Chapter Text
Nico didn’t know why he was running.
Each breath he took felt as if air was being ripped from his lungs, then sucked harshly back down his raw throat. It was pain. Rough, terrible pain. He could feel tears watering at the corners of his eyelids.
Yet he ran.
His body ached from nonuse, yet he pushed forward. Voices around him faded into a blur, no doubt questioning what he was doing. He leaped off the Argo II despite his tattered state, and ran towards Annabeth.
Why? He asked himself. Why do this?
Adrenaline pumped through his worn body. He fell to the edge, zeroing in on her form. Annabeth, whose ankle was wrapped tightly in spirals of ancient web. Whose face was tight with despair. Who, when she met his gaze, had terror gleaming within the depths of her eyes. Annabeth, who was trapped.
Why are you doing this? A voice in his head asked, pleading with him. She’s done nothing for you.
But as Annabeth fought against the restraints to no avail, eyes trained on Nico, waiting—Nico knew. Disgustingly, he knew; the answer was simple.
Because he loves her.
Nico hated himself. Oh, how he hated himself. He reminded himself of this, as the web began to rapidly unravel. As the chasm began to shake due to the removal of the Athena Parthenos. Nico watched Annabeth shift to the side, horrifically unbalanced and teetering towards the depths. Seconds. Only seconds, until she was to fall into the abyss.
The Earth trembled and cracked further open, Annabeth screamed. With not a moment further to hesitate, Nico closed his eyes, feeling the darkness choke him, and with all the strength he had remaining—he shadow traveled Annabeth to safety.
The logistics of such magic happen to be quite simple. Nico has done such a thing many times before. He’d merely fade into the shadows, traverse through the dark landscape to his intended location, then return to the world, take her with, and repeat.
At first, he executed flawlessly. Nico gasped as he fell from the shadows, tendrils of darkness clinging onto his slight frame. Finding himself next to her, Annabeth stared at him with wide eyes, and that was all he saw before grabbing her arm then dissipating back into black.
It was then that he drowned in the dying light.
When he came to, something was terribly, terribly wrong.
She stood there at the edge of the Pit.
Looking down at him.
“Nico!” He could hear her yell, but her voice was already fading away. Everything felt as if it was in slow motion, like a movie he would’ve watched a long time ago. Cradled in his mother’s arms. Faintly, he heard Bianca’s laugh echo from a desolate corner of his mind
Such childish thoughts floated through his head, fleeting as he flew weightlessly. For he was falling.
Nico already knew what had happened. He had been too weak. His shadow travel had failed him. He had fallen just short. So tantalizingly close to making it.
But oh, how the Fates must be laughing at him.
For he was going to go back. Back down.
Alone.
What a pitiful picture he must be making. His descent to Hell, weak and battered. He had already crawled his way out. Been tortured, suffocated, brought to the brink of death. He had done this, all in hopes of seeing the sun again.
But Children of Hades rarely get what they want. And Tartarus was far from done with him.
Nico closed his eyes. He couldn’t bear to watch.
He felt an overbearing sense of calm. A brief quietude reserved solely for him. His eyelids were wound, only to snap open, elicited by a sudden warmth enveloping his hand—bringing him back to the present. He collided with the side of the pit, grunting in shock. A spike of pain shot through his side. Dazed, he sought the source of what grabbed him. Tan fingers, unmistakably pruned from the sea. were clutching onto his wrist. He looked further up, to meet sea green eyes.
“No.” He felt his lips move. Nico began to shake, brain wracking in despair. Why you?
“Nico.” Percy spoke, words strained. Nico glanced up to where Percy’s other hand was glued onto a ledge sticking out from the Earth, barely sticking. Above him, Annabeth was desperately reaching out, looking horrified.
Annabeth. Oh.
Nico almost laughed in spite of himself. He wondered briefly who came up with such a wicked punishment for him.
It was simple, after all.
Percy may be a hero, but he was still human. Nico knew it wouldn’t be long before the Son of Poseidon made his choice, the only choice. He’d go to Annabeth. Of course he would, they didn’t need Nico for their quest. He thought of Hazel, who now had the Seven. Who could easily lead them to the Doors of Death herself. It was clear, no one needed him anymore. Percy could get out. He should get out now, before it was too late. Hell, Nico knew Percy didn’t like him, hardly tolerated him on a good day. He was going to let him go.
Truly, it was as simple as that.
“Percy!” Annabeth sobbed, anguished, “I can’t—I can’t reach–!”
“It’s okay.” Nico could feel Percy’s words reverberate through him, “It’ll be okay, Wise Girl.”
“I—I, no, I—“ Nico had never seen Annabeth look so lost, “Just hang on, please, we just, fuck, I just–need to come up with a plan.” She turned around, screaming breathlessly for back-up.
Nico felt the Earth tremble with rage. The ledge Percy held onto began to shake violently. Cracks in the walls broke open further.
Below him, Nico felt only Evil. Evil, which suddenly wrapped around his lower body like a vice. Tugging on him sharply. Nico gasped, and he heard Percy stutter in shock.
Tartarus was pulling him down.
