#unrelated to the fic but happy birthday nico

[buoyantsaturn]

Bring On The Monsters (7/8)

chapter title: They Find Out The Truth, Sort Of

word count: 3,203

read on ao3

Bianca had flagged down a cab, then pried the credit card out of Nico’s hand when the driver refused to cart around three kids. He still seemed hesitant to take them all the way to Los Angeles, but Bianca had already shoved the two boys into the backseat. 

For the first half of the drive, Will wouldn’t stop asking questions about the 1930s, practically bouncing in his seat and firing off questions so fast that sometimes Nico and Bianca wouldn’t even have the chance to answer - not that they were all too eager to give anything away, anyway. Ever since arriving at camp, neither of them had had much memory of their time before the Lotus. Somehow, though, despite what Nico thought was pretty obvious discomfort on their part, Will kept asking away. 

Bianca finally shut him up eventually, claiming that if he didn’t stop, she was going to throw him out into the desert, and if he was lucky then they’d swing by and pick him up again on their way back to New York. Nico just hoped that their driver didn’t find anything usual about their conversation - at least not enough to alert the authorities. 

They dozed off for about an hour, Nico finding himself squished between two sleeping demigods as he watched the endless desert road out the windshield. Then, sometime in between blinks, Nico fell asleep as well, and woke to the sound of conversation. 

“What kind of responsible adult would I be if I let three kids wander the streets in the middle of the night?” the driver was telling them, twisted in his seat to look at them as he spoke. “Nah, I’m gonna take you to a police station or something.” 

“No, don’t!” Will shouted, and Bianca reached around Nico to shove at his shoulder. 

“What he means is,” Bianca started, “that’s really not necessary. My dad owns this recording studio, and he’s actually waiting for us, so it’s really fine if you just drop us off right here. Promise.” 

The driver still looked skeptical. “This building right here?” He pointed out the passenger window, glancing between it and the demigods. “Alright, but I’m gonna hang out right here until you all get inside, okay? And if you have any problems, I can drive you over to the nearest police station.” 

“Thank you, that’s very kind,” Bianca said as she pushed open the car door. It was a good thing that Nico was already awake beside her, even if he hadn’t done anything to make that clear, because she simply grabbed his arm and dragged him outside with her. Will followed behind out the same door and hurried to catch up with Bianca before she could open the door to the building. 

“Wait!” Will hissed.

“What?” Bianca asked, turning to face him with a hand on the door. “We can’t let that guy think there’s a problem.” 

“But...what do we do when we’re inside?” Will asked. “Aren’t we going to have to pretend that we’re, you know, dead? They’re not just going to let us in otherwise!” 

“I guess we’ll see what happens,” Bianca replied, and ripped the door open. She led the way in, holding tightly to Nico’s hand as she walked inside, then came to a halt in the lobby. It was practically bursting with people despite the late hour, so much so that they could barely see across the room. 

Will stopped beside them and looked around, just as the two siblings were doing, though he seemed more confused than surprised. “It’s so...empty. I know it’s late and all, but I didn’t think it’d be empty.”

Nico and Bianca traded a look, just as one of the people walked straight through them. 

Right, Nico thought. Ghosts.

Bianca lifted her chin and walked across the room, though some of the shades though many seemed to part for them. They acted like they had some form of respect for Nico and Bianca, though they watched Will with confusion and disdain. Nico figured it was probably a good thing that Will couldn’t see them. 

Bianca stepped up to the counter and cleared her throat. “Um. Hello.” 

The man behind the counter raised an eyebrow, amused. “Can I help you?” 

“Yes,” she answered. “We’ve recently found ourselves, um. Dead.”

“Sure you have,” the man replied with a nod. “The di Angelos, right? And...friend. Your dad’s waiting for you downstairs.” He stood, revealing an expensive black suit, and started toward one corner of the room to a set of elevator doors. “My name is Charon. Right this way, please. Can’t keep the boss waiting.” 

“How did you know who we are?” Nico asked as Charon gestured for them to enter the elevator.

