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banana-breaded · 10 months

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Bryce Lawrence was an excellent plot device

both in how he represented the failings of the Twelfth Legion and how he presented Nico with a clear enemy in "HoO".

Starting with the latter, Bryce pursued Nico and co. in order to find Reyna and bring her back to the Romans to be unjustly tried and convicted. For what? He didn't know. Not until he overheard her confiding her darkest secret into Nico. Upon hearing this information he scorns Reyna for her past, for something that wasn't her fault or even bad, and promises that she will feel pain and shame when he informs everyone of it.

Quoting directly, Bryce says, "I can't wait until your little secret comes out."

This sentiment is then repeated in italics, serving to represent Nico's thoughts (since it's in his point of view) and how he therefore zeroed in on this statement. He did so because of his outrage for how his friend (!) was being treated, yes, but also because of how the statement mirrored his greatest fear.

Nico was petrified of his own secret being revealed, and being presented with a callous, cruel person who would obviously not accept him and instead revel in his despair was, as seen in the book, a switch being flipped for him. It's mentioned that whenever Nico felt like someone was judging him, he'd usually push them away by yelling at them. This means his typical response was one of anger, and in this case the anger was entirely justified.

Nico was tired of lurking in shadows, tired of fading away. Symbolically, he felt as if he couldn't be himself, not in broad daylight, in the view of others. He was tired of hate and grief welling up inside of him and not having an outlet, having someone to talk to because of his inner turmoil (though he was getting there with Reyna).

In that way, I think him disposing of Bryce was a release. To do so, he revealed all of his secrets, all of his darker emotions (which was most of them) and completely eviscerated a target, a clear enemy, in the process. I think that how easily this was done also serves to show that Bryce is nowhere near strong enough to endure what Nico has.

He did this not only to protect his friends, but to stand up for himself. Murder is usually not a condone-able thing, but since Bryce was explicitly portrayed as an unrepentant killer who delighted in harming and slaying innocents even if it meant ending the world, we can give Nico a pass on this one.

On a side note, I actually think Nico's way of getting rid of him, albeit dark, was merciful. Bryce was transformed into a nameless, voiceless, presumably personality-less spirit. This indicates that he probably ended up in Asphodel rather than the Fields of Punishment, where he was undoubtedly going otherwise. Personally, I think an eternity of nothingness is preferable over an eternity of excruciating pain, so Bryce got off easy.

And to address that first initial point, I think it's incredible that for all of the rules and structure of Camp Jupiter, they still manage to fail on so many fronts. Like in the case of how easy it was for a corrupt Apollo legacy to seize power, for one, and how that same legacy would be able to impale a fellow camper and get away with it.

No wonder Octavian took such a liking to Bryce.

Another failure would be how they decided that, rather than trying to detain or reform a murderer, it would be better just to unleash him onto an unsuspecting world of mortals. "Not our problem now, even though this unstable and cruel person who is more powerful than the average citizen, and who has a history of killing things, is now allowed to rampage without being monitored." Wouldn't you know, he ended up being a problem for the good guys (and likely committed several atrocities in the period in which he was left unchecked). Who woulda thunk it?

Needless to say, Nico's story has always been the most emotionally charged, the most filled with symbolism and growth, and the least fun for a character to experience*. No wonder he's such a fan favorite.

*seriously, everyone else had several wacky, zany adventures along side a large group of close friends, and the silliest things that ever happened to him up to this point were being turned into corn (not pleasant) and wearing funky shirts, and in the first scenario the people with him didn't even really want to be near him. and of course, he went through an ordeal, so yeah, not fun.

#pjo stuff #percy jackson #heroes of olympus #rick riordan #the heroes of olympus #nico di angelo #pjo fandom #pjo #riordanverse #octavian #octavian hoo #hoo #bryce lawrence #reyna ramirez arellano #read riordan #riordan universe #riordan books #camp jupiter

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oh-hush-its-perfect · 11 months

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Lil drawing of one of my favorite rrverse scenes of all time: Nico killing Bryce Lawrence

#pjo #percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #heroes of olympus fanart #nico di angelo fanart #hoo #bryce lawrence #changed some details from the book but whateves #like it's summer so the trees should have leaves but like. let's just say he killed them on accident #ill probably redraw this at some point #tw slight gore

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yonemurishiroku · 1 year

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Nemesis is the goddess of vengeance. Do you know who might have a vengeance on Nico?

