potential for HoH spoilers in the comments!

[sometimeskinder]

None of what happened to me in that book was your business at all. Or anyone else's. So how about you go back to wasting your time on whatever it was you were doing before this stupid idea popped into your head, and I'll go my own way. By myself.

I've made my decision.

Comments

[sometimeskinder]

[Nico's jaw clenches briefly. Goddamnit Jackson why are you incapable of keeping your face out of business that isn't yours????]

Hedge's girlfriend is pregnant. [Focus on that!!] He's got other concerns.

[brashy]

Wait, what? [Wait, did he say that out loud?

Also it's his job to be in everyone's business!!!!] Okay, but he's still with you guys. [A beat before he grins.] He's going to be a dad, that's great!

[sometimeskinder]

[Nico relaxes very slightly, although he's still tense around the edges] In body, maybe. And yeah, assuming we don't die. [He is a ray of sunshine]

[brashy]

[Way to ruin, his little ray of sunshine.] You're not going to die. With the three of you together? No way. [He's quiet for a second.] Things are going to be okay.

[sometimeskinder]

[not his not his!!] You know that just because you say something, doesn't make it true. Right?

[brashy]

[A dark look crosses over his face for a moment, because he knows that. He does. But he also knows that giving up and thinking the worst right now, that's not an option.] I have to believe that we're going to stop Gaia.

[sometimeskinder]

[Nico meets his eyes briefly, because Percy Jackson is kind of like a magnet when he starts talking like that. And then his gaze is flicking away again] I believe that you're going to stop Gaia. [Wait] The seven of you, I mean. I'm not a part of that.

[brashy]

[Nico. :c] You're still part of that. We all are. What you're helping us do could be the thing that saves us. We need both camps. We need a home to go back to. [We, Nico. Not just him and the seven. But you too.]

[sometimeskinder]

[Nico shifts slightly. It probably reads like irritation, but it's actually just closer to being uncomfortable. This is the problem, Percy Jackson, this right here.]

You're not going to make me make another promise, are you? Keeping the first one was hard enough.

[brashy]

[Percy reads it as a little of both, and maybe he should take a step back and not overwhelm Nico, but he's not running away from him this time, and Percy's kind of slow on the uptake.

He shakes his head.] No. I... [He's made so many and broke them but if he knows that's his problem, can he fix that?] No promises. I don't need to make this a promise. We're going to do it.

[sometimeskinder]

[He feels like he sort of struck a nerve, but he didn't mean to, and he's not sure how. He frowns for a moment, staring down at his feet]

It was a joke, Percy. Remember those?

[brashy]

[There's a pause before he forces a laugh.] Yeah, yeah I know jokes are.

[sometimeskinder]

Okay. So you don't need to get all inspiring speeches at me, all right? I know what needs to be done, I don't need a pep talk.

[brashy]

Pep talks aren't because you don't know what needs to be done, they're - [But he kind of just stops himself at that point because, yeah. Okay. Fair enough.] Okay. I won't do that.

[sometimeskinder]

[I don't need you to talk me up in order to believe you're going to get us through this. Nico's expression only tightens at the thought. He doesn't want to think like that.

Sometimes, believing in Percy Jackson is harder than the alternative. At least for Nico.] Just focus on the end goal. And, you know. Not dying on the way.

[brashy]

[Now that gets a genuine laugh out of him as he thinks that over.] I don't know, I've kind of been hard to kill, haven't I? I don't see that changing.

[sometimeskinder]

[Hard to kill is an understatement.] That's one way of putting it. [Driest tone ever.] I still know enough about shadows to know that it's the things you don't see coming that are the ones you need to watch out for.

[brashy]

[Speaking of shadows, one crosses over Percy's face at that moment. He's seen some stuff, man. But no, really.] Don't worry, Nico. I know I'm not invincible. [He just has to believe there's a future for him, one with Annabeth. He has to believe there's a future for all of them.]

[sometimeskinder]

[Except that's exactly what Nico does worry about. He believes in Percy, sure, but he's also painfully aware of the fact that the other demigod isn't invincible, and of the fact that he throws himself into stupid situations anyway.]

I wasn't worried. [He bites the words out.] Just pointing out the obvious.

[brashy]

[Percy pauses, watching Nico. He feels like he's done something wrong. It's a feeling that's persisted since their conversation on the Argo II. If that could really be called a conversation.]

Okay. Thanks. For uh, pointing it out. [Rubbing the back of his neck now.]