Nico forced his vocal cords to act, “Percy—“ He started.
“Agh.” Percy groaned in response, looking down at Nico with a worn grin. Nico’s heart skipped a beat, stupidly. “Shh. Don’t worry kid, I’ve got you.”
“No! You idiot.” Nico bit his tongue, forcing the words out, “Please, just, let go.”
Percy, horribly, cruelly, beautifully, responded with that same smile. “I’m not letting go of you Nico.”
Why? His mind asked.
“Why?” His voice echoed.
“Nico! Percy!” Nico’s and Percy’s heads swiveled back upwards, where Hazel now kneeled next to Annabeth. Both their hands were desperately outstretched. So close, yet so far.
The two girls were sobbing, screaming, and stretching. Yet nothing could be done. Nico felt one of Hazel’s tears splatter onto his face, melting into his own quiet tears wetting his cheeks. He hadn’t even realized he was crying.
“Hazel. Look at me.” Percy spoke as the chasm shook them further, swaying them slightly, “Epirus. The Doors of Death. You’ll lead them there for me, okay?”
“How? Percy, I don’t know where to go!” Hazel’s face flashed with outrage. “Nico is the only one, the prophecy said so.”
“Percy, please. Just hang on. We’ll get you both out.” Annabeth’s voice was wrecked. Her words held no weight, and she knew it.
“Hazel.” Nico trained his eyes on his sister. Her face was stricken, “You can do it, I know you can.”
“Nico—“ She started, but Nico cut her off. He hated how his voice trembled.
“I’ll find a way to tell you. Of course I will. You trust me, right?”
“I–yes. Of course.” Hazel whispered, barely heard over the creaking of the surface.
Percy nodded firmly, gripping Nico’s hand tighter. He turned slightly to Annabeth. “Annabeth, I love—“
“Don’t.” She cut him off, voice shaky. “Don’t finish that. Don’t say it.” She swallowed, “You’ll say it to me there, then. When we see each other again, okay?”
Nico couldn’t see Percy’s face, but he could imagine the smile. The smile he reserved only for Annabeth, “Aye aye Captain.“
“Don’t die, please.” Annabeth barely looked at Nico as she spoke.
Percy responded, voice sounding weaker. “I promise.”
Faintly, Nico wondered how he could so easily promise such a thing to her. How easily he could believe such a thing. But in truth, it was because Percy truly had no idea the horrors that lay below. The unbeatable Hell they would be falling into.
Voices began to sound in the distance. Nico barely could register who they were coming from. The rest of the Seven he presumed, the back-up. They were too late.
Percy kept his eyes on Annabeth, tips of his fingers barely clinging onto the rocky surface. The Earth trembled greatly once again, Gaea’s own personal touch. He felt Percy’s grasp stumble, and then Nico fell, weightless once again.
He heard Annabeth and Hazel scream their names. Then the rush of air deafened any further words, darkness bleeding into view. Percy’s hand still held Nico’s ever so tightly.
“Percy.” Nico said in spite of himself, meeting that sea green gaze, “Percy.”
Percy looked at him, and Nico’s heart stopped. Nico’s own personal hero, his idol for so many years. Percy, who was unstoppable. Who smiled even if the odds were stacked against them, who faced any adversity no matter what. That was who Nico admired so deeply. But this Percy was different. Not the same one man army as before. Just a boy, Nico realized. A boy who looked terrified.
Nico hated Percy for doing this for him once again, for making him care so deeply.
What consolation could he offer? As they fell to what would most likely be the end. Nico didn’t know. He wanted to say something, to provide some comfort. Yet it was so loud, the silence.
Until the rush abruptly stopped.
A strong arm had wrapped around Nico’s shoulders. A rapid burst of movement pulled him upwards, fighting against the grip of the Pit.
Blonde hair, blue eyes, and black frames filled Nico’s vision. Nico’s face was right before that of Jason Grace, who was pulling him and Percy back to the surface.
“I got you.” He spoke deeply. Nico’s breath stuttered. Just like Percy, he was another picture of a hero. Throwing himself into danger.
And as they rose up, air pushed beneath them Nico’s hands holding onto Percy. Nico, in the rush of things, mistakenly felt hope.
But the fury of Tartarus was not so easily quenched.
Suddenly, they stopped rising upwards. The pull on them hardened, the pull from below. Jason’s efforts became uncoordinated, stifled, as the Pit sucked him down.
“Jason!” Voices rang out from the ledge, the Argo II image fleeting as they sunk further into Tartarus’s grip.
“Jason, man, what’s going on?” Percy said, sounding as in disbelief as Nico felt.
“I can’t—“ Jason Grace spoke again, this time with a voice filled with fear, “It’s too strong. I’m being pulled, I can’t fight it—“
The pull on them tightened like a noose, choking Jason out of any more words. Nico heard him cry out, and watched his blinding eyes glisten.
The ancient, formidable power of Evil wrapped around them. A feeling Nico was all too familiar with. And it continued to pull. Driving the sun out. Killing any chance of escape.
In one quiet instance, all demigod sons of the Big Three found themselves tethered together, condemned to the abyss.