Bryce. And Octavian.

#nico di angelo #and Kronos but that guy lrobably hates everyone #octavian (pjo)#bryce lawrence #pjo #hoo #toa #yone rambling #percy jackson and the olympians #heroes of olympus #trials of apollo #tsats #the sun and the star #the sun and the star: a nico di angelo adventure #nemesis (pjo)

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noahmullariii · 1 month

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Listen

So Michael Yew is canonically a ghost.

His body was never found which means he never got a funeral.

In Ancient Greece funerals were kind of a big deal. Greeks didn't hold them just to say goodbye to their loved ones, they believed a funeral was the only way for the dead to get to Hades. No proper burial - no proper afterlife. You're stuck upstairs. Not to mention refusing to bury your dead or waiting too long to do it was extremely disrespectful to the gods. That's why Achilles dragging Hector's corpse around in the Iliad was such a horrifically wrong move on his part. Killing him was righteous revenge but parading his corpse was a terrible insult.

And Michael, the poor lad, never got a proper burial. I guess Rick never thought of the implications of that. He's haunting his siblings as we speak. Maybe Nico can send him down the Bryce Lawrence way though technically this way shouldn't be possible either. Bryce's ghost should have remained upstairs after Nico pulled it out of his body. He should have been required to be buried afterwards. But that's a debate to have some other time.

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irishskeptic · 3 months

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Reading Blood of Olympus and I just realised that I look like Bryce Lawrence:

Brown hair

Green eyes

And I can pull off a cruel smile like him

If the Disney show ever gets to HoO, I might just audition if they won’t mind an age gap

#bryce lawrence #percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #percy jackon and the olympians #heroes of olympus #pjo #pjo fandom #hoo #hoo fandom #riordanverse #misc skeptic thoughts

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roboticsappreciationsociety · 7 months

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"...Bryce Lawrence, operations director at Leviathan. The firm, based in Germany, plans to use a team of robots to dismantle huge ships so that the steel can be recycled."

This is an interesting article about a company developing a system of robot arms that can dismantle ships safer than with human labor.

#robot #robotics #recycling #Bryce Lawrence #Leviathan firm

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cupioriot · 10 days

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I dont think about bryce lawrence a lot but i have decided he would be a super senior

#“guess who😝” and then he gets kicked in the stomach #believe it or not i dont even hate him i just like putting the romans in situations #damien shut up challenge #bryce lawrence #riordanverse

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killzilla · 1 year

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CW: mentions of addiction, weed, suggestive phrase [?]

more of this nonsense huh. the "Bad Boys" friend group consists of Dakota, Michael, Bryce, and Octavian because of the bad rep they get. which generally ranges from "guy who sometimes makes bad decisions" to "guy who actually kills people" so there's some wiggle room for morals in there i guess.

here's Dakota, im rewriting him so that he's not just an addiction gag but an actual character who does deal with that issue. he still drinks Kool-Aid but is more fond of energy drinks like Monster because of fhe caffeine.

Dakota and Michael hang out the most with each other [since Micheal was integrated into the group] and they're the tall men. but Dakota and Octavian had actually been friends longer. Bryce was the last to join, but on account of Octavian and his "i can fix him" mindset. [he doesn't btw, but Bryce is a lot more tame now that he actually has friends.]

they're just some ordinary guys in an ordinary friend group [they are all genuinely insane.] since they're just highschool boys they also happen to be stoners, Dakota more-so, what, with his addiction gene. he actually suggested weed to Octavian as a way to tone down his psychosis [since being an augur also comes with intrusive visions n such] and it actually has helped calm him down a lot.

tho obviously Kota's aware of the problem and actually has tried combatting it, but the effects of minor withdrawal still fuck with him.

