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Nico's hair scraped the ground, sprawled out over the green blankets in the Tyche cabin. His hands moved wildly as he recounted Jerry and Austin's latest rendezvous; a daring, yet stupid tale of the two attempting to win that Athena girl's attention, in Italian for Chiara, who sat on the floor beside him. Despite the four year age gap between the two, they had found a common ground in the Italian language, though their dialects sometimes made it hard for them to understand. Nico spoke like a true Venetian, accent thick and ancient like one's great-grandfather. Chiara, on the other hand, hailed straight from Naples, and often spoke in slang that Nico didn't understand. That hadn't stopped the two's budding friendship.
Chiara listened, enraptured, before adding tidbits of her own siblings adventures. The children of Tyche had started a darts tournament, which ended terribly because they all had luck on their side. Nico nearly fell off the bed, clutching his stomach in laughter when his phone buzzed.
Chiara reached over and grabbed the phone, as it was closer to her. "Here, di Angelo."
"Who's it from?"
Chiara looked at the locked screen, "It says it's Best Dad in a group chat called This Family Makes Me Want to Murder People."
Nico sat up and held out his hand. "That's Apollo."
"You're in a group chat with Apollo?"
"It's the Cabin 7 group chat," Nico explained, typing out a message. "He's asking about the moose incident."
Chiara chuckled, hiding her smile behind her hand. "Are you in trouble for that?"
Nico nodded, though his eyes stayed firmly planted on his phone. "Yeah. Mr D thought it was hilarious, but Chiron said I'm not allowed to quote on quote take justice in my own hand, even if Cecil's being a little bitch."
"There goes your dreams of being Batman," mused Chiara.
Nico flicked the older girl. "Stai zitto."
Chiara stuck her tongue out at him. Nico rolled his eyes before reading a text and groaning.
"What's wrong?"
"They are trying to figure out if Nico is short for something."
"Is it?" Chaira leaned forward in anticipation.
"I plead the fifth."
"Neither of us are American," Chiara said. "So, what is it?"
"Apollo seems convinced it's Nicholas." Nico rolled his eyes, "Which it's— that little stronzo."
Chiara's interest piqued and she leaned over, trying to read over his shoulder. "Who?"
"My lovely boyfriend." Nico sighed. "He told them where my grave is."
"Oh, the one in D.C.?" Chiara asked.
"Jerry very suspiciously asked me truth or dare after hearing this information."
"Pick dare."
Nico raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Seems more fun."
"He wants me to take him to my grave." Nico told her.
"Obviously," Chiara said. "Are you going to?"
"Don't have a choice," Nico lamented, "He's on his way."
"Just you and Jerry?"
Nico nodded. "If he doesn't hurry up I'm leaving him behind. He said he's changing for some unknown reason."
Chiara stood up, making her way to the window. She paused, turning back to Nico comically slow. "Jerry's that British Apollo kid, right? Curly blonde hair, sort of short and a little on the stouty side?"
"Yeah, that's him." Nico raised an eyebrow. "You know that though. Why?"
"Because he's coming in this direction wearing a onesie."
Nico cussed in Italian, typing out a message. "I will never understand Apollo children."
"They're eccentric for sure," Chaira said. "Well, see you around, di Angelo. Don't be a stranger."
"When am I ever?" Nico replied as he went to meet Jerry on the steps, grabbing his emergency backpack Will forced him to carry around when the latter was working.
"You don't want me answering that," Chiara yelled at his retreating figure, which received a middle finger until the door was slammed.
Jerry stood at the bottom of the Tyche Cabin steps, his arms crossed over his chest. The younger boy was slightly shorter than Nico, his skin tanner and his cheeks covered in acne. His face was set, his lips pursed and his blue eyes were slightly narrowed. His hair was curly and blonde, much like Will's, which stood out against the black of his onesie. Being closer to him, Nico had determined that the onesie was a black bear, little black claws where his hands should be, and a small tail on his butt.
