#volansvir

Meme Tag -- @volansvir

"Hmm? Oh, sorry," Nico said, only realizing Jason had spoken to him a beat or two after he finished saying anything, and his own response coming a beat or two after that even.

The Pacific Ocean stretched ahead of them, the pair of them settled on the rocky outcropping overlooking the waves distantly below. Nico didn't love heights, mostly for the reason of a certain god that tended to get a bit too territorial, but he wasn't afraid of them, and this was a view he couldn't miss.

Meme Tag -- @volansvir

"It's the demigod way," Nico intoned, eyes trained on the distant ocean shore as he answered the question, not really paying attention to what he said. Because there were few places that were actually safe and comfortable for demigods, with Camp Half-Blood where he sat being one of them. And he still was getting used to the feeling of being safe and comfortable at Camp, the mortal peril feeling was much more familiar.

“Um. Hey.”

Nice one, Grace. Eloquent. “Long time, no see?”

"Hey."

Nico's expression is unreadable, not turning to look at the son of Jupiter as the guy speaks. He isn't fully sure how he feels at the moment although his chest is tight.

               HE   DIDN’T   LIKE   THE   FACT   OF   NOT   STEERING   THE   SHIP.   IT   was   one   of   the   few   things   he   felt   useful   over.   However,   his   arm   muscles   hurt   from   keeping   them   in   a   certain   position   for   such   a   long   period   of   time   without   rest.   Deep   down   Leo   knew   that   taking   a   break   was   the   smart   thing   to   do.   If   he   was   far   too   tied   he   could   make   a   mistake,   and   he   didn’t   want   to   make   another   mistake.   

               LEO   SAT   QUIETLY   AFTER   HE   SPOKE   HIS   MIND.   CHOCOLATE   EYES   looked   out   into   the   distance   as   a   small   breeze   rolled   over   them.   He   relished   the   coolness   it   offered   his   warm   skin.   Leo   had   to   admit   that   it   was   nice   to   take   a   break.   He   didn’t   realize   how   exhausted   he   was—   his   body   and   mind.   

               THE   SON   OF   HEPHAESTUS   LISTENED   TO   HIS   FRIEND.   HE   WAS   right.   Fate   knew   what   they   were   doing,   but   it   still   didn’t   help   him   to   think   about   the   ‘what   if’.   What   if   he   wasn’t   born   a   child   of   Hephaestus?   What   if   he   didn’t   have   these   abilities   that   many   see   as   a   curse?   Would   his   life   be   better?   Would   he   not   have   turned   out   to   be   such   an   outcast?   A   loser?   What   is   this?   A   pity   party?   He   really   needed   to   stop   with   those.   Leo   knew   it   hindered   his   growth   as   a   person.   Yet   knowing   it   didn’t   make   it   any   easier   to   act   on   it.   

               HIS   CHEST   TIGHTENED,   EYES   BURNED   WITH   A   THREAT   OF   TEARS   if   he   wasn’t   careful.   He   didn’t   want   to   cry.   Not   now.   Not   in   front   of   Jason.   His   words   were   kind   enough,   and   it   made   him   feel   at   ease,   but   that   ‘what   if’   kept   coming   back   to   eat   at   his   conscience.   He   almost   wished   it   could   be   true—   a   normal   life,   “   I   don’t   want   my   best   friends   taken   away   from   me   either.   I   just…   I—   ”   he   cut   himself   short.   This   wasn’t   the   time   to   get   emotional   like   this.   He   was   the   cool   guy,   the   annoying   one,   the   one   who   made   everyone   smile   with   a   roll   of   their   eyes.   

                  WHEN   PEOPLE   STARTED   TO   TALK   ABOUT   BEING   DIFFERENT,   LEO   ALMOST   got   more   fidgety   than   he   already   was.   His   anxieties   begin   to   spike,   and   soon   words   leave   his   mouth   in   an   almost   defensive   manner.   He   hated   it.   It   made   him   feel   as   if   everyone   was   out   to   get   him   when   in   reality   they   never   paid   him   any   mind.   Leo   didn’t   want   to   make   this   about   him.   He,   despite   all   his   theatrics,   didn’t   like   to   be   the   center   of   attention.   Yet   his   fake   confidence   always   did,   and   sometimes   not   in   a   good   way,   but   again   this   was   about   Jason.   Jason   hardly   talked   about   himself,   being   vulnerable   with   him,   and   Leo   somehow   ruined   it.   

               HE   STOPPED   WHAT   HE   WAS   DOING.   HE   BACKED   AWAY   FROM   the   part   he   tinkered   with,   grease   and   soot   covered   part   of   his   face.   Leo   raised   a   hand   to   wipe   his   forehead   clean   of   it   as   best   as   he   could,   “   N-No!   Wait,   man,   that   wasn’t   what   I— ”   he   sighed   and   reached   for   a   cloth,   “   What   I   mean   is   that…   I   get   it.   I’m   sorry   if   I   sounded   insensitive.   ”   His   other   hand   reached   back   to   scratch   the   back   of      his   curls,   “   You   have   a   lot   going   on.   You   have   two   different   points   of   view,   and   it’s   a   little   confusing.   I   couldn’t   imagine.   ”

@volansvir sent a raven :

“People don’t usually get second chances like this, do they?” Jason mumbles, not actually asking. He already knows these answers. How could he not? “This isn’t really mercy, is it? It’s…” Duty.

He suspects, anyhow. “My service isn’t done.”

"unfortunately, no." a tender hand reaches out to run through jason's hair. she'd been the one to answer piper's frantic phone call. she'd been the one to tend to his deceased form, transferring everything from paperwork to his physical mortal body out of the mortal world and into new rome. the scars given to him from caligula's blade would be minimal due to her attention to detail. skin grafts were also a blessing to aid in the healing of the scar tissue.

Nico woke in a cold sweat scowling at the ceiling. It wasn't the first time he'd had such a dream, and he definitely didn't enjoy it any more this time around. He really needed to see if he could talk to Hypnos about getting a bit more creative with his dreams.

Still, even if he'd experienced this dream before, that didn't make it any less unsettling.

Shaking his shoulders, he rolled to the side to better plant his feet on the ground. He'd heard the phrase before of someone 'walking over his grave' and he wasn't fully sure that was an experience a child of Hades could have, he couldn't help but feel like this had something to do with death. And the voice was familiar.

Brow furrowed, he pushed himself off his bed. He needed to move, needed to think, and the memory of the dream wouldn't let either of those things happen in his cabin.