Work Text:
(Nico's POV!)
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Nico was packing a small bag to stay at Camp Half-Blood for a while. Maybe a week or so. Will’s bag was already sitting on the bed, neatly packed and zipped. Nico stood beside it, folding clothes with practiced precision, as if he did it a million times already. As he smoothed out another shirt, there was a soft knock at his bedroom door. He didn’t even have to look up. At this point, he knew how all his kids knocked.
“Come in, Lyra,” Nico called, voice calm, distracted.
The door creaked open. Lyra stepped inside, still in her pajamas. Nico turned slightly and frowned.
“Why are you still in your pajamas?”
Lyra shrugged, like it didn’t matter. Nico’s eyes lingered on her for a moment.
“Did you pack?”
Lyra shook her head. She didn’t look at him. Not once. Nico noticed that. He always did.
“Lyra...” He said, a little more firmly.
“We said we were leaving at 1:30 sharp.”
“I know.” Her voice was quiet. Too quiet.
Nico turned fully now, one hand still holding a folded shirt.
“You have twenty minutes to pack before your father gets home.”
“I know…”
But she didn’t move. She stayed in the doorway, shifting her weight slightly, fingers tugging at the sleeve of her pajama top. Like she was waiting. Nico waited too.
“…I just—” Lyra started, then stopped.
Nico set the shirt down on the bed, not harshly, but with finality.
“Lyra. We’ve been over this. We’re leaving today at 1:30 PM. You’ve known that for a week.”
She swallowed. Didn’t argue right away this time.
“…I know.”
But she still didn’t leave. There was an uncomfortable silence as Nico continued to fold Will's clothes. Lyra finally then started to speak.
“How come Elias is on his phone..? Is he staying!?”
Nico doesn’t turn around this time. “No. He just finished packing. He’s changed.”
“What about Sotheby!?”
“She packed yesterday.”
There’s a pause. Nico glances over his shoulder. Lyra’s looking at the floor now. Then she looks up for a second before dropping her gaze again.
“I don’t wanna go…” There it is.
Nico turns fully this time, brows pulling together.
“Why?” he asks, confused. “You love camp!” Lyra just shrugs.
Lyra just shrugs. Too quick. Too small. Like it doesn’t matter. Nico watches her for a second longer, like he’s trying to figure it out, then exhales.
“Go pack.”
“Can I stay with Auntie Annabeth..?”
Lyra asks, a little louder this time. A little more hopeful.
“She and her family are going to camp too.”
“A friend’s house?”
Nico shakes his head.
“We’re staying for a week.”
Lyra hesitates.
“…Uncle Jason…?”
“He’s at Camp Jupiter,” Nico says, already turning back to his bag. “With his own family.”
That’s the last option. They both know it. Lyra goes quiet. When Nico glances back again, she’s pouting now, arms pulled in close to herself.
“Please, mama..?” she pleads softly.
That makes Nico pause. Just for a second. His jaw tightens slightly as he bites the inside of his cheek. Of course he loves his baby. Lyra has always been the softest of them. She was quiet, calm, responsible, and the sweetest, most innocent girl you'll ever meet. For a moment, he considers it. Letting her stay. But Camp Half-Blood is safe, It’s always been safe. So whatever this is, it can’t be that serious.
…Right?
“You have fifteen minutes to pack,” he says finally.
Lyra’s expression drops. She scoffs under her breath, turning toward the door.
“This is so unfair,” she mutters as she leaves. The door slams behind her and Nico flinches at the loud noise.
“No slamming doors in my house!” he calls after her, voice sharp as it echoes down the hall.
Then it’s quiet again. oo quiet. The kind of quiet that lingers, heavy in the air, pressing in on him from all sides. Nico stands there for a moment, staring at the door like it might open again—like she might come back and say whatever it was she kept stopping herself from saying. She doesn’t. The hallway stays silent. Nico exhales slowly, dragging a hand over his face before forcing himself to turn back to packing. He picks up another shirt, folding it with the same careful precision as before—but something about it feels off now. Like he’s missed something.
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