Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Nico was tossing and turning, as usual. Will was right there beside him, his Apollo warmth as comforting as always, pressed together in the coffin shaped twin bed. Nico stared up at the dark ceiling, no light except for the faint glow of Will’s hair that meant he was having a good dream.

He was having nightmares about being back in Tartarus, with Will. He stared at the ceiling, wide awake, as Will pressed his face into Nco’s shoulder. He laid there thinking about what he would do if he ever lost Will. He would raise skeletons and start a war against the gods. He would fight Thanatos himself, pull a Demeter on the world, kill everything in his path until his father let Will go. He would also cry a lot. 

Nico listened to the waves softly crash against the shore. He could hear crickets chirping in the woods, and pictured the stars overhead. 

He heard a nearby plane. The deprivation must be really getting to him, because he swore he heard people leaving their cabins, and voices, and someone screaming. 

He closed his eyes and pressed his face into  Will’s hair, inhaling the scent of the citrus (or medicine, ointment, leather, sea salt, or sunscreen? Hand sanitizer??). 

Nico jumped as his door slammed open. 

“We need Will, fast!” Piper shouted, out of breath. 

Will sat up, groggily.

“Whashaba?” he asked, sleep clouding his words.

“Someones been hurt, and they need your help, come quick!”

He watched confusion and grogginess turn to focus and determination as Will grabbed his shoes and first aid kit. Nico quickly pulled on his skeleton dinosaur pajama pants and ran after his sunshiney boyfriend out the cabin door. There was a… spaceship? It was right at the edge of the forest with a few trees. It looked out of place, sleek and futuristic, but worn down, with a painting of a naked lady lounging on her side. The black metal and engines stuck out compared to the greenery around them, the newly renovated pavilion with greek pillars, and the ocean reflecting constellations, stories from the past, Nico’s family tree. 

Someone was howling in pain, and the spaceship had knocked down at least a dozen trees. Grass was smoking, the heat of the engines had set it on fire, but he could see that Percy flooded the area before it got out of hand. The burnt remains were damp, and the ship was dripping water

Will was hunched over someone laying on the ground, a man at least twice Nico’s size, although at 5’4 and only about 100 pounds, that wasn’t saying much. The man was covered in scars, and blood was everywhere. Nico could feel death hovering nearby, ready to claim this hulking monster of a man. 

This man was going to die, soon, tonight even, unless the healers could get him stable in time.

He heard a robotic voice coming from somewhere. He thought it was the spaceship, but that didn’t make sense, because spaceships couldn't talk, and also weren't real. 

“Cinder, where are we? I still can't see and there's no information from my port!” (cinder, iko, wolf, jacin. Cress and thorne are in the desert, scarlet is on luna, kai is still at the palace planning to marry levana, winter is on luna and not really in the story yet.)

Nico saw a girl, maybe 16 or 17 years old, with messy hair and dirty clothes, standing by the ramp, staring out at the ocean, eyes scanning their surroundings. How even would she have gotten to Camp Half-Blood?

“Iko, I don't know where we are. I’m not getting any information either. There's a lot of people in pajamas, I can see the ocean, and there's lots of trees, cabins, and really old architecture.”

Old? The buildings were modeled after Ancient Greek Architecture, but Annabeth and some other Athena and Hephaestus kids just updated them last year. As Nico got closer, he noticed that the girl’s left hand looked like it was made of metal. Leo would love that. There was also a guy who looked like Jason, but a little thinner and without glasses, standing straight, like one of the Queens guards, the ones with the puffy hats. 

Some Apollo kids were taking the man towards the infirmary- “Don’t worry ma’am, we’ll take care of him.” The girl with the metal hand and leg looked like she did not appreciate being called ma’am. A few other people were up too, and Percy and Piper were standing off to the side. Nico could hear cabin doors opening and more people coming out, confused chatter behind him.

Chiron trotted up, confusion masked beneath concern. The girl suddenly looked different, her hand wasn’t metal and her clothes were nicer, and her face and hair looked different, and the spaceship disappeared. Was this a trick of the mist? Nico reached for his sword, maybe she was an empousa, that would explain the metal leg. The tall blond guy reached for his waistband, fuck did he have a weapon? Nico felt as if he should trust the girl, she wasn't going to hurt him. She was innocent. Just a lost tourist who can't find her friends. 

“Which nation are we in?” She said, trying not to glare at Chiron.

“The United States,” he answered. 

“The American Republic?” she asked. 

“I’m not sure what you mean. We are in New York City, on Long Island Beach.”

The girl turned pale. Nico watched as a plan formed in her eyes. She must be so lost and confused.

“Could you tell me what the date is?”

“It’s Tuesday, June 4th”

School had ended a few weeks ago, and Nico was super excited to be back at camp after his first year of college. The girl didnt know what year it was. He needed to tell her. He didn't know why she didn't know, but he had to. He wondered if it was some weird form of charmspeak where she could just think it. 

