak to Jason alone, but she might be able to help. Plus, Jason promised his friends were much more accepting than the people of the 1930s, surely she would understand. Hopefully. But what would happen if she didn’t? Would she make fun of her like Leo always did about the way she dressed? Her eyes pleaded with Jason’s, mentally asking him what she should do, but he remained still in place, vision fixed on the fraying rug in front of the couch like if he looked away, the cabin would be set on fire.

Before she could make her decision, Piper’s eyes flicked between the both of them and she stood abruptly. “Ok, you guys talk about whatever you need to.” She ruffled Jason’s hair. “I’ll be in my cabin if you need me.” She got to the door, doing a silly-looking salute while opening it when Nicola finally spoke up. Now or never.

“Piper! Wait. Sit back down.” No going back now. “I, uh don’t mind you knowing.” Nicola rubbed the back of her neck as Piper awkwardly returned to her seat. “It’s just... ugh. I just don’t even know where to start.”

Jason smiled empathetically, and he finally regained his calm “Want to play Uno with us while you explain?” He flashed her the deck and Nicola let out a relieved sigh.

“Okay, just don’t get mad when I beat you guys, I have like 70 years of practice.” she joked, walking over and hoping the fake confidence could grant her some real courage. Piper’s face twisted in confusion, but Nicola shrugged it off, sitting on the rug in front of them, “Doesn’t matter. I just… I think I like...” She looked away for a couple moments, cheeks flushing in anticipation while Jason shuffled the cards, glancing at her every few seconds like he knew what she was doing, but not if she would go through with it. Deep Breath. Black eyes met dark brown.

“I like Willow.” The words came out in a singular, rushed phrase. She looked towards the floor, hoping her messy bangs would hide her pink yet scared face.

Silence fell like a blanket over the three, Jason pausing his shuffling to gauge his girlfriend’s reaction.

Nicola knew she would be accepting; her mother was the goddess of love for Hades' sake! And she trusted what Jason said. It was just so hard saying those words out loud, especially after what happened with Cupid. And the extended quiet didn’t help at all. Panic coursed through her veins as she pulled at her shoulder-length hair, eyes tensed shut as she prepared for the humiliation. 

Instead, a warm hand found her shoulder, grounding her. Piper gave her shoulder a supportive squeeze. “I kind of already suspected. Thanks for telling me, Nicola. Must’ve taken guts.”

Nicola’s mouth flew open in shock. “What, how?”

Piper thought it over for a second, leaving Nicola’s mind to go crazy over all of the small things that might have given her away as a lesbian. Was it her hair being shorter than most campers? Was it how she never dressed femininely? Did Willow guess and tell everyone?

“It was just, sort of obvious I guess. At least to me.” Piper played with one of the small braids scattered throughout her hair. “You look at her like she hung the moon. Nobody told me anything.” She dropped her hair back onto her shoulder and shrugged casually, as if Nicola didn’t rip apart her whole being to find out what gave it away.

Jason spoke up, reassuring her. “Don’t worry, I haven’t told a soul. She’s just very attentive.” He placed his hand over his girlfriend’s and looked at her lovingly.

“Am I really that obvious?” Nicola asked, eyes wide. Piper nodded solemnly. “Oh my gods.” She facepalmed, panic shaking through her as she shuddered.

Piper reached down and patted her back, “People at camp are really accepting, hun. Plus, every time my siblings brought you two up, I discreetly changed the topic. Got your back, girl.”

“Thank you.”

Jason smiled fondly at the girls and resumed handing out the cards, counting under his breath until he reached seven. “Is that all you were panicking about?” He asked, sliding their piles towards them.

Nicola received her cards and fanned them out, planning her moves. “Sort of. She’s just. So pretty. It like, hurts.” She scrunched her eyes, and swiped a hand up her forehead. “I just don’t know what to do with myself.”

“How so?” Piper asked, placing down a yellow four. Jason picked up, skipping his turn.

Taking a second, Nicola looked down at her cards and settled on placing a green four. “The way she smiles. It freezes me in place. Her teeth aren’t perfect, but it makes me all warm and fuzzy.” Piper hummed in approval, placing her card, “And gods, her eyes. They’re so bright and blue, like the sky, and when she looks at me, I feel like I’m having a heart attack. And her freckles – and her lips!”

Jason put down a green nine and grinned at her. “You really love her, Neeks. I’m happy for you.”

“It can feel scary, huh. But still good, right?” Piper checked, straightening up the deck.

“Yeah,” Nicola’s eyes got all starry as she placed a green reverse card. Without warning, she jolted in place in place. “That’s not what I came in for!”

