June 27th

a.k.a five days left

Welcome back, young demigod. There's something I want you to see.

Nico was dragged into a vision. The seven were seated around what appeared to be a dining table. Percy was slumped in one of the chairs, looking tired. It took a moment for the sound of the vision to become coherent-- like he was coming closer to the surface of the lake back at camp. The son of Poseidon was talking, describing a dream he'd had. Nico was surprised to realize that it had been about him. At least partly.

Percy told the others about him in the vase, though he described it as a bronze jar, the oddly dressed twins who guarded him, and the pile of seeds at his feet. He had omitted the condition Nico was in, who was grateful for that fact. He didn't know how he looked right then but he doubted that Tartarus had left him in good condition. 

Nico felt a surge of hope. Now that they knew where he was, maybe that meant they would be coming for him. Maybe he wasn't going to die after all. Maybe he was going to get to see Bruce and the other boys again and apologize for leaving them like that. There was hope.

When Percy got to the part about the seeds, Nico could see Hazel's eyes widen as she realized what that meant. When she spoke her voice was thick with emotion and Nico knew she was aware of what the seeds were for. How she knew was beyond him, but he would worry about that later. 

"Nico... Oh, Gods. The seeds."

"You know what they are?" Annabeth frowned.

Hazel nodded and swallowed hard. "I saw him getting them in a dream. They're from our stepmother's garden." Nico hadn't been aware that she'd had any such dreams. How much more did she know that she never let on? It was clear that he hadn't given her enough credit. Nico felt guilty. He'd been keeping Hazel at a distance. He'd told himself it was to protect her, but he figured it was really himself who he was trying to protect. He'd have to make it up to her if he ever saw her again.

"Your step... oh," Percy said. "You mean Persephone." His voice was tight and Nico couldn't quite decipher what the older boy was thinking. His relationship with the gods was complicated, to say the least. Even more so when it came to Hades and Persephone. It was hard to guess what he was feeling.

"The seeds are a last-resort food," Hazel spoke as if Percy hadn't spoken, "Only children of Hades can eat them. Nico would have taken them in case he got stuck somewhere. If he's really imprisoned--" She was taking the news hard if the rattling of the silverware were any indicator. It seemed like all the metal in the room was being drawn to her and Nico could tell by the other's faces that they had noticed it too.

"The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth said. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."

"Well, they're right!" Hazel exclaimed, looking around the table for support, "won't we?"

"Yes!" Coach Hedge yelled around the wad of napkins in his mouth. Nico was seriously concerned about the goat's digestive health. He didn't understand how any of that had nutritional value. "It'll involve fighting, right?"

"Hazel, of course we'll help him," Frank said. "But how long do we have before... uh I mean, how long can Nico hold out?" Nico was grateful for Frank and how he'd stepped up to take care of Hazel when Nico couldn't. If he lived through this, he'd tell the son of Mars himself.

"One seed a day," Hazel looked about as miserable as he felt. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."

"A death trance?" Annabeth scowled. "That doesn't sound fun." Nico snorted to himself. Understatement.

"It keeps him from consuming all of his air. Like hibernation or a coma. One seed can sustain him for one day. Barely." Hazel explained.

"And he has five seeds left," Percy said. "That's five days, including today. The giants must have planned it that way, so we'd arrive by July first. Assuming Nico's hidden somewhere in Rome--"

"That's not much time" Piper cut him off, resting her hand on Hazel's shoulder, "We'll find him. At least we know what the lines of the prophecy mean now. 'Twins snuff out an angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death'. Your brother's last name: di Angelo. Angelo is Italian for 'angel'." The daughter of Aphrodite had come to the same conclusion he had. He was meant to go one this quest. He'd even expected to die. However, he hadn't expected the process to be so long and painful.

"Oh, gods," Hazel murmured, mostly to herself. "Nico..." How he wished he could give her a hug, but even if he tried his form would pass right through her. All he could do was watch.

The news of his impending death silenced the seven demigods as they processed it. Nico wished he knew what each of them was thinking. Percy was staring at his breakfast, clearly deep in thought. Hazel had unshed tears brimming in her eyes. Frank looked like he had swallowed cardboard.