"You're a menace to society." Nico mumbled, holding his hand out. "I've already given your worry-wart of a brother a heads up, so we're safe to go."
"We're shadow traveling from behind this cabin?" Jerry asked.
"Yeah." Nico held up his hand and Jerry took it, his false paw soft against Nico's calloused hands. "Some ground rules; hold on and don't let go. If I pass out, give me the gatorade and kit kats and text Will."
Jerry saluted. "Copy."
"You've been spending too much time with the Hermes girls."
"Quick question," Jerry looked around, "I get motion sickness, is it fast?"
"You'll be fine." And with that, Nico stepped into the shadow.
Jerry was not fine. His face was being ripped apart in every direction and his stomach turned violently. The moment they landed in D.C. he keeled over, bile coming out of his mouth. It felt as though his insides had been turned outright, and the vomit refused to seize. He was reminded vividly of the time in Year 8 when he had gotten food poisoning, and he had vomited for days on end, it felt like.
He wiped his mouth quietly and turned to see Nico, who was fortunately still conscious. The son of Hades had a glacier cherry gatorade that he was slowly sipping as he texted. Wordlessly, Nico handed Jerry a fruit punch gatorade, who drank it quickly, if only to get the taste of bile out of his mouth.
"You'll need to clean that." Nico said after a moment, looking pointedly at where Jerry had thrown up. Jerry hadn't realized in his agony, but he had vomited all over a small gravestone. Jerry shivered at the thought.
"Let's find your grave first."
Nico shrugged, making his way through the rows. Jerry followed.
Nico looked so in place in the cemetery, Jerry marveled. Everything about him was black and white, just like the cemetery. Jerry felt as though he had stepped in an old film, something right out of the 1940s.
Nico stopped so suddenly, Jerry ran into his back, bouncing off like a ping pong ball. "Here."
Nico knelt down and wiped the grave with the back of his hand, and Jerry followed. The stone was a faded gray, though its engravings looked deep and legible, unlike many other graves they had passed, and it had a little placard beside it. In the center of the tombstone was the name DI ANGELO all in caps.
Jerry read the inscriptions as quickly as his dyslexic brain could comprehend. The first name on the stone was Maria Odessa. She lived from the 6th of April, 1910 until the 18th of September, 1942. Jerry vaguely remembered Nico saying that Maria had been his mother's name, and suddenly he was hit with a wave of guilt. Yet, he still read on.
Second was Bianca Alessia who was born the 12th of December, 1930 and died the same day as her mother. Jerry knew bits and pieces about Bianca di Angelo. Obviously, he had never met her, having come to camp at the tail end of the Giant's War years after her death, but he had heard stories. Nico rarely mentioned her, but some of the older campers raved about the young huntress.
Finally was Nico himself; or to Jerry's simultaneous delight and horror, Niccoló Giovanni. Jerry turned to Nico, pulling out his phone to inform his siblings. "That's so fucking Italian, mate."
"And Jerry Edward Hughes isn't so fucking English?" Nico shot back.
"Fair point."
Jerry glanced at the little placard beside the grave as he pocketed his phone. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the white on black cursive, but he trudged on.
The di Angelo family was among the casualties of the Lincoln Hotel Tragedy of 1942, when lightning struck the hotel repeatedly, causing the building's collapse. This paranormal event is among the strangest in history, and one of the most deadly, causing the death of 230 people. While the bodies of Bianca and Niccoló were unable to be found amongst the rubble, Maria's father, renowned Italian diplomat Giovanni di Angelo, asked the children be added to the grave, since they were presumed dead at the scene.
Jerry turned to look at Nico. The older boy stood stone faced, staring at the names of his family. "I'm sorry," Jerry mumbled, before he could even comprehend what he had said.
"It's not your fault they're dead,” Nico whispered.
“No, not that.” Jerry fiddled with the paws on his hands. “I’m sorry for being inconsiderate about your trauma.”
“It’s too late now,” Nico said.
“My mum always said I’m too nosy,”
“You are.”
