[Y'all, I promise that Nico doesn't die! The shroud pic is for dramatic effect. This chapter contains text from the parent materials. I do not claim to own it.]

[TW: claustrophobia, derealization/depersonalization, questioning reality, dream realms ]

[June 27th]

++Nico++

Nico was just straight up not having a good time. He'd woken up in the jar for the fourth time and was about to eat his fourth seed.  That last dream with the seven had definitely hurt, but he tried to give them the benefit of the doubt. There was so much more at stake than  his own life and they had to be under imense pressure. It made sense that they were going to be hesitant to walk into something that they knew was a trap.

Nico took a small breath as the feeling returned to his limbs. It wasn't quite sleep paralysis, but it was similar enough. The cold was ebbing and Nico hated the idea that he was about to submit him to the cold again so soon. He was starting to lose track of time and what was reality and what was the dream. It didn't help that he had been unconscious when he'd been placed in the jar.

He went to make a scratch on the wall to with his sword to find it was missing. He felt all along the jar, an underwhelming amount of space, and came up empty. It had been taken from him. While he was trapped in the vision, someone had opened the lid and taken the sword. Why? It wasn't like he had been able to swing it in the confines of the jar. Plus, they could have just waited him out. He'd die eventually and then they could take it off his corpse. 

What did they need his sword for? 

Nico didn't have time to wonder. Though the jar had just been opened, he could already tell that the air was getting stale again. If they hadn't opened the jar at all, he certainly would have asphyxiated by now.  How many days did he have left? Six? Five? He couldn't remember. He didn't know how he was going to last that long. 

Nico didn't waste any more time contemplating. He sucked the pulp off the next seed and was thrown torturously into another vision. 

Hello little demigod! Your demigod friends met my children in Atlanta. The escaped with their lives, unfortunately, but they're only delaying the inevitable. How they expect to reach you before you're gone escapes me. Gaea spoke to him what felt like the moment he slipped into the realm of dreams. He could get no reprieve.

What do you want now? To steal more of my things? Haven't you take enough from me? Nico growled back.

That sister of yours has the ability to summon and sense pressious metals and minerals, does she not? Nico was taken aback by the shift. 

You know she does. She prevented your son Alcyoneous from coming to power twice. Why does that sting?

Hazel will pay for that transgression soon enough, but that was not my point. Your sword is made of Stygian Iron is it not?  A sick feeling washed over the son of Hades at what Gaea was implying.

No...

See? You have realized the truth. When your sister tries to find you, she'll be drawn to the sword instead and I will be able to send my children to finish her off once and for all. And do understand, I will as them to take care of all other demigods in the vicinity with extreme prejudice.

Why are you doing this? The child of death could feel his courage waning. He was going to be the cause of Hazel's death. Without all of the seven, he didn't think that Tartarus could be conquered. They'd be doomed and it would be all his fault

Humanity squandered their chance to inhabit my domain. I am simply killing out the infection that is mankind. As for why I despise your sister in particular, she killed my son. What kind of mother would I be if I let that stand? She sealed her fate as soon as she got in my way. Die in the jar, son of Hades, it will be so much kinder than the fate that will befall you if you cross me.

I'd rather die a thousand times than just let you kill billions of people! Nico cried defiantly. His words carried no weight and they both knew it.

Unfortunately you failed your chance to cripple my efforts. Though if you still insist on resisting, I suppose I should show you what you're up against. Enjoy the vision, child.The demigod found himself being dragged into a vision. The seven were standing on the deck of the ship, apparently enjoying the fresh air. Nico wondered if he'd ever get to see the sun again. 

Annabeth spoke first, looking troubled, " I-- I'm close to an answer, " she said. "I'll know more if we find this map. Jason, the way you racted to the name Charleston... have you been there before?" Jason glanced at Piper before he spoke.

"Yeah," he admitted uneasily, "Reyna and I did a quest there about a year ago. We were salvaging Imperial Gold weapons from the C.S.S Hunley."

"The what?" Piper frowned.

"Whoa!" Leio interjected, "That's the first successful military submarine. From the Civil War. I always waned to see that." 

"It was designed by Roman demigods," Jason replied. "It held a secret stash of Imperial gold torpedoes-- until we rescued them and brought them back to Camp Jupiter."

Hazel folder her arms crossly. "So the Romans fought on the Confederate side? As a girl whose grandmother was a slave, can I just say... not cool?"

Jason raised his hands in surrender, "I personally was not alive then. And it wasn't all Greeks on one side and all Romans on the other. but, yes. Not cool. Sometimes demigods make bad choices." He glanced sheepishly at Hazel, though Nico got the impression he wasn't still talking about the Americal Civil war. He continued, "Like sometimes we're too suspicious. And we wpeak without thinking."

