Memories

"You... you forgive me?"

Nico shrugged. "I don't think I ever really blamed you. I mean... I did. But I was just angry - and blaming you was the easiest thing I could do. I've never..." He trailed off, thinking before catching it again, "I've always been good at dealing with anger. It's always felt good to me. So being angry at you, Percy..." Nico hesitated as if considering saying something. His eyes shifted between Annabeth and me without really trying to look at either one of us. "It was easier than feeling anything else I didn't want to."

I felt like he was picking his words carefully. The ripest berries from the bush.

"Feeling other things... like grief?" I asked.

Nico gave me a soft smile with a huff of air from his nose. "Yeah, something like that."

"And now?" Annabeth asked. She was smiling at him sadly, and I got the distinct feeling she knew something I was missing. "How do you feel now?"

The memory began to shift around us, the lush green of camp switching out for somewhere dark and underground. We seemed to be in some sort of cellar, shafts of sunlight slitting through barred windows that lined the top of one wall. The sunlight swirled with ancient dust.

Nico seemed to recognise where we were. His answer to Annabeth's question sounded empty. "Tired. I'm just... tired."

Amen to that.

"Hey, there's Jason!" Annabeth said cheerfully. Indeed, there was Jason Grace, the blonde superman himself, his gladius drawn and arm half-stretched in front of Nico as if he were expecting a fight. A younger version of Nico - but only by like six months, so he very much looked like the Nico that stood next to me, which was confusing, especially as they were both entirely decked out in black - stood beside him. And above them, a winged man with a wicker picnic basket of fruit lounged before them. Weird.

"Yeah, so before this all plays out..." Nico started, anxiously. I turned to look at him, the current him.

"Gods, I'm going to lose track of which is which," I muttered. Annabeth elbowed me for that one, shooting me a sharp look. I rubbed my arm where she made contact. "What? It's true."

She rolled her eyes, but slipped her fingers through mine.

"Percy," Nico tried again, his shaking hands placing him somewhere between anxious and desperate. "I just want to explain myself before-"

But he didn't get a chance to finish his thought, as the scene erupted to life before us.

"Your master?" Jason was saying, suspiciously. "Please tell me your master isn't Aeolus."

"That airhead?" The winged god snorted. "No, of course not."

"He means Eros.' Young Nico's voice turned edgy. 'Cupid, in Latin."

"Favonius smiled. 'Very good, Nico di Angelo. I'm glad to see you again, by the way. It's been a long time.'

Nico knitted his eyebrows. 'I've never met you.'

'You've never seen me,' the god corrected. 'But I've been watching you. When you came here as a small boy, and several times since. I knew eventually you would return to look upon my master's face.'

Young Nico turned even paler than usual. His eyes darted around the cavernous room as if he was starting to feel trapped.

'Nico?' Jason said. 'What's he talking about?'

'I don't know. Nothing.'

The Nico beside me drew in a long intake of breath, like an anticipatory drumroll before a punchline. Except, I had a feeling no one would be laughing this time.