“So, I’m sorry.”
Nico reached into his bag where he had the gatorades and pulled out a roll of paper towels. “Wipe the grave.”
Jerry nodded, grabbing the paper towels, and making his way towards the tombstone that he had vomited over.
Once Jerry was out of view, Nico could feel the tears starting to prickle his eyes. He quickly wiped them away.
“Buongiorno, Mamá, Bianca.” he said softly. Even though Bianca wasn’t here, it was the only thing he had left of her, barring the Hades figurine. So, sometimes talking to the slab of stone was the closest he could get. He quickly detailed his life so far; his friends who had become his family, his boyfriend, his sister. It felt good to tell them, even if they couldn’t reply and he spoke for no more than a minute or two.
He quickly pulled out his phone and texted Jerry. “Arrivederci.” He said, “I’ll come visit.”
Him and Jerry met at a halfway point, the son of Apollo out of place amongst the tombs. “Ready?”
“Hopefully my stomach has no more food.”
“You’ll be fine.” Nico said, holding out his hand for Jerry to grab.
“You said that last time,” Jerry complained, but did as he was told, and the two shadow traveled back to New York.
Nico should’ve known he wouldn’t be lucky the second time, because the second the Apollo Cabin came into view, he blacked out.
The only positive part was that Nico woke up, he was in his boyfriend's arms. Will had flung him over his shoulder, so he was perched like a cat on his shoulders, and was walking towards the infirmary. “I’m awake,” Nico said, his voice gravely and deep.
“Good to know,” Will replied. “Jerry’s changing out of that gods-awful onesie.”
“Are you going to put me down?” asked Nico, though he already knew the answer.
“I ain’t half-assing my job as a doctor, Death Boy.”
Nico rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything until he was in the infirmary and drinking a second Glacier Cherry gatorade. “Thanks.”
“Of course.” Will sat beside him, unwrapping a kit kat as he did so. “How was it?”
Nico shrugged. “Hughes knows more about me than I’d like, but it’s fine.”
Will met his eyes. “You’re not mad at me, are you?”
“Why would I be mad?”
Will slouched forward, “I told Jerry where your grave was and got the idea in his head. I should’ve just respected your wishes of them not knowing. I pushed the boundaries too far, and I feel like shit about it.”
“Jerry would’ve asked anyway,” Nico reasoned. “But that was a little asshole-y of you.”
“I know.”
“I’m not mad,” Nico told him.
“You’re allowed to be mad at me,” Will said, “I did something shitty. You don’t need to pretend you’re not hurt.”
Nico lightly put his hand on his arm. “Okay, I’m a little mad.” Nico pulled his hands back to hold his knees to his chest. “Not at you, or even Jerry, just in general. I know we’ve talked about being a little more open about my past, especially since I’m starting to remember more, but even showing Jerry the grave was tough. I’ve gone alone plenty of times, and I’ve taken you and Hazel before, but with Jerry it was different. Him and I aren’t really that close, despite him constantly calling me his best mate and his favorite brother-in-law just to make me blush. Hades, him and I barely even talked until last month. It wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, but it was still a lot.”
Nico leaned slightly so his head rested on Will’s shoulder. “Sometimes I feel like I have to be strong in front of the younger campers, even the older ones to some extent. I’m this revered war hero that convinced Hades to join the gods’ side in the Titan War, the boy who traversed across the globe with the Athena Parthenos, the survivor of Tartarus, and so much more. I felt like I couldn’t cry at my mom’s grave because Jerry was watching.”
Will wrapped his arm around Nico, pulling him closer. “You can cry now if you like. No one’s watching.”
“You are,” Nico said.
“I’ll look away,” Will told him, shutting his eyes tight. “See?”
Nico chuckled, though it sounded wet due to the tears starting to fall. “You’re ridiculous.”
Will kissed Nico’s forehead, though it was clear it was a challenge with his eye’s shut. “Do you want me to hold you?”
“This is fine,” Nico choked out.
And with no one watching, he finally cried.