Hazel stared at him for a few pregnant moments before she seemed to realize that he was talking about their last conversation. He was apologizing for suggesting that they didn't save her brother. Nico appreciated the apology but he couldn't tell where Hazel stood on the matter. Before she could speak, Jason elbowed Leo.

 "Ow!" The son of Hepheastus yelped, " I mean yeah... bad choices. Like not trusting people's brothers who, you know, might need saving, hypothetically speaking." Hazel pursed her lips but didn't otherwise respond. It was going to take a little more than an apology to set things right again. 

"Fine," Hazel started, "back to Charleston. Are you saying we should check that submarine again?"

Jason shrugged, "Well... I can think of two places in Charleston we might search. The museum where they keep the Hunley--- that's one of them. It has a lot of relics from the Civil WAr. A map could be hidden in one. I know the layout. I could lead a team inside." That struck Nico as a very militaristic thing to say. He'd overheard several similar conversations between his vigilante brothers as they were on patrol. Sometimes he'd leave the comms on in the cave as he did his homework to help him focus.

"I'll go," Leo said, "That sounds cool." Jason nodded before turning to Frank, who was playing with what appeared to be a Chinese finger trap. It was stuck on his fingers and it didn't look like he knew the trick to get them off.

"You should come too, Frank. We may need you." Frank looked surprised at the invitation. Nico was too. Frank was a good fighter, but he felt that there was more to what Jason was saying than just wanting another body to throw at the enemy.

"Why? Not like I was much good at that aquarium." What aquarium?

"You did fine," Percy spoke up, "It took all three of us to break that glass." Nico felt that he'd missed quite a lot since the last vision he'd been shown. How long had he been asleep for? Was he nocturnal? It hadn't occurred to him that he might be sleeping out of sync with the rest of the world until then. That would make sense as to why so much was happening that he didn't get so see. 

"Besides, you're a child of Mars, "Jason reasoned. " The ghosts of defeated causes are bound to serve you. And the museum in Charleston has plenty of Confederate ghosts. We'll need you to keep them in line." Nico almost laughed. This was not going to go well. While it was possible that Frank would be able to command the ghosts, it was just as likely that they would see them as the enemy and attack them. 

"Ok," Frank swallowed, "sure." He frowned at the trap that was still stuck on his fingers, "Um, how do you--" 

Leo chuckled at his predicament, "Man, you're never seen those before? There's a simple trick to getting out." The others were starting to smile to one another and turn away to keep from laughing. Frank tugged again and even Hazel had to try her best to hold in her laughter. Nico would have found the situation humourous himself if he wasn't waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

There was no way that Gaea was just showing him this vision out of the goodness of her heart. Something bad was going to happen and he was just bracing himself for it. He didn't see anything threatening about the scene so all he could do was watch it unfold.

Frank stared at the handcuffs with a look of concentration. Moments later Frank disappeared an inguana fell onto the deck where the boy had just been standing. Had Nico been breathing, he would have choked. Since when could Zhang shapeshift? It must not have been a new phenomenon because no one else seemed surprised.

"Well done, Frank Zhang," Leo spoke up, doing an impression of Chiron, "That is exactly how people beat Chinese handcuffs. They turn into iguanas." That comment made the others lose any composure they still had and soon everyone was bent over laughing. Frank changed back and returned the toy to his backpack. Nico could tell he was embarrassed.

"Anyway, the museum is one place to search. But, uh, Jason you said there were two?" Jason's smile left almost as quickly as it had come. Clearly he didn't like the idea of the second place in Charleston. 

"Yeah," he replied tightly, "The other place is called the Battery-- it's a park right by the harbor. The last time I was there... With Reyna..." Jason tossed a glance at paper who looked like she had sucked on a lemon. Jason hurried on, "We saw something in the park.  A ghost or some sort of spirit, like a Southern belle from the Civil War, glowing and floating along. We tried to approach it, but it disappeared whenever we got close. Then Reyna had this feeling-- she said she should try it alone. Like maybe it would only talk to a girl. She went up to the spirit by herself, and sure enough, it spoke to her." He didn't elaborate.

"What did it say?" Annabeth asked.

"Reyna wouldn't tell me. But it must have been important. She seemed ... shaken up. Maybe she got a prophecy or some bad news. Reyna never acted the same around me after that." That didn't sit well with Nico. Ghosts and spirits were never really helpful so he didn't like the idea that Reyna could have been influenced by some ghost with an ulterior motive. 