anyway, my bad 4 the long post, i love my boys. :3

#cw addiction #cw weed #pjo octavian #cw suggestive #octavian pjo #dakota pjo #pjo dakota #bryce lawrence #michael kahale #camp jupiter #percy jackson fanart #percy jackson fanfiction #ALTTL

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mischievousmary · 10 months

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Bryce:Hello

Nico:this bitch always talking bout some hello

Hazel:grown ass man

Reyna:Bro thinks he's Adele

#bryce lawrence #reyna ramirez avila arellano #nico di angelo #hazel lavesque #the sillies

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shattered-glasswork · 18 days

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WITCHES AND TEDDY BEARS:

I didn't really understand what was happening. Now that I think about it I never did.

One moment, mommy was making lunch for me and bubba, and the next she was screaming. I ran to the kitchen to see what was going on, when a plate narrowly missed my head and instead collided with the wall.

This happened sometimes, mommy would be surrounded by green fog and she wouldn't stop yelling. My bubba was huddled up in the corner, he was scared of her, and I'd never admit it but so was I...

...

I couldn't stop the tears rolling down my face, I knew it was pathetic, real Romans don't cry, but I just couldn't stop. You see it's halloween; And while you might be thinking Why are you crying on halloween it's supposed to be fun. Well it's not. I've always spent the holidays alone, everyone either thinks I'm weird, crazy or both. And you know what, they're right. I'm just Octavian, the weird teddy bear killer that even his own family doesn't want or like. Sitting alone in the first cohort after almost killing himself to stop Gaia, demoted to probato from centurion. So yeah, I think I will just sit here and cry. It's not like anyone cares where I'm at Knock Knock

I was about 8 when he left. We were playing in the backyard. Hide and seek if I remember correctly. It was my turn. I turned around and began counting 1...2...3...4 when I heard the fence rattle. At the time I'd thought nothing of it after all why would I? 18....19...20. "Ready or not, here I come!!" I exclaimed with excitement, I had loved this game as a young child, although he was always better at it. When I opened my eyes I already knew something was wrong, but I looked anyway. "Be back in time for lunch" that was the last thing mother ever said to him. After that nothing was the same again.

…

I looked up at the door quickly wiping the tears from my eyes and called out "come in", Embarrassed by how my voice quivered and broke in a few places. I knew who was at the door before they ever opened it. The smell of pine cones and dirt gave him away, my mate, Bryce Lawrence. My suspicions were only confirmed when he walked through the door dressed in a Purple tux that fanned out around the hips and with black pointed shoes and a large witches hat to top it all off. I won't lie, he looked cute.... But that's not the point. "Are you okay..." "yes." I lied effortlessly. "No you're not, I can see the tears on your face" shit I scrambled for an excuse. "But anyways, why are you here? Shouldn't you be out trick or treating" I asked him hoping that he'll leave me alone "I came to get you" I paused for a moment "wha-" is all I can manage to get out still try my hardest not to cry again.

…

I was woken up by the sound of howling. "Luke, they're here for you!" my mother called out from across the house. My name isn't Luke, but it's easier to play along. I walked down the old and creaky stairs to the front door where my mother was standing at the door, eyes clouded but not yet unseeing. At the door was Lupa, I had heard of her, the mother of Remus and Romulus, trainer of Roman demigods and now.... It's my turn.

…

"You didn't think I was going without you, Right?" I hesitated "well.... Yeah" I told him my face was still red from crying "No you're coming with me" I looked up at him with misty eyes "nobody wants me there" "I do" He stated firmly "you're coming with me babe" I started to stutter out a response. "Fine..." I reluctantly agreed despite knowing I had no choice in the matter. He smirked down at me "I have the perfect costume for you" "should I be scared?" he grinned "maybe"

…

Training was hard but I knew I would get through it. I had to get to camp Jupiter or this struggle was for nothing. My thoughts were running wild as I ate what I had caught earlier today. There were other children here, all of them bigger and older than me but I never gave up. We had to fight to earn our place in the legion and I sure wasn't going to let that pass me by