"We'll rescue him," Percy spoke at last. "We have to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death." Nico didn't know if that were true. Right then, he wasn't sure he could summon a single skeleton, much less an army. He didn't know what he'd tell them when they finally got to him and he didn't know what they were talking about. Hopefully, he'd figure out something before then.

You won't get the chance. Their efforts will be in vain. Gaea laughed wispily in his mind.

Shut up. He replied simply. The scene continued to unfold before him.

"That's right," Piper jumped back in. "Hazel, your brother went searching for the Doors of Death in the Underworld, right? He must've found them."

"He can tell us where the doors are and how to close them." Percy agreed. Nico wished they could hear him. He would have told them that there wasn't a way to close the doors. None that they'd be able to manage. He wasn't sure that anything could close the doors now.

Hazel, on the other hand, seemed soothed. "Yes, good."

"Uh..." Leo shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Whatever was on his mind, he seemed to be expecting a bad reception. "One thing. The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we're walking into a trap?"

Hazel looked utterly offended, "We have no choice!" The son of Hades tried not to feel hurt over the choice of words. It didn't feel too hot to know that the only reason your life was important was that you were still useful. He doubted Hazel had meant it that way, but it still stung.

"Don't get me wrong, Hazel. It's just that your brother, Nico... he knew about both camps, right?" Nico knew where this was going and his heart sank in his chest.

"Well, yes," Hazel replied. It was impossible to tell whether she had caught on to his train of thought. If she had, she wasn't giving anything away.

"He's been going back and forth," Leo continued, "and he didn't tell either side."

Then Jason spoke up, "You're wondering if we can trust the guy. So am I."

There it was. That's what it all boiled down to. Nico had expected this kind of trust from the two camps, but not from the people who were supposed to bridge the gap between them. Couldn't they see what he had been doing? Couldn't they see that He'd only been trying to help? Of course, the answer was no and that hurt all the more. Their mistrust was justified.

Hazel didn't seem to think it was justified. She shot up out of her seat, almost tipping it over in the process. Frank caught it in time and Hazel didn't even seem to notice, so caught up in her anger. "I don't believe this. He's my brother. He brought me back from the Underworld, and you don't want to help him?"

Frank was quick to soothe her. "Nobody's saying that." With a glance at Leo, Frank corrected himself, " Nobody had better be saying that." It hurt that Frank was the only one who rose to defend him, even though he was really doing it to protect Hazel, not for the son of Hades' sake.

Leo seemed surprised. "Look, guys. All I mean to say is--" Jason didn't let Leo continue which annoyed Nico. When someone was arguing against saving your life, you wanted to know why.

"Hazel, Leo is raising a fair point. I remember Nico from Camp Jupiter. Now I find out that he also visited Camp Half-Blood. That does strike me as... well, a little shady. Do we really know where his loyalties lie? We just have to be careful." The former praetor finished.

Hazel's anger reached a boiling point and the metal in the vicinity reacted to her emotions. A silver tray of eggs was sent hurtling into the wall, smearing food all over the walls. When hazel spoke, her voice was tight and mocking. "You... the great Jason Grace... the Praetor I looked up to. You were supposed to be so fair, such a good leader. And now you..." Hazel stormed off into the ship.

"Hazel!" Leo called as the daughter of Pluto retreated from sight. "Ah, jeez. I should--"

"You've done enough," Frank growled. Before the vision could reach its conclusion, darkness enveloped his vision, and the next few words out of Piper's mouth sounded like he had cotton in his ears.

Nico was angry and hurt. He didn't think that having been to both camps was grounds for this much suspicion, especially since he was actually a Greek demigod and Camp Half-Blood was supposed to be his home anyway. Really the only place where he would have been considered a visitor was Camp Jupiter. He'd only been there for Hazel, at least at first.

 He didn't get time to dwell on it long.

Do you see? Do you see why I wanted to show you this? Gaea's voice was almost pitying and Nico wished he could block her out.

Because you want to break me down for your own amusement? He thought back, annoyed.

No, not at all. If I wanted to do that, all I'd have to do is drag up those pretty little memories of your time in the pit. I can see why Akhylys liked you. So much misery. The primordial practically purred at him.

Why did you show me this, then? Huh? What was the point? Nico ignored her comment. He couldn't show her just how much the idea of reliving Tartarus scared him, though he suspected the primordial already knew.