“I’ve been expecting you,” Charon replied, as if that was an answer. “And you’re clearly not dead.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Nico saw Bianca elbowing Will in the side. 

“Hold on tight!” Charon announced as the doors shut in front of them, and suddenly they found themselves knocked off their feet. Nico landed hard on the wood plank seat of a boat, Will and Bianca in single file behind him while Charon stayed on his feet in front of them. He didn’t row the boat at all, just seemed to will it forward toward a black sand beach. 

Nico was distracted, studying the smooth fabric of the hooded robe that Charon’s suit had melted into, and jumped when the man spoke again. He’d turned to glance at Nico over his shoulder, though instead of a man, Nico only saw a skeleton underneath the hood. “Show me your sword, boy.” 

Nico scrambled to unsheath the weapon, holding it out for Charon to take. “This one?” he asked, as if he had another sword to show off.

Charon took it from his hand, and with no hesitation at all, flung the sword into the river. 

“Hey!” Nico exclaimed. “What was that for?” 

Charon turned forward once more, and Nico couldn’t know for sure, but he thought the ferryman replied, “No cursed weapons beyond this point.” 

Nico turned back to Will and whispered, “Did he say cursed?” 

Before Will could respond, the boat shuddered to a stop, and Charon announced, “Here we are. Watch your step. We wouldn’t want anyone taking an accidental dip, now, would we?” 

Nico wasn’t sure, but he thought Charon had looked past him to Will, but it was hard to tell since Charon didn’t exactly have eyes. Nico climbed out of the boat onto a dock, offered a hand to help Will out, then the two boys pulled Bianca out together. 

“Which way do we go?” Bianca asked. 

“The palace won’t be difficult to locate,” Charon answered as he pushed off from the dock, and the boat started back across the river. 

Bianca huffed. “Well, that wasn’t very helpful.”

Will replied, “I don’t think it needed to be.” He was facing away from the other two, and when Nico turned to see what Will was looking at, his jaw dropped. 

The palace was at least a mile away, but massive, made from obsidian and gold. Even from such a distance, it seemed to loom over them - them, and the millions of shades that were filing through the gates of the Underworld. 

“I guess we go that way,” Nico said, and started walking. 

He noticed quickly that, while he and Bianca attempted to avoid any contact with the shades, Will simply walked straight through them. Like he didn’t see them at all. His suspicion was confirmed when they approached the gates after a few minutes and Nico and Bianca froze at the sight of the three headed dog Cerberus. Will, though--

“Will!” Nico exclaimed, lunging forward and grabbing at his backpack to yank him backwards, just as Cerberus’s left head swung down to snap at him. Will landed on his butt on the cracked, dry ground after being pulled off his feet by Nico.

“What was that for?” he demanded as he got back up.

Bianca gestured up toward Cerberus’s heads. “Do you not see the giant dog?”

“Dog?” Will repeated, spinning around with his eyes the size of dinner plates as he searched for the dog. “Where’s the puppy?” 

“Will,” Nico said, drawing his friend’s attention back to him. “Do you not see the ghosts?” 

Will frowned. “Do...you see ghosts?” 

“We don’t have time for this,” Bianca said with a roll of her eyes. “I’m going to try to distract Cerberus. Nico, try to get Will past without letting him get eaten.”

“Cerberus?” Will repeated, his eyes snapping toward the dog, though he still didn’t seem to register the monster. 

“It might be the Mist,” Nico explained. “Just try to focus, Will. Concentrate on seeing through the Mist, and look at Bianca.” 

Will squeezed his eyes shut for a count of three, and when they opened again, they opened wide. “Oh, that’s a big boy.” 

“You can see him?” Nico asked. “Can you see the ghosts?” 

It took a second for Will to tear his eyes away from Cerberus, but when he did, he flinched, then jumped to the side as a shade almost walked through him. “Where did these guys come from?” 

“They were here the whole time,” Nico replied, and grabbed Will’s arm. “C’mon, we should go while Bia has Cerberus distracted.” 

The boys started forward, hesitantly, watching as Bianca reached out toward Cerberus with an open palm. Cerberus placed his middle chin in her hand, and his tail started to wag. “Good boy,” Nico heard her say just before the dog’s right head licked her arm. 