…

"Are you serious?" I mumbled while glaring up at Bryce "you think this is funny?" "maybe." He teased, reaching down to ruffle my hair. "Aww come on, you look cute!" "don't lie to me" "I'm not!" he laughed at the pissed off expression that I undoubtedly had on my face "Plus it's Ironic" I couldn't help but chuckle at that. He was right it was pretty ironic dressing up as the very thing a dismember for my job. "You look adorable as a teddy bear" "shut up" I said as I did my makeup. I Took a glance at myself in the mirror when I was done. I haven't worn makeup in a long time, shaking the thought away. I glanced down at the probato tablet hanging from my neck and tucked it into my shirt. "Are you ready?" Bryce called from the other room "Coming!" I shouted back.

…

I was on my way to camp Jupiter. It had been about a week since I left the wolf house. I was tired, dirty and beat up but my determination never faltered. Stealing had become a necessity, I didn't like it, but you do what you have to do. The only weapon I had with me was an imperial gold dagger that I got from my mothers house before I left, It had come in handy Although I hated having to use it. I'm not a fighter, bone thin, no real training or skill. Coming up with plans and strategies had always been my strong suit but I can manage a bit longer.

and we were walking down the streets of new rome, Bryce trailing a bit in front of me swinging his basket back and forth dropping candy that I happily picked up. "Let's go to that one!" The volume of his voice startled me at first until I registered his suggestion. "Sure, why not?" I looked at him and held out my hand, fully prepared to be laughed at. "Do you want to hold my hand?" he asked in a teasing manner making my cheeks heat up "u...uh no what are you t..talking about!!" I stated, embarrassed. He smirked at me and grabbed my hand making me look up at him in confusion "I thought you didn't want to?" "I never said that," he replied and we walked up to the door. "Ding Dong "Trick or treat!

"I was falling and the only thing I could think of is why? I don't remember doing anything wrong. ** It had been a month since I was put in the first cohort. I was living with my aunt who, in hindsight, never really liked me. She was always glaring or barking orders, bullying others, and demanding to be treated like a queen. It only got worse when she learned of my blessing from Apollo. "Cursed child...just like his mother...stuck with it" I would hear her mumble under her breath. "OCTAVIAN!!" she yelled from across the house. "I'm coming!" I shouted back. I walked upstairs and opened the door to her room "Do you need me for some..." *Smack" I fell to the floor stunned, confused and frightened as she put her foot on my face and pressed down with her heel. "How fucking dare you!" "I take you in and THIS is how you repay me!!" "I..I don't know what you're talking about" I stutter out tears forming in my eyes "Yes you do!!" "you broke my lamp post with your stupid game!" Now I knew what she was talking about, but it wasn't me. She had broken it in a fit of rage at her husband when she threw it at him. "B..but I didn't" I cried as she yanked me up by my hair "So now you're lying to me" "I've been meaning to get rid of you anyways." she growled under her breath. As she dragged me into the car. We drove out to the middle of nowhere and walked into a creepy looking temple. The floor was missing and the pit seemed to emit a strange pull, magnifying anything near it. I looked back at my aunt who was smiling with a sick look in her eyes "what are we doing here...?" I asked "you will see" and she pushed me in.

We were the first ones back from trick or treating, cuddled up on the couch eating the candy we had gotten and watching a movie. I was curled up on my mate's lap and he was gently stroking my hair. He will claim that I was chirping, but that's ridiculous, I would never. It had been a good night. We each got a trash bag full of candy and bought a few monsters (the drink dumbasses) from the mortal dollar store. I moved my head to look up at him "If I asked you to go somewhere with me and not ask questions would you?" "Yes?" Bryce replied somewhat cautiously "Great, let's get going!" I hopped up off the couch and grabbed my mate's arm as he got up. I brought him to an old house that looked as if it hadn't been used in years. "What is this place?" he asked me "I said no questions." We walked throughout the old hallways and up the stairs until we got to the only well kept room in the house. It was a bedroom with a twin sized bed in the comer, bookshelves lining the walls all the way to the ceiling, a hammock with stuffed toys and a carpet in the middle of the room. "Who's room is this?" Bryce finally spoke up. "mine" I grabbed his hand "do you not live with the rest of your family?" he asked, squeezing my hand tighter and pulling me into a side hug. "They didn't want me around" not like a want them around either "Julia is the only one who knows I'm still alive, I asked her not to tell the others." he was silent for a moment "I'm sure nobody would notice a disappearance on halloween" his signature smile creeping onto his face and putting a hand on his sword sheath. "Thanks for the offer, but let's not get kicked out already" to which he booed and pouted like a child. He's so sweet. He's so sweet. my heart did somersaults when he did something so simple as meet my eyes. I moved my hand up to caress his face and leaned into his chest as his hands moved to my waist and pulled me against him. We moved to sit on the bed. Everyone at camp hated us, but I could deal with anything as long as he's by my side. Corny, I know but it's true. I curled up in his lap "I love you..."