There was a pause as the group seemed to digest this information. Annabeth was the first to speak, " A girls' adventure, then. Piper and Hazel can come with me" She glanced at Percy as if asking him if he was ok to stay behind. The son of Poseidon nodded simply, still pretty shaken from his experience at the aquarium.

Hazel and Piper didn't protest, though Hazel seemed a little apprehensive. Whether it was because she was going off in a group with two girls she barely knew or because they were headed to a possible malevolent spirit, it was hard to tell. He hoped she wouldn't get triggered into a blackout. Were those still happening? Nico realized he really didn't know anything about her anymore. She had grown so much and he wasn't there for any of it.

"So that's settled. Leo, how long until we reach Charleston?" Annabeth asked, turning to the demigod who was fiddling with his motherboard. 

"Good question," he muttered, "Festus just detected a large group of eagles behind us-- long range radar, still not in sight." 

Piper leaned over the console. "Are you sure they're Roman?"

"No, Pipes. It could be any random group of giant eagles flying in perfect formation. Of course they're Roman! I suppose we could turn the chip around and fight--" 

Jason cut that line of thought short. "Which would be a very bad idea and remove any doubt that we're enemies of Rome." 

Leo was unfazed, "Or I've got another idea. If we went straight to Charleston, we could be there in a few hours, but the eagles would overtake us and things would get complicated. Instead, we could send out a decoy to trick the eagles. We take the ship on a detour, go the long way to Charleston, and get there by tomorrow morning."

"Leo---" Hazel started to protest but he cut her off.

"I know, I know. Nico's in trouble and we have to hurry." 

"It's June twenty-seventh," Hazel stressed, "After today, four more days. Then he dies."

"I know! But this might throw the Romans off our trail we still should have enough time to reach Rome." 

Hazel wasn't pleased with that answer. "Whey you say should have enough..."

Leo shrugged, "How do you feel about barely enough?"

Hazel put her face in her hand for a few long moments, "Sounds about typical for us."

The vision started to fade out as Gaea pulled him out of it. Nico tried to fight to hold on but he was no match for the primordial. his mind was to fragile to put up much of a fight. the scene faded and Nico got the sense that Gaea was trying to keep something important from him.

See, child? They aren't looking for you. They have decided to rely on the mark of Athena to get them through. They think it will solve their problems with the Romans. And maybe it would have. However no child of Athena has completed the quest, though hundreds have tried. They're never prepared for what lies in wait for them at the end.

I don't know that they aren't looking for me. I just know that I'm not the main mission. That's to be expected.

Yes, you've gotten comfortable with being people's last choice, haven't you. Has anyone ever put you first? Your father? No. Your sister? No. Hazel? I guess not. When have you ever been anyone's priority? Her voice was soft and practically dripping in pity. Nico felt his cheeks burn. The truth in it burned like a flame in his chest.

I'm a priority to the mortals I stayed with. Nico countered weakly.

Mortals are sentimental. They hardly count. Gaea cooed dismissively.

They count to me.

Then you, too are a sentimetal fool. Gaea's voice left him to float in inky blackness. It was peaceful before the screaming started. At first it was no more than an innocuous buzzing that he could easily tune out but slowly it grew into an ear-splitting scream. Then more souls joined in and there was a screaming chorus using his mind as an echo chamber. It would seem the tortured souls of Tartarus had never left him. This was going to be a long 24 hours.

++Bruce++

Bruce had not slept well. He'd given up trying to sleep when he'd seen dawn peaking through his curtains. Luckily he'd had the forethought to cancel his meeting for the day. He'd been hoping to start looking into suspicious activity in Rome and home that something would pop up about Nico or demigods. Now it looked like he'd have to pencil in a nap.

He wasn't sure what he was going to be looking for in Rome. Monster activity? Though according to Reyna, monsters were the reason that the 'Ancient Lands' were forbidden to demigods in the first place. He wouldn't be able to tell what was outside the normal parameters of monster activity. Without knowing what to look for, he suspected he'd be wasting his time, though at least they now had a place to direct their efforts. 

Bruce showered and got ready for the day, hoping that the others had slept in. He wanted them to truly rest and recover. The more they pushed themselves, the more likely they were to make mistakes,  get injuries, and weaken their immune systems. He didn't need anyone getting sick or injured right now. He considered getting them a grief counselor but that ran the risk of exposing themselves. He'd suggest it to each boy individually and see if he could get them to go for it. Right now they needed more help than he could give.

Maybe he could ask Black Canary for help. She'd had sessions with both Richard and Jason before, maybe he could convince Tim to go to her too. She was good at keeping their confidence and she was good at her job. Maybe he could get Ghost to go to her as well, when they got him back.