Once they were behind him, Nico called back for his sister. He heard her promise to come back soon, and then she was running to her brother’s side. 

They still had a long walk ahead of them. They wandered through Asphodel, saw Elysium from afar, and walked along a cliffside that didn’t seem to have an end on the other side. 

“What’s down there?” Nico asked, trying to peer over the edge without getting any closer - not that he would have seen anything anyway, not with the thick fog that concealed whatever laid below. 

“Punishment?” Will offered. 

“No, that’s on the other side of the palace,” Bianca replied. “That’s… Whatever that is, it’s worse.” 

Nico moved away from the edge. 

When they reached the palace doors, the pair of skeletal guards outside welcomed them in. If vacant stares and subtle shifting could be considered welcoming. The doors closed behind them with a thundering boom.

They continued straight ahead until they entered a grand throne room, where the floors were a solid black marble and the columns surrounding them were made from skulls of different animals - though, primarily, human. 

Nico wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he met his father, but this certainly wasn’t it. Hades looked like any other person, only deathly pale and wearing a toga so black it seemed to suck the color out of the room around him. He looked...like Nico. He looked like the person that Nico could easily become in another twenty years or so. 

Nico definitely didn’t expect his father to look happy, but that definitely had to be due to the woman perched on the arm of his throne. She was the only splash of color in the room (aside from Will) with a dress that reflected every color of the surface’s summertime, curled auburn hair, and warm skin. She looked like she didn’t belong in such a cold, dark place, and it wasn’t until Nico saw the fond look in his father’s eyes that he realized who she was. 

The trio stopped a short distance from the throne, and Hades finally tore his eyes away from his wife to acknowledge them. “Children,” he greeted, and any kindness in his eyes vanished as he added, “and guest.”

“Be nice,” Persephone chided with a tap to her husband’s shoulder. 

“Persephone?” Will said with confusion in his tone, and he snapped his jaw shut after realizing that he’d spoken out of turn. “Sorry! Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting-- I mean, it’s summer, so I thought-- Ow!” Bianca stomped on Will’s foot, forcing him to shut up.

“It’s alright, dear,” Persephone said kindly, and turned her gaze back to Hades. “I’m just here on a weekend trip to visit my husband while he’s in a mood.”

Hades huffed, not unlike the way Nico and Bianca tended to. “I am not--” Persephone raised an eyebrow, and Hades sighed. “Yes, dear.” Hades turned his attention back to the demigods. “Children,” he said again, this time apparently deciding to ignore Will altogether, “I believe this meeting is far overdue. I am...very happy to see you both again.” 

“Again?” Bianca repeated. “You’ve seen us before?” 

“Of course,” Hades answered. “I helped raise you before your mother...passed.” 

“What happened?” Nico asked. “To… To our mom, to us.”

Will nudged him with his elbow and whispered, “And the bolt.” 

“And Zeus’s bolt,” Nico added. 

Hades took a breath. “I suppose I should start at the beginning. You are familiar with the oath between my brothers and I?” Nico nodded. “I never broke it. Both of my brothers have, and their children have suffered because of it, but I had no desire to put either of you through that pain. The oath was made shortly after you were born, Nico, so Zeus believed that I had broken it. He tried to kill you, both of you, but I was able to protect you just before he struck. Your mother...was not so lucky.” 

Persephone set a comforting hand on Hades’s shoulder, and he covered it with one of his own. Nico found himself surprised by the gesture, having assumed that his step-mother would be upset hearing about her husband’s affair. Maybe seventy years had been enough time for her to get over it.

“I put you in the Lotus to protect you,” Hades continued. “He couldn’t see you there, because that place doesn’t exist in time the same way that the rest of the world does. However, recently, things have been...stirring, and I felt the need to pull you out. The timing wasn’t perfect, I know, but I had also hoped that you two would be able to clear my name after the Master Bolt disappeared.”

“Why couldn’t you just tell Zeus that you’re innocent?” Bianca asked. 

