Minos had tried to hijack the ritual Nico performed to summon Bianca. He'd sneered at Percy and then offered Nico protection against the madness of his maze seeing as it was his property and not Daedalus'. That was when Cressida stepped in and said that if anyone was going to protect Nico's mind from the magic of the maze it would be her. And Minos couldn't touch her since her mind was protected by her father's godly ichor that ran through her veins.
Then came Bianca.
It was good but saddening to see her again. And she'd only backed up everything Percy and Cressida had already said. She made her own choice and she didn't regret it, and even if she did want to, there was no way to reverse it.
Cressida's heart had broken for Nico when Bianca had said that she'd hoped Nico would give up trying to contact her because Percy was right. Cressida was right.
Fatal flaws sucked.
Annabeth's was deadly pride, Percy's unwavering personal loyalty and Cressida's was abandonment/self-doubt. No matter the gesture, no matter the reassurance, no matter what, she didn't think that there would be anything that could remove the seed of doubt buried deep inside her that everyone she cared about would leave her and that it would be her fault that they did.
But Nico's was holding grudges. And his sister urged him to forgive Percy which was why she was sending him the Iris messages.
Nico had screamed. He'd cried at the fact that his sister was helping Percy and not him. It wasn't fair. And he was right, because Nico wasn't really mad at Percy. He was mad at Bianca.
He was mad because she abandoned him. First, she became a Hunter and then she died and left him alone for good. And no one understood that pain better than Cressida.
Bianca told Nico that he had to overcome his anger and he had to stop blaming Percy for her choices because it would be his doom and Kronos would use it against him.
But all Nico wanted was his sister back.
She'd pleaded that he not go through with it but she was forced to end their conversation for his power was drawing Kronos' attention.
They crashed in the living room of the ranch house that night, no one eager to enter the maze until the sun rose.
And while Grover and Percy took the leather couches, everyone else crashed on the floor, while Cressida took a deep breath and walked over to where Nico had isolated himself in the corner.
"Can I sit?" she asked and Nico didn't say yes, he didn't say no either as she sat down next to him, her back leaning against the wall. She let the sound of soft breathing be the only thing there was for a moment before she spoke. "The woman who gave birth to me, her name was Miranda," she said, not having to look at Nico to be able to see the confusion on his face as to where she was going with this. "She was abusive...to say the least. I was two years old, had no control over my powers and she used to tie me down to my bed to protect herself. It's why they locked me in a cage and didn't tie me up. I tend to lose control of my powers if that happens."
She could sense the shock and the pity after that.
"And for years, I used to wonder, what could I have done to make her do that? What was so wrong with me that she couldn't love me? Why couldn't my own mother love me? That's my fatal flaw. No matter how much reassurance I'm given, I'm always going to believe that I'll do something or say something that will make the people I care about leave because that's what happened with my mother. I believe I'll always be abandoned, that self-doubt and insecurity."
"You know what it feels like," Nico murmured and she nodded.
"I do. And I can promise you on the River Styx, that it wasn't your fault that Bianca joined the Hunters and even if you could go back and change how you dressed or how much you listened to her, it would still lead to the same place. Bianca's death was no one's fault, Nico. She lived and she died for a cause and a goddess she believed in."
Nico huffed, taking in a deep breath.
"Even if I did forgive Percy - which I'm not saying I will-"
"Of course not."
"I don't know if I want to go back to Camp. To stay in Cabin Eleven anymore."
She gave him a small smile. "That's ok. I understand. But just know that you'll always have a home there. If not in Cabin Eleven, then in mine, because I know the camp director. I think I can bend the rules a little bit."
Maybe she was imagining things. Maybe it was her complete exhaustion. But she could've sworn that she saw the corners of Nico's lips lift up just the tiniest bit.
"And I don't think this would be the worst place to stay now that Geryon is gone."
"It is kinda nice," Nico admitted.
"However, I have two things for you, but both will need your permission."
"I don't need anything from you," he protested but she continued anyway.
"The first is the address of the boarding school my brothers stay at when they leave camp at the end of summer. I can implant it into your memories. And the second is protection for the maze for your mind," she explained, and Nico's eyes widened. "I don't need or want anything from you asides from your permission. And I promise that I won't see anything inside your head. No strings."
"Why would you help me? And don't tell me it's for Bianca. There's more to it," Nico deduced and her smile was a little bigger this time.
"Because I remember what it was like being angry at everyone and everything and being so full of hatred all the time. And it took years before I was convinced that not everyone in the world is bad. And I don't ever want anyone to feel the way I felt."
Nico was still staring at her as he mulled over her words and finally, he said, "Ok. You have my permission."
"You won't feel a thing," she swore as she pressed her hand to his forehead and a halo of flames wrapped around his head except it stayed there a little while longer as she put her brothers' address into his memories in case he needed a place to go that wasn't camp.
And he really didn't feel anything asides from her skin on his when she pulled her hand away. "You should get some rest," she added.
"I don't sleep much these days."
She offered him her hand. He was hesitant at first but eventually, he rested his palm atop hers and her voice was soothing as she sent him off into a dreamless sleep.
After she made sure Nico was ok, she moved back over to her bedroll where she sat down and was about to make herself comfortable when a hand was placed on her shoulder.
"Gods of Olympus! How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?!" Cressida hissed quietly as she smacked the hand from her shoulder and she turned only to see that it was Percy.
"Sorry," he said. "Is he ok?" Percy asked as he gestured over to Nico.
"He will be," she answered.
"Here," he said as he sat up. "Take the couch for a while. I'll take the floor."
"Alright," she said, not about to shoot a gift horse in the mouth because she'd been sleeping on the floor of a tunnel for the last week if the date on the tv had been correct. A whole week gone.
And who knows how much more time would pass before they found the centre. If they found the centre.