“Was it not?” Jason added his card to the pile.

“No! Well sort of. The way she’s been acting — it’s weird.” Piper set down a plus two and Nicola picked up the needed amount from the deck as she pondered for a bit longer. “I’ve noticed her almost looking me up and down when I’m not paying attention, and she’s been making up excuses to be around me, and touching me too. Like after she drags me to the Apollo table at breakfast and I eat a bite of food, she moves her leg to touch mine, and—” She started blushing aggressively and slapped her palm over her mouth.

“What?” Piper’s smile gave away her excitement, and her face perched on her hands as she abandoned her cards to the folds in the couch. Jason seemed to lean forward as well, curiosity taking over.

“She might have kissed me.” Piper’s jaw flew to the floor and Jason followed suit. “Well, she tried to, but I panicked! We were stocking bandages and talking, and she came closer, and I- I didn’t know what to do! I just ran!”

“Holy shit,” Piper swore, and although Nicola didn’t know her that well, she was aware that it took a lot to make the Piper McLean swear. She must be done for.

“I know, I know, I messed up! How can I fix it? She probably hates me right now!” Nicola almost wailed, her fate becoming evident as her eyes got teary.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. We’ll figure it out, I’m sure she doesn’t hate you,” Jason piped up, scooting down to the floor to be eye-level with her and discarding his Uno deck like all that mattered was making Nicola feel better. His hands were warm on her shoulders, and she felt herself take a deep breath.

Piper joined them on the floor. “Okay,” She nodded, gears turning in her head, “I think you need to go talk to her and-”

“But what do I say!?” Nicola’s hands flew to her roots, tugging on them like they were a lifeline. Jason’s hands squeezed tighter, grounding her into the now, and Piper reached up to grab her hands out of her hair. Piper's palms weren’t as warm as Jason’s, but they were soft as butter, and a great thing to grip onto.

Piper spoke slowly and clearly, like she was calming a cornered animal. Her words were warm with encouragement and maybe just a little charmspeak, but Nicola didn’t care in the slightest; it helped a sense of calm and certainty wash over her. “You’ll just tell the truth - say you panicked and didn’t know what to do, but that you do want her, because you do. I’m sure she’ll understand – Willow’s the sweetest person I know, and she knows you better than anyone. ”

“Yeah, you got this, Neeks. Willow obviously likes you more than anything and a little panic won’t change that.” Jason looked her in the eyes before letting go of her shoulders with a final squeeze. “You got this.”

“Are you sure?” They glanced at each other for a moment before nodding with an air of confidence that wafted towards Nicola, helping her regain her calm.

It was just what she needed. She looked between both of them and it was clear just how much they cared about her. She wasn’t used to that - confiding in people or having them actually care. She didn’t have much time to mull over that before Piper pulled her to her feet and gave her a tight hug.

“Go get your girl!”

What do we think?? I might make a sequel and/or prequel to this if you guys enjoyed it, because I love solangelo yuri and this was super fun to write!! Any ideas in what could be included in the sequel or prequel?

So happy to be apart of this writing challenge! Thanks @nicodiangeloappreciationweek

Nico sat against a tree, humming a tune Will had been singing earlier when he’d left for his infirmary shift. The forest was moderately quiet, trees blowing in the late afternoon breeze, and for the first time in a while, Nico felt at peace.

He breathed in deeply, closing his eyes as he turned the page of his notebook. He grabbed the pencil he’d stolen from Leo’s workshop to write a line that’d been ping-ponging around his mind, when–

A meow from beside him caught him off guard. His eyes widened in an instant, darting around his surroundings to check for monsters, only to find a… gatto? A sleek, black cat with piercing, dark copper eyes was pawing at his jeans, catching its claws on the rips.

“What are you doing here, Zucchero?” He cooed, reaching down to pet the cat, who backed away until he let it sniff his hand. After smelling him, it seemed to calm, rubbing its head on Nico’s thigh like it wanted to be pet. “Oh, you’re cute, aren’t you!” Nico giggled, sporting a baby voice he only let out around animals. 

The cat meowed a bit more, its eyes wide, like they saw through to his soul. Nico patted the cat for a few more moments until he asked it a question. “Who's your owner, Gattino?” He moved to the side, eyeing its neck. “You don’t have a collar.” The cat meowed louder at that, squinting its eyes in a way Annabeth had once said basically translated to ‘I love you’ in cat lingo.

Nico chuckled at that, “Oh gods, aren’t you precious!” His journal was long abandoned, left for dead in favour of the most adorable kitty he’d ever seen. There were stray cats around Italy when he was young, but they were frowned upon, and many locals refused to touch them because they were ‘dirty’. Nico never fed into that, but even so, he’d never approached or touched one before. It seemed intuitive enough, though.

