Death's Son (And All Its Perks)

Chapter 10

Nico sat on top of the helm, cold wind blowing in his face. It was the only thing that kept him linked to reality, that bitter cold. Anubis had withdrawn again once he found out the outcome of the situation, no doubt to help the Kanes in the aftermath of their battle. Nico felt slightly bad about not helping, especially after the deal he made with Anubis, but he wouldn't be able to do much even if he wanted to. Anubis didn't seem mad, but quite the contrary. He was too nice for Nico for Nico not to grow suspicious.

Every time Nico closed his eyes, Tartarus loomed in his mind. His stubborn mind told him that he didn't need sleep, but his aching limbs and his tired eyes told him otherwise. He didn't have a bed and didn't stay with the others long enough to be offered one. As soon as the conversation was over, he told them the location of the House of Hades and climbed up to the mast where he now sat.

Their reactions were...different, to say the least. He remembered watching Percy the whole time, the sea god's spawn the one he most cared about? Why? Why couldn't he be more focused on his sister, for example? Gods, how he hated himself sometimes.

"So, you're saying, a god can possess you at will?" Percy had asked, his eyes filling with worry. "That sounds risky."

"It shouldn't be possible." Annabeth continued muttering to herself, her eyes fixed on the table. "Greek and Egyptian bloods don't mix. If his mother was of Egyptian blood, he shouldn't have been able to been born. No, she..." She continued on, but Nico didn't pay her any attention. Trying to figure anything else out in this mess of a world would be harder than just living with it.

"But it happened." Jason cut in, even though he looked as confused as Annabeth. "We can't say it's impossible if the proof is sitting right in front of us."

"I'm a person, not a proof," Nico muttered.

"So, is this death god listening right now?" Leo asked, his smirk aloof. "Cause I'm sure we could have a nice conversation about the many ways to burst Gaea's followers into-"

"He doesn't know much of Greek affairs." Nico cut him off, giving him a small glare. "And yes, he can hear everything as if he was the one sitting in front of you, not me."

The others seemed uncomfortable at that, giving each other looks as they tried to figure out what to do. The only one that didn't turn away was Percy, his eyes on Nico's. "So, can I talk to him?"

"Excuse me?" Nico asked.

"Talk to him. He can talk through you, don't try hiding it. That's why your voice came out different sometimes. At Camp Jupiter and when we first got you back from...from that place. Your accent was different and you talked differently. More formally and calmly."

Nico took a minute to process his words before letting out a low whistle. "Annabeth, you've really rubbed off on him."

Percy let out a small laugh before crossing his arms. "So? I want to talk to him. Switch with him or something."

"Percy you don't know-" Annabeth stopped talking when she saw Nico's facial expressions change. "Oh, never mind."

"Percy," Anubis greeted, causing those who hadn't heard the accent change yet to stop what they were doing and stare.

Percy looked him right in the eyes, looking different than when he looked at Nico normally. He regarded the two boys entirely different, even though they shared the same body. "I'm giving you one warning. You possess him without his will, you hurt him, you use him for your own gain... This is a warning."

"I have no intention of hurting your cousin," Anubis replied softly. He glanced around at the others even though this conversation stayed between him and Percy. "We both walked into this willingly, knowing very well what the consequences might be."

"Yet you have power over him," Percy stated. "You haven't used it yet, but you do. I never thought I'd say this, but Nico might be too trusting in this case."

"He-"

"He might know you better, yes, but I'm still just giving you a warning. Okay?" Percy turned his attention back to the blue pizza slice on his plate. "Okay, he can have control back now."

Annabeth hit his shoulder lightly but was smiling at him. She mumbled something about him being protective, but Nico didn't hear any of it. Instead, he tried questioning the god about why he wasn't mad at Nico for helping the Kanes. He got no complete answers.

"Nico?" Hazel stuck her head up, still on the ladder. "Won't you come down? You haven't eaten or slept."

Nico stopped himself from snapping at her, knowing that she was only doing it because she cared about him. And who could blame her? He probably looked ten times worse than he usually did, which had already been bad enough. Looking like a walking corpse hadn't been just a teasing remark.

"I can't sleep." he admitted before patting the spot next to him. "Why don't you sit?"

She nodded before sitting beside him, not able to keep the smile off her face. "How are you doing? I mean...how's the pain?"

Nico shrugged, his eyes towards the sky. "Everything's different, including the pain. Down there,..." He stopped talking, glancing towards her. She didn't seem like she was going to judge what happened or be scared of his dark state, so he continued. "Everything down there was already so hopeless, the pain felt ten times worse. Knowing you'll survive helps the pain, you know? It gives you motivation. But when you know you're going to die anyway, you pray for the death to come sooner so the pain will end. I-I...I thought I was going to die. So I prayed for that death."

Hazel rested her head on her brother's shoulder, her eyes watering but her not letting any tears to fall. "But you made it. You made it back to me."

"By luck," Nico admitted. "But that's why the pain feels better. Because now I know there's a point of going through it."

Hazel nodded, crossing her arms. Goosebumps lined her arms and her hairs stuck up, but she made no move to abandon the post besides Nico. "I think you're really brave, you know. And so does Percy and Annabeth."

Nico took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, not caring that he hadn't parted with the thing since he could remember. It had even survived Tartarus with him. "They probably just said that. But having to make a deal with an Egyptian god...it's cowardly. It's being too cowardly to rely on your own powers and strengths."

"No," Hazel hung onto the jacket tightly. "It's knowing what to do, no matter the consequences, to save your friends. We can all honor that. You may have been sacrificing yourself, but you did it for good. That's brave."

Nico felt a small smile grace his lips before it disappeared in a second, but it had been there. "Hazel?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you,"