#hoo #octavian pjo #hoo octavian #octavian hoo #octavian #pjo #we need more tavi content #bryce lawrence #omegaverse #No hate plz #I tried #Octabryce #Halloween #Tav does not want to go #But Bryce convinces him #JK he was dragged out of bed #!omega! Tav #Alpha! Bryce #implied/referenced child abuse

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spooked-bees · 2 years

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POV: you’re about to get your soul evaporated by some angsty kid in a hawaiian shirt

Anyways, I’m kind of hoping we get to see Bryce Lawrence in the solangelo book. I just know it would be sad and angsty and I’m curious if Will even knows about all that

#nico di angelo #pjo #hoo #percy jackson #heroes of olympus #bryce lawrence #art #my art

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threemoonwatchers · 2 months

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Nico: Everybody else has to go in slow motion now!

Bryce Lawrence, very confused: Wait a minute, I don’t-

Nico: You have to talk in slow motion, too. Liiiiike thiiis.

Bryce, slowly turning into a ghost: Thiiiis gaaaame maaaakes noooo seeeennnsssee. Iiiiit’s almooost aaas iiiif yoooou’re makiiiing iiiit uuuup aaaas youuuu goooo.

Nico, definitely just winging it: Reyna! He stumbled into the perimeter of wisdom! Run!

#this one was a friend’s idea #source: calvin and hobbes #incorrect pjo quotes #Nico di Angelo #Bryce Lawrence #the Bryce Lawrence scene TM #reyna avila ramirez arellano

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m4gp13 · 8 months

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Day 6: Songs / Gods

OctaBryThanBaster (Octavian x Bryce x Ethan x Alabaster) but this just features Ethan and Bryce

Word count - 2767

@them-awesome-rarepairs

Standing in a snowy corner of Central Park, Ethan shifted on his feet and heard the snow crunch under his heavy boots. “And you’re sure this will work?” he asked of the boy standing next to him.

Bryce cast him a sidelong smirk that showed off his long canines. “What? Don’t you trust me?”

Ethan frowned. “I’m standing in front of a pile of rocks with a guitar, in order to sneak into the Underworld. Forgive me if I’m a little sceptical.”

Bryce hooked his arm over Ethan’s shoulders and brought him in close; messing up his hair with a loose fist. “I always do. And if it all goes even further to Tartarus than it already is, just remember it was your boyfriend’s idea.”

With a huff, Ethan rolled his eye but made no attempt to dislodge himself from the crook of Bryce’s elbow. “He’s your boyfriend too.”

“Eh, you had him first.” It was a decent perk of having a son Hecate as a boyfriend. Instead of taking one of the less pleasant and more permanent ways of ending up in the Underworld, Ethan could just get Al to point him in the direction of the Musical Rocks route. Bryce used his hold on him to tug him up the snowy path to the big pile of boulders that was supposed to take him to the Underworld. Ethan straightened his back as much as he could under Bryce’s weight and tried not to look too nervous. It was only hell. And he only had to play a little ditty on the guitar to get there.

When they were but a few feet from the stones, Bryce stopped and removed his thick winter coat to lay it over the snow like a picnic blanket. “What are you doing?” Ethan asked, a few steps of legibility away from a groan.