“It's 2024,” he said. Her appearance shifted back, startled. A messy ponytail, cargo pants, and her metal hand and leg. Was she from a different time? That would explain the spaceship at least, but not how they made it past the barrier.

“2024?!” the robotic voice said, a high pitched female voice. “In the Second Era? Cinder, what on Earth and Luna is going on?”

“I don’t know, but this is going to be a long night.” Cinder replied. 

Chapter Text

Cinder slept in the infirmary, she told Iko she thought she should be by Wolf in case he woke up. Jacin, of course, slept on the ship, despite much comfier beds available. He said something about being used to uncomfortable sleeping situations, what with being a guard and all. 

She tossed and turned the rest of the night, wondering what happened and how they got here. Moreover, how they got now. She was worried about Wolf, and against her better judgement, she missed Thorne. She really needed one of his jokes right now to lighten things. But now he was gone. She felt bad for the girl too, Cress. 

Most of all, she was worried about what would happen when Wolf woke up. How was she going to tell him that Scarlet got captured, and maybe even dead right now. Cinder had hope that they would keep her alive, for information.

She walked over to the Rampion, the lady on the side making her chest ache. 

“Iko, open ramp.” She waited for the ramp to lower, then climbed up onto the ship.

“Cinder, what did that kid mean? 2024? That was four years after COVID-19. Letumosis is COVID-89 do you know how long ago we are? 1341 years ago. One-thousand three-hundred forty-one years.”

Cinder’s stomach turned over. How did they even get here? It didn’t make any sense. Time travel wasn’t possible. At least not with science, which meant there had to be magic involved. 

“Iko, run a ship diagnostic to see what was off last night.” Cinder thought the engine coordinates might’ve malfunctioned, and put in the wrong coordinates with the date, which would also explain why they ended up on the other side of the world from where we meant. Scientifically, that wasn’t possible, but if there was magic, it made sense. The kids at this camp were weird. The rock climbing wall had lava for God’s sake, and the man she talked to last night was half-horse.

“Diagnostic finished! The coordinates got put in wrong, and then I don't have any data after, but it looks like the wires got fried after the jump, the way your interface sees through Lunar magic. It's something like that, they couldn't handle it.”

“Well that's just perfect.” she muttered. “We’ll have to see those mechanic kids.”

Everything here was weird, none of the cabins looked alike, and there was a fire near what looked like a dining area, but it was purple. Also she swore she saw some girls just come out of some trees last night, then disappeared back into them. She thought maybe all of it was some sort of Lunar trick, and everyone here was Lunar, with really strong glamours, for her cybernetic interface to not see through it. 

Jacin was standing in the doorway, watching her process. 

“So, we’re in the past.” It wasn't a question. Cinder nodded, unsure what else to say. She heard a knock on the wall, and turned to see a kid, light brown skin with curly hair, standing in the doorway. He looked elfish, just a little unnerving. There was another girl behind him, curly blonde hair and a cloudy expression. 

“Hey uh, can I come in?” Cinder nodded again. “Uh, my name’s Leo Valdez, I came to help with your- oh my gods is your hand metal? Can I take it apart? That is SO cool, are you a cyborg? A real one? Not an empousa obviously, I can't smell you-” Smell her? Everything Leo was saying just made her more confused. “-but how does it work? Or is it just a prosthetic that's decorated? Oh shoot, if it is I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude-”

“Oh my gods Leo, you're going to scare her away. My name is Annabeth, I’m an architect and Leo is an engineer and really smart. We’re here to help with your ship.” 

“Cinder, what  do they look like?” Iko asked from above. 

“Annabeth is about 175 centimeters, curly blonde hair in a messy ponytail and grey eyes. She looks mildly grumpy- no offense. Leo is about 167 centimeters-”

“I’m 170, at least!” he interrupted, offended

“170 centimeters, light brown skin, dark curly hair a little past his ears, and his teeth look really pointy.” 

Leo grinned, enjoying that fact.

“Anyway, what seems to be the problem?” Annabeth asked. “How did you get here? Or I guess now.”

Cinder explained about her theory, but got caught on Lunar ‘magic’. Luna hadn’t been populated, or even idealized yet. It would be 4 more years before the technology boom, 10 more years before colonization was suggested and planned, 16 for people to start living there, and about 160 after that for Luna to be recognized as its own country. 

A few other people came on, the blond boy named Will who took care of Wolf, his boyfriend, Nico, who was the kid in all black who told her it was 2024. There was a boy named Percy who hosed down the grass last night, the malfunctioning engine had set it on fire. He and Annabeth seemed to be in love. 