Because I wanted to show you how well-received your help was. You spent all that time, energy, and stress trying to get everything handled for them and how do they thank you? By letting you slowly asphyxiate at the hands of two giants. She taunted, sounding like she was always on the brink of a yawn.

So you wanted to gloat? Nico frowned. This seemed like a lot of trouble to go to just to rub it in his face.

Partially. She agreed. And partially because I wanted you to see just what kind of people you're fighting to save. Was it worth it now that you know they didn't appreciate it? Not that it would have mattered if they had decided to come and rescue you... you'll be long past your expiration date by the time they would have reached you. If they had reached you.

Just leave me be! Nico shouted. The next moment he was thrown forcefully into consciousness.

++++

"Do you know who I am?" The voice on the other end of the line sounded older than Bruce had expected, and there was a hint of an accent that he couldn't quite place.

"I do. Though I can't say I was expecting a call at my place of work." Bruce eyed the clock. He still had plenty of time before the board meeting.

"I thought it would be better if we kept this strictly business. I want to know everything Nico told you about my camp." Her tone left no room for misunderstanding. She wasn't asking.

"I don't know what you want me to say. Nico didn't tell us much about his demigod life. He said that it would put us in danger," Bruce lied. He didn't like the tone she was taking, like a woman on a mission.

"I find it hard to believe that he lived with you for eight months and you know nothing. So, what did he tell you, Mr. Wayne? Be advised, we are on the precipice of war so niceties aren't a luxury I can afford." Bruce could understand how a person like Reyna had come to power. Her voice alone commanded a kind of respect that he rarely saw outside of the vigilante world. She would make a powerful enemy.

With the extra push, Bruce launched into a highly censored and summarized version of events from the time Nico had spent with him and the boys. He briefly mentioned Nico's trips to California and Camp Half-Blood though he pretended not to know where the camp was when asked. He talked about Nico explaining the prospect of a war between both camps once they met and how he was trying to help avoid that outcome from a distance. He stressed that Nico had only been trying to do what was best for the mythological world.

Bruce played the part of the absent billionaire playboy father as best he could, hoping that Reyna would mistake the gaps in his information as disinterest rather than willful censorship on his part. She seemed to buy it as she slowly became more relaxed over the course of their conversation.

Finally, Bruce got around to talking about how Nico had told them that Percy had shown up at Camp Jupiter and how he believed that it would be decided soon after that whether or not a war would start. Then he told her about how the son of Hades had left them a video message that talked about going to Tartarus to close the Doors of Death and Reyna listened quietly until he had finished.

"So Nico was acting as an ambassador between the two camps this whole time? He knew Percy Jackson and pretended that he didn't because he knew that we'd protest the presence of a Greek in our camp? And you're also saying that he's not a son of Pluto, but a son of Hades who was trying to avert a war all on his own. Am I getting this right?" Reyna summed up.

"As far as I know, that's right." Bruce agreed.

"And he went to Tartarus himself, knowing that it was a suicide mission, in the hopes that he'd be able to give both camps a fighting chance against Gaea." Her voice was deadpan.

"Yes."

"Your son is a hero." Her voice hadn't changed, but Bruce decided to take it as though she was being sincere.

"Yeah, he is. Do you... do you know if there is any way he..." Bruce wasn't able to finish the question.

"I don't think he would have survived. However, I wouldn't be displeased to be proven wrong." Reyna answered his unfinished question. He was grateful she hadn't made him say it.

"Can you tell me more about this war? I feel like I don't know anything about what's going on right now. I want to know what Nico... what he was trying to protect." The girl hesitated but she eventually caved and started telling Bruce more about the war than he'd ever been able to pry out of Nico. It sounded like she'd really needed someone to talk to. Someone outside of the mythological world.

She explained everything that had happened since Jason Grace had disappeared eight months prior up until the 25th when the battle against the Giants was won and the war with the Greeks was set in motion. It took almost all of the remaining time he'd had before his board meeting, but Bruce didn't care. He felt like he was finally getting a handle on the details of the mythological world and the upcoming war, which was much more important to him and the rest of the world than his board.

"You're saying that you think that Percy and the rest of the seven are fleeing to the... Ancient Lands? That's what you called them, right?" Bruce clarified as her story drew to a close.

"Yes. I have reason to believe that they're headed to Rome. The original Rome." Reyna agreed.