Bryce sat cross-legged on the blanket like an eager elementary schooler in circle time, and beamed up at him. “Getting us a comfortable spot for the show. Won’t you join me?”

“We won’t both fit on that.”

“You can sit on my lap.” Bryce leaned back and patted his thigh while Ethan frowned at him with an unimpressed look. “I’m not joking,” he said, smile growing wider. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”

Ethan held the guitar up by the fretboard, feeling a little like a butcher hoisting an animal carcass by the ankle. “I barely know how to use this thing.”

“I’ll help.” All the logical parts of his brain were telling Ethan to throw the guitar in Bryce’s face and stomp back to Mt Othrys. He could face whatever consequences Kronos wanted to throw at him later. But the other parts of his brain, his body as well, looked at Bryce’s stupid, goofy smile and got snagged on his hook, begging to be reeled in. Ethan heard his boots crunching over the snow and before he knew it, he was indeed tucking himself into Bryce’s embrace and relishing in the soft heat of his hands on his hips while they got themselves comfortable.

Taking stock of exactly what he was doing, Ethan tipped back against Bryce’s chest with a defeated sigh, still rigidly tense. “I’m serenading a pile of boulders so I can go to hell, while sitting in my boyfriend’s lap like a child.”

“Underworld,” Bryce corrected, and before Ethan could elbow him in the ribs added, “And does it count as serenading if you don’t use your voice?”

“Don’t care, didn’t ask.” Ethan twisted around and hefted the guitar in his hands. “Now what do I do with this?”

Bryce’s chuckles reverberated into Ethan while he raised his hands to his boyfriend’s. He took a gentle hold of Ethan’s left wrist and guided his right hand up to the fretboard, resting each of his fingers on the equivalent on Ethan’s hand. Leaning forward, he propped his chin up on Ethan’s shoulder, which looked a little ridiculous given that Bryce was almost a foot taller and had a good few inches on Ethan, even with him perched on his thighs.

“Just follow my lead,” Bryce said. His lips were close enough that his warm breath tickled Ethan’s cheek and forced the blood to rush to his face. He really should have come alone. With Bryce here, there wouldn’t be any blood left in his hands to keep his fingers moving across the strings.

“What will we play?” he asked.

Bryce hummed to himself before a wicked smirk cut across his face. “Pick at the ready,” he ordered and Ethan fought back a groan. He did as he was told while Bryce arranged his fingers on the cords and steadied Ethan’s other hand in preparation for the strumming. “Keep your wrist loose and follow my lead.” He rocked his hand to move the pick pinched between Ethan’s fingers up and down the strings. He didn’t recognise the first few notes as they adjusted to the arrangement but after they got the hang of it–

“Is this fucking American Pie?” He tipped his head back and tried to grumble through his grin. “It’s so long!”

“And we’ll love every second!”

As much as Ethan wanted to kick him in the shins and smash the guitar against the rocks, he couldn’t easily prove him wrong. Growing up, Ethan always got told he had his dad’s taste in music and he supposed there was some truth in that. Older songs were just fun to him. And Bryce, the asshole that he was, knew it. He knew guitars much better than Ethan and although he gave it a valiant try, he wasn’t quite good enough to make up for his co-player’s lack of experience. Ethan tried to follow his right hand on the cords as close as he could but a lot of the cord changes were too fast for him to keep up, often making their strums hit at the wrong time and sending discordant wails echoing from the instrument.

Bryce didn’t seem at all dismayed. His dopey smile didn’t falter for a second while he nodded his head or tapped his foot to the time they were supposed to be keeping. Every time Ethan cringed at a sour note, Bryce chirped, “Don’t worry, we have plenty of time to get the hang of it!”

And, gods damn him, they did. Sort of, but it was better than how they started. The song had its repetitive parts and Ethan started anticipating when to put his fingers where, which stopped the chord changes from being a flailing mess of digits getting tangled up together. It went from sounding like a mangled dirge to something almost passable as a functional song. With Bryce’s soothing presence, it even started to become a little relaxing. Ethan’s rod-straight back eventually softened as he allowed himself to lean into Bryce and his warmth; a gentle shield against the brisk cold.