There was a shy boy named Frank and a sweet girl named Hazel, who reminded Cinder of Peony. There was a boy named Jason, who coincidentally looked very similar to Jacin. He seemed nice, but Jacin was wary of him. There was a pretty girl named Piper, who looked a lot like how Cinder imagined Princess Winter. Dark skin and hair, and she was strikingly beautiful, without trying to be. Cinder hated that she felt self-conscious. 

Actually, it bothered her that she was the youngest one here, most of them were in college, and Hazel, the youngest, was a year older than her. 

They also, well, Cinder wasn't sure what it was, because it looked like a netlink video comm, but they didn’t have the technology for that yet. But there were two girls, Reyna and Thalia. They both seemed super fierce, and though nobody said anything, Iko told Cinder she thought they were in love. 

She and Iko kept explaining, talking about Levana and everything that had happened in the past month while they worked. Cinder had taught Leo and Annabeth, and some other kids about the ship. Annabeth was designing something to take them back to the future, but Cinder didn’t know how that was supposed to work, without magic. Leo was soldering wires, and reminded Cinder a bit of herself, grease stains and holding a wrench in his mouth. 

Percy was trying to help organize, but kept getting distracted. Hazel and Frank volunteered to help cook lunch, and Jason and Jacin sat and watched.

Will was setting up their medbay with medicine and supplies from their infirmary. They needed to leave within the next day, whether Wolf woke up or not. Nico mostly sat and watched his boyfriend, his glare softening into a smile whenever Will said something to him. They were total opposites, but somehow it worked.

She gave a quick history, explaining the ionized radiation that gave Cypress Blackburn his Lunar gift, that was genetically passed on. When she explained what the Lunar gift was, Piper burst out with “Oh like charmspeak!” while Annabeth said “So, like the mist?”

“Okay, is this a prank? Charmspeak? The mist?” Cinder didn't get any information from her searches, except for mist as in water vapor. “Magic?” 

Piper and Annabeth glanced at each other.

“Well, since you got beyond the camp border, we thought you were demigods too.”

“We were excited, because not many demigods that don’t go here or to Camp Jupiter survive.”

Demigods?

Seeing Cinder’s confusion, they began to explain. Mostly Piper and Annabeth, but sometimes Percy jumped in with a story or Leo with a comment. They talked about saving the world, and how Percy had twice and was in 7 prophecies. Holy cow. 

After explaining about the Greek gods, and their camp, and the Roman one, they finished with, “But yeah it's pretty chill.”

Well. That explained a lot. Percy hadn’t hosed the ship down, he flooded it from the ocean. And Charmspeak was like the telling-people-what-to-do part of the Lunar gift, which made Cinder wonder if the Lunar gift wasn't a genetic mutation, but in fact, godly magic, and glamours were an effect of the mist. Hazel could do it pretty well, and she and Cinder spent a few minutes creating illusions. Nico was the son of Hades, which explained the if-you-touch-me-you-die vibe he was giving off to everyone except Will. Being the son of Apollo explained his healing skills, and glowing hair. 

Cinder spent the afternoon hanging around camp, letting Annabeth and Leo do their engineering magic. The horse man, who she learned was named Chiron, gave her a tour of the camp. She got to see the strawberry fields, rock climbing wall, which was harder than it looked, the forest, and unfortunately she met Mr. D. He was a combination of Thorne’s swagger, Adri’s condescension, but weird. 

Cinder let Leo teach her morse code, and immediately they began tapping out messages to each other. Despite her stress about the imminent war, and Scarlet being captured, being around these people her age, and even some younger kids, she managed to enjoy herself. She would be a little sad to go, but really there wasn't anything she could do about it. 

Chapter Text

Percy made Annabeth take a break from working, knowing she would overload herself. They walked around camp for a bit, then they headed to the infirmary. Annabeth was really quiet, and Percy knew it was because she was thinking about everything Cinder had told them. Percy didn't know a lot of things, but he knew Annabeth. They went to the infirmary for a bit, to see how things were going. Cinder was watching Wolf, pacing back and forth. She stopped in her tracks, seemingly startled by a picture on the wall, Rachel and Percy on the beach. 

She looked back at Wolf, worry in her eyes.

Percy watched Annabeth looking around the infirmary. They didn't go there often. It was really bright and warm, all of the Apollo kids’ magic. Wolf had an IV with sunlight, and a faint glow in his veins that Percy knew was pretty much the only thing keeping him alive. He’d seen Nico like this too many times. 

There were a few minutes of silence, the only sounds being chatter from outside, the fan, and breathing. It’s not like there was anything for them to talk about. 

Wolf jumped up, terrified and angry. He ripped the IV out and turned toward Cinder. 

Percy reached for Riptide, and Annabeth for her daggers. Cinder told them he was good, but just in case. That was smart, because he leapt at Nico, claws out, snarling. He grabbed Nico’s arm and flung him out of the way, looking at will. Nico summoned a shadow, always protecting his boyfriend over himself. 