Nico petted the cat’s head, scratching behind its ears to hear it mew. Nico cooed, scratching harder, only for the cat to topple onto its back. Nico gasped. “You want a tummy scratch?”

The cat mewed with more intensity, and Nico obliged, giggling.

Nico sat there, petting the cat for a matter of minutes until the curfew warning conch shell sounded.

“Sorry, sweet boy, I have to go.” He stood, but the animal simply meowed in annoyance. “I know, I know, I’m sorry.” He picked up his journal. “I’ll see you tomorrow? Here?”

The cat looked to the floor like it was sad. Or angry – it was hard to tell with cats. 

“I promise, I’ll come here straight after breakfast, okay?”

Okay, that was definitely a sigh out of its snout. 

“Promise!” Nico called over his shoulder, waving.

————

Nico kept his word, showing up the next day at the same tree after he had his breakfast (3 strawberries and some peppermint tea, to be exact). Will had caught his hand, asking where he was going, but Nico just shrugged while trudging off to the forest, saying it was important, because it was! He didn’t want to disappoint the little kitty!

When Nico finally got to the tree, though, the cat was nowhere to be seen. “Kitty?” He called out, head swivelling around to search for it.

A sudden meow, and the cat was at his feet, stretching out its legs on his calf. “Hi, precious!!” Nico spoke in his baby voice, scritching the cat on his head. “Thank you for staying here!”

He sat in the same spot as yesterday, up against the tree. The rest of the day was spent occasionally sketching or writing poems, though it was mostly taken up by him petting or playing with the cat. It really seemed to love being around him, though Nico didn’t even know where it came from. He wasn’t complaining, though.

————

The days drifted by, Nico passing the time with the cat by his side in the forest. On the fifth day, Nico found the cat perched on a rock, sleeping as it basked in the sun. He couldn’t believe cats actually did that, not just in the movies Leo had shown him.

“Hey Gattino!” He greeted, scritching at its chin. It leaned into him, mewing softly before falling back asleep. 

Nico was content in the quiet, instead placing himself next to the rock to be near the cat. He still had no idea where it had come from or who its owner could be – he didn’t know of anyone at camp who owned any pets (other than Leo and Festus), and they were in the only establishment for miles.

“Are you a stray, Micio?” The cat blinked its eyes open and looked up at him, galaxies in its eyes. “I think that’s a yes?” His fingers trailed down its back. “Would you be my cat?”

In response, the cat leaned forward, nuzzling its head against Nico’s arm. “Oh, that’s a yes!!” Nico giggled, “Okay, so I’m assuming you don’t have a name.” The cat meowed softly, pawing at Nico’s arm. “That’s okay, I can name you!” He paused, searching his surroundings for possible names. “Uhhh, what to call you…” Nico trailed off. 

He could call it tree or grass? Yeah, no, those sucked. He looked under the cat to see moss. Moss? Ugh. It didn’t sound cute enough to do the cat justice. Wait, underneath the moss: the rock!

On second thought, Rock was a terrible name for a cat. Nico pouted – that reminded him of something! He thought back to the Greek lessons with Malcom from the Athena Cabin. Malcolm had explained that many names from each culture originated from Greek words.

He’d said something like “A lot of nature ones too! Like Chloé, meaning ‘blooming’, or Pierre, a French name derived from ‘Petro’ or ‘Petra’, the Greek name for rock. It’s quite fascinating, actually…” Nico didn’t remember the rest, but that didn’t matter; he had his name!

“Aww. You know what, I’ll name you Pierre!”

Pierre mewed happily, purring under his hand. It was perfect! It reminded Nico of Jules-Albert, his zombie chauffeur, too, which made him laugh.

He didn't expect to befriend a cat, but there they were.

Hello!!! This is the last prompt of Nico di Angelo Appreciation 2025!! Again, this one is rushed, in the way that I have an ending for this one planned, but I wanted to flesh it out first (and I don't have the time rn) so you shall hopefully see more to this story!!

I'm about to go on a school camp for four days (tomorrow, I should be sleeping whoops) , but I'm going to write sooo hard after that so stay tuned!!

Just wanted to say thank you to the people on here who gave me the name ideas for Nico's cat!!! The ones I used were Pierre and Zucchero (as a nickname!!), though I can't find the usernames because it was a few weeks ago and is buried in the pjo community on here!! if you are one of these people pls lmk and I can credit you :)!!

ok I shall be off, but you'll see a lot more of me soon!! love you all and i adored being in this writing challenge, it was my first one!!