“Bryce,” Ethan murmured under his breath, watching as it froze into a small cloud before him, “Do you think the Underworld gods like music?”

“I think everyone likes music to some degree,” he answered, not taking his eyes off the guitar or his hands off of Ethan’s.

“I mean more than usual,” he said. “More than the other gods.”

Briefly, Bryce flicked his eyes up to Ethan’s. “I’ve never thought about it. Why?”

“Just the entrances. The LA entrance to the Underworld is a record label and this one opens with music. I know it’s because of Orpheus, but it was his music that cut his path to the Underworld and charmed the gods into letting him try to get Eurydice back. I just thought there might be something to it.”

“That’s . . .” Bryce leaned his head closer to Ethan’s and the lengthening tips of his shaggy hair brushed against his face, “An interesting point, actually.”

“Actually?”

“You know what I mean.” Bryce nudged him with a shoulder. “To be honest, I’ve never really given it much thought. Underworld gods and songs, that is.”

Neither had Ethan until about five minutes ago. “Do you think it’s like a ‘chicken and the egg’ scenario?” he asked, and at the look of bewilderment crossing Bryce’s face, he clarified, “Maybe the connection stems from Orpheus’ influence or maybe Orpheus only had influence because of the connection?”

“Well,” Bryce said as he teased a softer melody from the guitar. The way his deft fingers worked their magic across the board was almost mesmerising. Ethan could have watched it all day. “They are Underworld gods, right?”

“Yeah. What does that have to do with songs?”

“Think about it.” Bryce shrugged. “They’re all a bunch of ancient, immortal beings doomed to spend an eternity surrounded by death. Everything just stays exactly as stale and dead as it’s been for the past several thousand years. It’s all stagnant.”

They were getting to Bryce’s favourite part of the song and his hands started moving faster with firm intent but Ethan wasn’t paying much attention. He was too busy trying and failing to work out Bryce’s logic in his head. “You’re losing me.”

Bryce snorted a laugh that hummed through Ethan’s back. “Songs are art,” he said, emphasising each word in time to the beat. “They’re inherently reflective of when they’re made, so they’re changing all the time.” A smirk slanted up his face. “In New Rome and Camp Jupiter, they liked to emulate the ancient Romans as much as they could. But we’re not ancient Romans, and it shows in everything except the latin.”

“So,” Ethan drawled as his hands tried desperately to keep up with Bryce’s effortless movements, “You think the Underworld gods like music because everything is the same down there but songs are always changing?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” His strumming thankfully started slowing as the song began winding down to the last few repeats of the chorus. His hair kept falling in his eyes but he didn’t seem to take much note of it. “If I was a god living in the Underworld, the only people I’d ever let in were the people who could handle a melody.”

“Would you make them all play for you?”

“Probably. That’s the nature of godhood, right?” He slashed the pick down the strings. “Mortals like us are just entertainment to them.”

“Oh?” Ethan glanced over his shoulder at Bryce’s face, trusting him to carry on the tune on his own. “Rather dissenting for a Roman.”

“Well, you’re rather obedient for a Greek,” he huffed under his breath.

Ethan stiffened and sharpened his look at Bryce. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Bryce sagged with a sigh, but his hands didn’t skip a beat as they kept plucking the last few melancholy notes from the strings. “She doesn’t love you, you know,” he said, making Ethan stiffen even further against him. “She’s a goddess. It’s in her nature to use you. You’ll never be anything but a resource to her.”

The ending of the song drifted on the air and before Ethan could snap back, a deep rumbling drew his attention to the mound of rocks before him. The thin layer of frost coating them was shaken off to drift to the ground as the old stones grinded against each other. As if a knife had been stabbed into it, a long, thin slice of blackness appeared gouged into the surface and widened from its tapered tip to a flat bottom. The rumbling stopped, and Ethan felt Bryce’s hand grip tighter onto his.