Hades scoffed. “You think anyone listens to me? Of course not! And they certainly wouldn't believe me now that you’ve brought the bolt straight to me.” 

Nico choked on his next breath. “We did what?”

Hades raised an eyebrow, as if surprised that they didn’t already know. “You received a gift on your journey, yes?” 

Bianca slid the straps of her backpack off her shoulders and held it out toward Hades. “Ares gave this to us a few days ago.” 

He nodded to the bag. “Look inside.” 

She set the bag on the ground and knelt beside it as she unzipped the main pouch. Bianca reached inside and brought out a cylinder of blue electricity that absolutely radiated power. Her jaw dropped open at the sight, and she looked back to her father. “So… Ares--?”

“Please, as if he’s smart enough to plot something like that,” Hades replied. “No, it was not my nephew. I have my suspicions as to who could have--” He shook his head. “But it’s not possible. I cannot say, because even I can’t believe that it could be true.” 

Nico shifted his weight uneasily.

Hades waved a hand dismissively. “Please, dear, put that thing away. You will need to take it to Olympus right away, and you can’t let anything happen to it on your journey.” 

Bianca returned the bolt to her bag and stood. “But it took us so long to get here. How are we supposed to get back to Olympus before the solstice?” 

“I believe your friend here will be able to direct you,” Hades said, nodding toward Will. 

“Me?” Will squeaked. 

“The Underworld is connected to everything, all across the world. There is even an entrance a short distance from Olympus,” Hades told them. “The same doors that Orpheus used when he attempted to steal back Eurydice will be your exit. Please, children, feel free to use those doors to visit, whenever you’d like, at least until you both learn to master shadow travel. I would...very much like to see you both again. Under less stressful circumstances.” 

“Shadow travel?” Nico repeated. 

Hades hummed. “It would seem that you’ve already tried it once. Perhaps someday I’ll be able to teach you to focus your energy, so that you won’t collapse immediately afterwards.”

“You mean he really did teleport?” Will exclaimed, and Hades’s gaze hardened again. Will took half a step behind Nico. 

“We’ll walk you out,” Hades said as he rose from his throne, and offered a hand to Persephone to help her to her feet. “Please, follow me.” 

Hades started leading them out of the throne room through a side door, and as they entered a long hallway, Will grabbed Nico’s hand and hissed, “Should we be trusting him?” 

Nico frowned. “He’s my dad. He’s helping us.” 

Will didn’t seem entirely happy, but he nodded. He didn’t let go of Nico’s hand. 

“I understand that you don’t have your own cabin at camp, is that right?” Hades asked, glancing back at them over his shoulder. “You should know that if you ever tire of crowding in with the other campers, I have many empty rooms here. You could each have your own space. And you wouldn’t have to stay forever, even just a - what did you call it, dear? - weekend visit.” He opened another door and led them out of the palace. From there, they had a perfect view of the Fields of Punishment. 

They stepped out into a garden, and the pale, skeletal flora and fauna all seemed to turn toward them. Persephone stepped to the side to tend to her garden and allow her husband a moment to say goodbye. 

“Your exit is on the edge of Punishment,” Hades told them, pointing out across the palace grounds. “On the other side of Sisyphus’s hill, there is a set of stairs. Take those up to the surface.” He turned back to the demigods and set a hand on Bianca’s shoulder. “I really do hope to see you both again.” He pressed a kiss to the top of his daughter’s head, then turned to do the same to his son. 

Hades stepped back and held his hands behind his back, gazing down at them sternly. “But do not, under any circumstances, even think about bringing any more sunny Apollo spawn into my realm, unless they are already dead.” 

Will squeezed Nico’s hand and moved to step behind Nico once more, but bumped into someone as he did so. 

Persephone wound an arm around Will’s shoulders from behind and set her chin on top of his head. “Oh, but dear, the plants love him!” she said to her husband, and Nico watched as Will’s cheeks grew pink. “Can’t we keep him a little while longer?” 

Bianca grinned. “He’s all yours!” 

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#solangelo #will solace #nico di angelo #bianca di angelo #mine #my writing #bring on the monsters #unrelated to the fic but happy birthday nico