"Why would they do that? Didn't you say that was forbidden?" The vigilante pressed. He knew very well that the rules wouldn't stop Percy or Nico, but he couldn't just say that either.

"Thanatos told Percy, Hazel, and Frank that they'd find answers in Rome. Unless their plans have changed, I presume they're still headed there." Reyna humored him and for that Bruce was grateful.

"And why would their plans have changed?"

"Because they fired on New Rome. They had already shared their plans with me so it would be wise of them to change their course to throw me and the other Romans off."

"Why would they tell you their plans only to betray you? It doesn't make sense." The older man countered. There was a moment of silence on Reyna's end and Bruce was worried that she'd hang up.

"I don't think it was intentional. I think that Annabeth was telling me the truth when she said it wasn't them. That's the only reason you and I are speaking." Reyna elucidated.

"You needed to know what Nico's intentions were," Bruce realized. Reyna hummed in agreement. "You think the meeting was sabotaged."

"I think it's possible," She agreed. "I also think that it's in Gaea's best interest that the Greeks and Romans are too busy fighting each other to fight her. If there was ever a meeting she should want to sabotage, it would be a peace negotiation between the camps."

"And if you tell people that you believe them, Octavian's going to have a way to take over. He'll call for a vote of no confidence and you won't be able to do anything to slow him down."

"Exactly. I have to help hunt them down and bring them in if at all possible. They'll be punished, but at least I won't have to exact revenge on Camp Half-Blood. It's the best outcome." Reyna sighed. Bruce could tell that all of this had been really weighing on her. These were decisions he'd never want a teenager to have to make, especially not on her own.

"But you said it yourself that prophecies always come true. If you take the seven out of the picture, doesn't that mean that Gaea wins?" Bruce pointed out.

"If I let them go, Camp Half-Blood loses." Reyna seemed sure of this, though from what Nico had told him about the Greeks, a Roman victory would be far from decided.

"Do what you think you have to. I just hope the world can live with the consequences." Bruce sighed. "Call me back on this number if you need me again. Thank you, Reyna, for the closure." He hung up, not wanting to deal with an awkward goodbye. He hoped Reyna would make the best of the decisions she was given and he didn't envy her position. It was hard making decisions with such massive real-world consequences.

++++

Bruce got home from work early that day, having canceled his last meeting. He found his boys in the Batcave, either training or looking through the Bat Computer. When he got to the landing he let out a sharp whistle that got everyone's attention.

His proteges each stopped what they were doing and made their way over to him. They were all looking a little rough around the edges and he knew it was from spending all their spare time looking for leads on Nico. He had some new information he wanted to brief them on, but part of him felt that he should just order them all to get a good meal and a full night's sleep. They looked like they needed it.

Dick was pale and his eyes were unfocused. Bruce had hoped that spending all that time with Wally and Barbara would be able to take his mind off things but it could only help so much. his hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat and Batman knew he was pushing himself too hard in training again. He'd have to contrive a reason for him to get some actual rest soon.

Jason was back a little ways from the group, leaning on the guardrail. He was polishing a knife. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking since he kept his domino mask on all the time. He'd started withdrawing into himself again and Bruce for one was not pleased. Jason was the most dangerous when he was upset because it tended to lower his inhibitions.

Tim looked like he hadn't slept in days and Bruce wondered if he could get away with sedating him. He might be able to get Alfred to help. He really needed to sleep before he started getting hallucinations again. He'd have Alfred hide all the coffee as well. It'd suck for a while, but Tim's health was more important. The billionaire wasn't trying to raise a caffeine addict, though he may already be too late.

Like Dick, Damian had also been putting in a lot of hours on the monster simulations. While his youngest didn't have as many outward signs of grief as his brothers, Bruce knew it was affecting him. For one, Damian wasn't picking fights like he normally would have been. He'd become a lot more tolerant of Jason's jabs (which had become more frequent), and he hadn't been teasing Tim either. It was a nice change of pace except for the fact that it meant that Damian was too far into his own head to bother with anyone else. Damian's mind was a dangerous place to be

"I want all of you to get a real meal and a full night's rest tonight. No patrol. No training. Nothing except food and bed. All of you. I'm serious. None of us will do Nico any good in this condition. We can start the search back up tomorrow once you've all rested." Bruce pointed to the exit for emphasis.