They sat in silence as they assessed the triangular crevice that appeared where the boulders used to be. A serpentine shiver snaked its way down Ethan’s spine and curled up into an uneasy knot in the pit of his stomach. The scent of mildew and rot drifted from the open passage to assault his senses and give him harsh reminders of his time in the labyrinth a few months ago.

Instead of getting up or shoving Ethan off, Bryce let his fingers trail further down the inside of Ethan’s wrist and forearm. “You know–”

“If you’re going to tell me that I don’t have to do this, and that it’s too dangerous, and that I’d be much better off if I just ran away with you to hide until this war blows over–” He cast him a dull look over his shoulder “–Save your breath. We’ve been over this.”

He watched Bryce transform before his eye. “She doesn’t deserve your help.” His voice cut like a knife, his eyes narrowed into pointed shards and all the softness he’d enveloped Ethan in for the past several dozen minutes had been instantly chipped away to form a serrated edge.

Ethan set the guitar on the ground beside them. “That’s not for you to decide.” He got up to go but Bryce wrapped his arms around his waist, keeping him down and pressed against him. “Bryce!” Ethan snapped. He couldn’t wriggle his way out of Bryce’s grasp so he twisted around in his lap to face him and shut up any protest working its way to Bryce’s lips with a militant glare. “You have no right to tell me what I can or can’t do for my people. Not when you’re no better.”

Bryce’s head snapped up and his eyes locked onto Ethan. “Excuse me?”

His arms had loosened so Ethan took the opportunity to haul himself to his feet, looking down at his boyfriend. “What’s Orcus ever done for you? Or the legion, for that matter? And yet you still defend them, you’ve never considered joining the army and you’d kiss their boots in a heartbeat. You have no ground to stand on when it comes to me and my mother.”

“That’s completely different.” Bryce braced his hands on his knees and hunched forward. Even sitting on the ground with his head craned back to look up at Ethan, he still appeared as if he was looking down his nose at Ethan. Probably from being so used to being the tall one. “You don’t see me running around doing errands for them.”

“You would if they asked you.”

“What’s that got to do with this?” Bryce demanded.

Ethan didn’t care for his deflections. “If the legion came for you right now and offered you a place with them, would you take it?” Bryce didn’t answer. Not verbally. But Ethan watched the shameful drop of his head and the way he let his hair fall like a curtain before his eyes, shielding them from view. “See?” Ethan said. “We’re both servile little mortals.”

“It’s–” His voice broke. “It’s not easy, being an exile.”

Ethan sighed. “I know.” He was well acquainted with that kind of lifestyle.

Bryce flicked his eyes up to meet Ethan’s. “But you’ve never asked me to join the army.”

“It’s not easy being in the army, either.”

Bryce opened his mouth as if to snap a retort, but his eyes skipped past Ethan to the yawning mouth of the cave before them and wisely shut his trap. Ethan turned around, taking a deep breath to steady himself, and started walking towards the entrance.

The snow crunched behind him and in an instant he was facing Bryce again, his wrist clenched in his hand. His eyes were wide and desperation was etched into every line of his face. “If you don’t come back–”

“You’ll what?” Ethan cut in and arched a brow at his boyfriend. “Kill me?”

“No,” he huffed. His shoulders sagged and for a moment Ethan thought he was about to let go and send him on his merry way down to hell. He didn’t do that. Instead, he tugged him forward by his wrist and enveloped him in a hug. “Just remember that I know how to get down there too.”

Bryce’s body was a bastion of warmth and Ethan couldn’t help but bury his face in his chest, savouring it in case he’d never get to feel it again. “Yeah,” he murmured against him. “I won’t forget.”

Bryce pressed a shallow kiss to his forehead and stepped back. His lips were quivering but he forced them into a smile nonetheless. “I’ll see you soon,” he said. “And if I don’t, you can tell Hades and Persephone to expect the concert of an unlifetime.”

Ethan gave Bryce’s hand a quick squeeze. “I’ll pass it along.” This time, when Ethan turned to leave, Bryce didn’t stop him. He could still feel his eyes on his back and when he stepped into the shadow of the dark cave, he held Bryce’s warmth close to his chest; his shield against the surrounding cold.

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