Chapter Text
It wasn’t like Nico was expecting the universe to give him a break. He wasn’t that hopeful, even after traveling all over the world to bring the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood, after the battle against the giants, after Apollo had shown up as a teenage boy with one of the worst cases of acne Nico had ever seen. By this point in his life he had pretty much accepted that until the end of his days, weird and often terrifying crap was going to be thrown in his face and he was just going to have to deal with it. And you know what? That was okay.
What was not okay, however, was the universe taking all its metaphorical daddy issues on the people he cared about.
Looking back, Nico was pretty sure it began on the day when he had got into a fight with one of Will’s younger sibling’s friend’s… Sister? In short, said younger sibling (what was that girl’s name?) had admitted to spreading rumors about Hazel behind her back. While Nico was now fairly sure it was nothing more than regular drama he had taken it upon himself to absolutely thrash the kid in the arena during sword training.
By the time Will had gotten to the arena Nico had the girl’s face smashed into the sand and one arm twisted so badly behind her back it was bound to have been dislocated. He knew he had taken it too far, but he was too pissed to care.
He still didn’t think it warranted Will yelling at him for an hour straight before storming off after getting the kid to the infirmary, with Nico spitting insults after him.
Whatever. Will could fuss over bratty kids all he wanted. Nico didn’t give a crap (he most definitely did, but nobody needed to know that).
So when he was woken up by yelling that night, there was a sick feeling in his stomach.
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“One from every cabin. This is way too precise to be some overpowered monster. I’m getting Clarisse up here-“
“Why would they take her? Why? She’s seven!”
“I’m getting search parties in the woods, just in case-“
“Call Percy and Annabeth too, let them know-“
“Right. And Rachel, too!”
“Where the hell is Harvey? Go get a head count-!”
Nico could already feel a headache building by the time he stumbled into the Big House. Kayla spotted him first and all but dragged him to the ping pong table.
“What’s going on?” He immediately noticed the absence of one certain son of Apollo and frowned. “Where’s Will?”
“That’s the thing,” Kayla said, jaw clenched slightly. “Nobody knows. Piper got up earlier because she had a nightmare and saw that Lacy was gone. When she went looking she couldn’t find her anywhere. She went to go get Will, but he was missing, too. Several rude awakenings later, we find out one’s missing from every cabin of the Olympians. None of the children of the minor gods are missing, though, so I guess there’s that.
Nico’s stomach rolled uneasily. Austin shuffled up to them, hands stuffed in his Batman robe pockets. “So if one kid from every Olympian cabin is gone, why’s Nico still here?”
“Thanks,” Nico said dryly.
Austin stuck his tongue out at him. “Shut up, you know what I mean.”
A loud bang caused everyone to jump and glance at the source of the sound.
Dionysus lowered the pistol. “Oh, relax, the lot of you. It was a blank and I needed a way to shut you all up.”
“Put the gun away, Lord Dionysus, I think they’re rattled enough.” Chiron rolled into the room on his wheelchair. “Sorry for the wait, I just got a call from Olympus. Apparently a few minor gods and goddesses have gone missing as well.”
“Which ones?” Malcolm asked.
“Hebes. Theogonia. Aether.”
“Youth. Division. Light,” the son of Athena muttered. A couple of his siblings that stood behind them gathered together, talking quickly.
Chiron raised a hand, silencing them. “And Camp Jupiter is effected by this as well.”
Nico’s fists clenched. “Hazel?”
“Hazel is fine,” Chiron assured him, “But one hero of every god other than Hades is gone. To where, we know not. Rachel has yet to give a prophecy.”
“Jason? Thalia?” Piper asked.
“Jason is missing, yes, and so is Thalia.”
Piper swore and dug her dagger into the wall. “How many search parties are out, Sherman?”
“Ten.”
“Good. Send another one out when they get back.”
Sherman actually nodded in agreement. Nico guessed he was a little scared of Piper, which was understandable. He’d seen her stab a giant in the crotch with that dagger of hers.
Oh gods, Will. Nico felt a lump grow in his throat. Why did the last thing he had to say to him be an insult? He just wanted to take it all back. More than that he wanted to get going already, wanted to find his boyfriend and the others and get them home.
There was really nothing for them to do except wait for Rachel to cough up an omen, so everybody went back to their cabins.
Lacy from Aphrodite. Mark from Hermes. Thalia and Jason. Harvey. Will. So many.
Nico stared blankly at the wall, heart and mind racing. This had to be some kind of bad dream.
He shoved his face into his pillow and let loose with the cursing.
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He didn’t mean to pass out, but eventually he must have raged to the point of exhaustion. Wouldn’t be the first time.
Nico stood at the edge of a skyscraper, the cold winter wind whipping around him like an icy dustdevil. He gasped at the cold and laced his arms tightly around himself.
“I’m telling you, sister dear. They won’t possibly say no. They can’t.”
He turned to see the shadows of two people behind a pillar. Slowly, he crept forward, trying to not shake from the chill.
One was a beautiful woman, almost glowing pinkish gold from her skin. Her honey hair tumbled down her back, and despite the weather she wore a simple white sundress. Warmth radiated from her like a lantern and Nico forced himself to not edge closer.
The other had to be the sister the other lady was talking about, even though she was barely even a ghost. Her form faded in and out of existence, bits of pieces flashing with no set pattern. She was the same color as moonlight, of a single star in the evening sky, and Nico suddenly felt even colder. Her mouth moved like she was speaking, but no noise came out.
The other woman- definitely a goddess, Nico knew, just laughed. “Sister dear, you have no need to fret. I’ll handle everything, and you can come back to us and reclaim your throne in the night sky. If all goes well, you’ll be real again by spring.”
The golden goddess waved her hand through the apparition and sighed blissfully, breath steaming in the night.
She smiled and turned to Nico. “What are you waiting for, Ghost King? Come find me.”
Nico woke in a cold sweat.