Bruce made his way to the kitchen and was pleased that he didn't run into any of his children on his way down. Hopefully that meant they were all resting still and not that he would find them training in the Cave later. It was quiet in the house which wasn't the typical. Usually there would be arguments, stomping, and people shouting to ask where their folders or shoes ended up, even though Alfred always put all the lost items in the closet in the hall.

The butler in question was in the kitchen making breakfast when Bruce came in. He didn't take the time to look at what the man was making. Whatever it was, he knew it would be good and that was enough for him. Instead, the younger sat at the counter and sighed heavily. 

"Sleepless night, Master Bruce?"

"Unfortunately, Alfred. I should have taken melatonin." Alfred set a cup of alka-seltzer- spiked coffee in front of him.

"Drink up. That's the last cup of coffee we'll have in the house until we can break Master Tim of his addiction." Alfred warned. Bruce hummed and sipped the drink in response. He was not looking forward to a rather cranky Tim this week, but he knew it needed to be done. He was going to stunt his growth if he kept drinking it at the rate he was.  

"Have any of the boys come down yet?"

"Not yet, though I suspect that it won't be long. I doubt anyone slept well last night. however I do appreciate the fact that you tried. They do need their rest." Alfred went to the fridge and started pulling out different kinds of juices. 

"What they need is a therapist. I don't know how to help them when there might not be a way to solve this problem. I've done everything I can, Alfred. It just isn't enough." Bruce took a larger swig of his coffee, ignoring the burn.

"Therapy may not be such a bad idea but I don't know how you're going to get them to agree to it. Especially Damian. For now, though, they need your strength and a purpose. Give that to them." The older man advised. Bruce considered this before downing the rest of his coffee. 

'I'll do my best, Alfred. As for a purpose, I think I have some direction in where to start looking. I'll get them started on it after lunch. I want them to take this morning easy while I talk to Wonder Woman about the lead. I don't want to get their hopes up if I don't have anything." Bruce stood to go.

"I'm glad you have a lead. Even if Diana tells you it won't amount lead to anything, it isn't a bad thing to give the boys hope." Alfred gathered cups from the cupboard and Bruce just watched him for a moment, considering the sentiment. Even if Diana tells him it isn't worth it, at least it will give the others a purpose. Alfred was right, as usual. 

Bruce left for the cave to set up a meeting with Wonder Woman. Hopefully she was done with whatever had been keeping her busy the day before. If not, he didn't know what he'd do to keep the boys occupied until he could meet with her. When Bruce got down to the cave, he was pleased to see that none of the boys were clearly visible and all the lights were off. No one had come to the cave this morning to train. 

He called Diana and found that she was available. She was sleepy looking and still wrapped in a bathrobe. He hadn't considered that she'd be in any state of undress and immediately wished he'd taken the time of day into account. 

"Bruce? What is it? Why have you called me so early?" She rubbed sleep out of her eyes and appeared to be nursing a coffee.

"I think I may have a lead on Nico but I have a few questions for you before I get my hopes up. Can we meet?" Bruce decided to keep it brief since it was so early. Plus he didn't want any of his boys to come in and start asking questions.

"Yeah, of course. The Watchtower? Say... noon?" Bruce considered this. It wasn't as private as he would have liked since it was frequented by other leaguers, but he'd have to make due. He couldn't have her in the Cave or the Mountain without raising questions, so the Watchtower was the obvious choice.

"I'll be there. Thanks, Diana." Bruce signed off before the Amazon could reply. He returned upstairs feeling cautiously hopeful. this may just be the break they'd been looking for. 

Alfred met him as he came up the into the study. "Commissioner Gordon called. They want you to hold a press conference to call on the people to help you look for Nico. He thinks that since it is still so early in the investigation you may still be able to rally the people to your side." 

"It couldn't hurt, I suppose. Did he say specifically what he wanted me to do?" Bruce asked, leading the way back to the dining room.

"No, just asked that you call him back when you can."

"I will after breakfast, then. Thanks, Alfred."

"You're quite welcome, Master Bruce. Now eat your breakfast before your food gets cold. The boys have started to come down." He went to eat his breakfast. Today he would find answers whether the universe was ready to hand them out or not. he was tired of waiting and feeling useless. He was going to make some progress today and that was final.

[Happy update, y'all! Sorry it's so late, but I don't control when the inspiration hits. I was gone for a little while because I am getting fed up with Ao3. I won't be posting on there for a little while but I will still post on here! I hope you enjoy my lovelies!]