Wolf must’ve been startled, because he ran for the door and out into the hallway. Percy heard someone scream, and summoned a wave to slam him against the wall. Wolf wasn’t malicious but he was dangerous. 

Cinder muttered some curse words under her breath, running after Wolf into the hall, Percy and Annabeth close behind

“Stars, I knew this would happen.” She closed her eyes, and Percy assumed she was doing her magic-y thing. He thought for a moment about how cool having magic was, before realizing most demigods had some form. 

Piper was talking to him, trying to use her charmspeak. 

“Hey, Mr. Wolf, calm down. You’re safe, you’re okay. Nobody is going to hurt you and we aren't dangerous.” Despite Piper being a very powerful charmspeaker, he wasn’t listening, just fighting the stream of water Percy was pushing against him. 

“You can set him down now. I’ve got his bioelectricity.” Cinder said. Stringing with the effort as Wolf stopped fighting. 

Percy let the water crash down, and watched Wolf slump against the wall. 

“Where’s Scarlet?” He growled. 

“Wolf…” Cinder trailed off, unsure.

“Where. Is. She.” His bright green eyes made Percy feel unnerved. 

“She’s- she was captured. She's with Sybil Mira. On Luna.” 

Wolf crumpled, sitting on the floor. 

“She’s probably still alive, though. They would kill her if they wanted information.”

Wolf shook his head. 

“You don't understand. They will torture her, do anything to get her to talk. It would be better if she was dead.” 

Percy thought about when Nico was trapped with the Giants, when he and Annabeth were in Tartarus, or how he felt when he had to save Annabeth from Atlas and Luke. If this Scarlet was Wolf’s girlfriend, he felt sorry for whoever captured her, because from what he could tell, he would destroy them. 

Just like how he had nearly destroyed Akhlys. He remembered the fear in Annabeth’s eyes, the disgust. 

Cinder was next to Wolf on the floor, trying to console him, but he was unresponsive. Percy was trying to think of a joke to lighten the mood, but Annabeth took his arm to gently lead him away, back into the room with Nico and Will.

“We should give them some space.”

Percy nodded, trusting Annabeth’s social skills more than his. 

Nico was clearly unamused with being attacked. 

“-told my dad to keep Thanatos from claiming him, and this is what i get? I should set my skeletons on him, the inconsiderate-”

“Nico, he couldnt have known. That was basically the same as your reaction the first time you were in here. Angry and scared. Hades, you punched me in the face!”

Nico glowered. He hated when Will was right. 

“Well, once he knows what’s going on he’d better be grateful.”

“Im sure he will be, Death Boy.”

Nico pretended to hate the nickname, and when Will ruffled his hair but everyone knew he secretly liked it. 

Chapter Text

“Wolf woke up?” Iko shouted, receiving Cinder’s comm. She messaged back immediately. -Is he okay?-

Cinder replied a minute later. -Inconsolable about Scarlet, and unresponsive. He was scared when he first woke up and hurt Nico. They both are okay, but I’m worried about Wolf.”

Iko could feel the demigods working on her engines.

Demigods. 

This was the greatest day of her life, except for the day when she got to meet Prince Kai. She was absolutely delighted to find out that there were types of magic other than the Lunar Gift. She really liked that kid Leo, he reminded her of Thorne. 

They’d talked a lot about mechanics and Leo was super impressed by her technology. He wanted to copy some of her programming to give to his robot dragon, oh yeah, he had a robot dragon. How cool was that? She tried to start a netlink, but the technology was incompatible with what they had, so she transferred it into a different format, copied that into Cinder’s brain, had her convert it, and send it back, so then Leo could plug in a tablet, which was similar to a portscreen. He had to adjust a few wires, and the plug wasnt compatible but he made an adapter then copied it over. 

Iko learned that Jason could fly, and he wanted to see her fly, but she was still broken. Something about the energy of Camp-Half Blood was off, and it was making her feel weird. She wondered if that was what it was like to be manipulated by a Lunar. 

As she and Leo were talking, and Annabeth and Percy came back, one of her sensors pinged. All of the sudden, there was a surge of energy, and she felt her engines sputter to life. 

Iko knew she didnt have inner ears, but she felt dizzy. Or at least, how she imagined being dizzy would feel. 

She heard the demigods talking. 

“Did anyone feel that?”

“Jace, was that you?”

“No, I dont know what that was.”

“Leo fixed it!”

“No I didn’t, half of these wires arent even plugged in.”

Iko told him a button to press and a controller to hold, and she lifted up. She heard cries out, presumably because they lost their balance. 

“Okay, set us back down now Leo. I dont know what that was, but it fixed me! I bet its because you fixed some of the wires.”

He lowered everyone back down, they had only flown a few feet up. 

Iko felt electricity surging through her, much more than normal. It felt weird.