Dick, ever his soldier, was first to move toward the catwalk, closely followed by Damian. Tim glanced between his father and Jason before reluctantly following the others up to the manor. It was clear that he wanted to protest, but they also knew that nothing he could say would be as colorful as what Red Hood was going to say so he left. Then it was only Jason and Bruce left.

"Jason--"

"You're giving up on him, aren't you?" Jason accused.

"Of course not," Bruce growled with a heat that surprised them both. He had to take a deep breath before he could continue. "I am just tired of watching us all fall apart. We can spare a few hours to take care of our bodies, don't you think?" There was a pause where neither of them knew what to say. Jason sheathed his knife in his boot, avoiding the question.

"We didn't find much of use on Tartarus, the Doors of Death, Gaea, or Greek monsters. All the accounts conflict with one another and nothing really matches up. We were planning on calling up Wonder Woman but she's busy with something or other. I wasn't paying attention." Jason reported. Bruce didn't respond because that wasn't what Jason was trying to say.

"We'll handle it tomorrow."

"I'm not tired. I want to keep looking." Jason protested.

"Jay, what is this about?" Bruce settled on the guardrail opposite his son. He expected his second oldest to lash out, shout, tell him to fuck off or insult him-- anything except freeze. Though there he was, hardly even breathing. It wasn't in Jason's nature to freeze. Even when he was Robin, he'd jump headfirst into things. Seeing him hesitate unsteadied Bruce. Jason had gone still and he remained that way for a long moment, clearly trying to formulate a response.

"I just... I'm responsible." Bruce himself froze. Out of all the things he had expected to come out of his son's mouth, this was not among them. 

"What?" Bruce's voice seized and he swallowed to soothe his throat. Jason wouldn't meet his gaze and Bruce realized he was feeling guilty. This in and of itself wasn't exactly surprising. It wasn't uncommon for people in hero or vigilante work to develop a hero complex.

"Jason, it's not--" The vigilante cut him off.

 "Nico told me about the war while he was staying with me that week you and Alfred were gone. He told me everything. I knew what he was facing..." the boy's voice cracked and he took a deep breath before continuing, "and I didn't tell the rest of you because he told me not to. Like we were fucking children." Jason confessed at last. Bruce's stomach tied itself into a knot. He wanted to know what exactly Nico had told him but he knew that there would be time for those questions later. Right now, Jason needed him to be Bruce, not Batman.

"Jason, even if we had known, there wouldn't have been any way that we could have stopped him," Bruce assured him.

"You don't know that! You're the Batman! Are you sitting here trying to tell me that we couldn't have done anything? Bull!"

"We'll never know, now. Nico is strong-willed. I don't think there would have been much we could have put in his way to stop him. Besides, if what I've seen about prophecies has taught me anything, it's that everything will work itself out how it's supposed to no matter what you do to try and stop it. We may have made things ten times worse if we got in the way." Bruce reasoned. Jason seemed to calm down, if only marginally. 

"He's an idiot." 

"We've risked our lives for less than the fate of the world." Bruce reminded him tiredly. 

"But we signed up for this. We know the risks." Jason countered.

"Which makes us the foolhardy ones. We went looking for danger while Nico was born to it. Maybe we're the idiots."

"Yeah, you'd think we'd be smarter with all the IQ points under this roof." Jason agreed. Bruce didn't reply, instead choosing to shift the conversation back to Jason's confession.

"Why didn't Nico want us to know what he was doing? We could have trained him up more and made sure he would be as ready as we could get him. We could have tried to find another way." Jason shook his head. Bruce wasn't sure if that was because he didn't know or because he didn't want to say. Either way, he didn't press the issue.

"Ok, we'll get that all figured out tomorrow. Get some food and some sleep, Jason. Reyna caught me up today at work so we can compare notes in the morning. Ok?" The antihero looked surprised at his admission but nodded nonetheless. They both made their way up to the manor to eat dinner with the rest of the family.

++++

[Thanks everyone for your patience! You can all thank my Discord server for giving me the motivation I needed to get this chapter out. I'm not sure I'm quite happy with it yet so I might come back through and edit some later but here is something for you all in the meantime. We've got a little bit of fluff and a little bit of angst so there's something for everyone!]