Chapter Text
A loud beep from his pocket sent a shiver through Nico’s entire body.
That sound, he hadn’t heard that in… No, don’t think about that.
He was forced to do just that, as the numerous text messages he’d deleted confronted him. The small, hollow black text repeating itself over and over under every name hammered harder and harder each time. One in particular almost made him snap his phone shut, his hand already on the back.
He forced himself to read her name. I’m so sorry, Hazel… It had been so long since he’d last looked at them… Well, he hadn’t looked at them. Not even back then. It had been too painful. That’s exactly why he’d destroyed all evidence… Thank the Gods they’d all given up by now…
A wry smile spread on his face.
He quickly read the last message he got, the only one that had anything new to say. He rolled his shoulders, forcing them down. Easy enough, at least this wasn’t someone he actually cared about.
His smile turned even more wry as he read Logan’s address.
Took you long enough, rude jerk. He’d messaged him days ago. He sucked in his lips in shame. Right… He’d try to be a less glaring hypocrite next time… Another message came in right before he put his phone away.
[I'll try not to kiss you] Logan added.
Nico read that again. Then again. Uhhh…
[kill you] quickly came in after.
Oh .
[fucking autocorrect].
Nico snorted. [thanks either way] he replied. He added a thumbs up, grinning to himself.
The lights flickered. Damn, it was bright down here. He glanced up at the countdown clock hanging above the platform. Plenty of time until the next subway.
Without hesitation, he walked off the edge. He didn’t even hit the rails before the shadows swallowed him. The echo of a shocked, high pitched gasp followed him into them. It quickly got drowned out by the whispers breezing past.
He stepped out onto dew covered grass, upstate New York. He looked over at an old, but charming house standing amidst the large trees. Right at a rickety looking porch, right at a familiar face, blinking in surprise…
“Ha. You actually showed up…”. Logan pushed his elbows off the porch fence, slowly putting his phone away.
“You didn’t think I was serious?” Nico asked.
“Just can’t imagine you’re very excited about this. Or did you forget I have something to make up for?”. Logan grinned menacingly.
“Oh I didn’t forget. I’m counting on it” Nico responded calmly.
Logan grinned wider “Good”. He gestured at the door behind him. “I gotta get my stuff real quick and let my sister know what we’re up to”. Logan opened the door and looked at him.
Nico looked back at him.
Logan's look turned quizzical. “You’re not coming in?”.
Nico narrowed his eyes. “Sure...? Didn’t think you’d want me to” he shrugged.
Logan huffed. “I’m not that petty. If I was, I wouldn't have agreed to this in the first place!”. He seemed a little offended.
“ Alright, relax” Nico responded, stepping up on the porch. He walked through the door. Apparently it led to a kitchen.
A broad, athletic looking young woman stood at the counter top. Her black, wavy hair almost reached down to her shoulders. It bounced slightly as she hacked at the vegetables in front of her. She seemed a little lost in the task at hand, but quickly glanced around as Logan closed the door behind them.
“I thought you were talking to that cat again” she giggled, her bright blue eyes flashing from Logan to Nico. “But, you brought back another stray?” she asked. With a grin, she put down the knife and turned around, leaning against the counter. “Ooh, this one’s cute! ” she mused.
Nico felt his face heat up. “Hi, uh. I’m Nico”.
The young woman shot Logan a mischievous look. “So this is your new arch-enemy? Lucky you”.
Logan scowled at her.
She turned back to Nico. “Hi, Nico. I’m Gwen. Logan’s landlord”. She smiled wider, sticking up a hand. “And favourite sister”.
He returned a polite, hopefully not too awkward smile.
Logan escaped off into a hallway without a word, leaving Nico under Gwen’s very clearly entertained, scrutinizing gaze. He withered away a little, not sure what to say, nor what to do with his hands. He quickly hid them behind his back, glancing at the door. Man, he wished he’d stayed outside…
Gwen giggled quietly. “Don’t be shy. I don’t bite” she cooed.
Crap… Nico hissed in feigned regret, baring his teeth in an apologetic grin. “Sorry. I do”.
Gwen’s eyes lit up. “Aah~! Guess all the scary stories I heard about you were true!”.
Nico didn’t think he’d ever been relieved to see Logan again, but here they were. Nico eagerly followed when he opened the door.
“What are you guys up to?” Gwen asked with a swift, worried glance at Logan’s sword.
“Don’t worry” Logan assured. “I’m just going to beat him up”.
Nico rolled his eyes at his smug smile.
Gwen didn’t seem that impressed either. She met Nico’s eyes with a raised eyebrow. “Please, give him back to me in one piece this time, yeah?”. There was a hint of a warning in there.
Still, Nico couldn’t help but smile at the sound of Logan’s annoyed huff next to him.
Gwen grinned. “I love fixing people up, but today is my day off!”.
Nico blinked at her.
She grinned, pointing the tip of her knife to her face. “Nurse!” she explained happily.
He nodded at her as he stepped over the doorstep, hand over his heart. “I swear I’ll keep him out of trouble”.
She winked at him before going back to massacring her vegetables. “Thanks, Nicky~!”.
Great, another nickname…
They silently made their way around the house, all the way over to the edge of the woods.
Logan turned to him, scanning him without any expression. He cocked his head, eyes on Nico’s hip. Nico subconsciously raised his hand a little, running his fingers past the hilt of his sword.
“Right, I forgot. Even your sword is edgy” Logan grumbled. It was almost more of a question.
“Yeah. It's stygian iron. You know, from the underworld” Nico explained.
“Cool” Logan said, under his cold tone he seemed genuinely impressed.
Nico looked at his sword. Yeah . Kinda is.
“Has it got a name?” Logan asked. The slight condescending undertone exposed an ulterior motive.
“Nope. Never bothered. Doesn’t need one, anyway” Nico replied.
That was more than half true. Nico had never bothered. He still liked ‘Specter’, just not the painful memories of the voice that used to say that name… That aside, he never would have willingly given Logan something to make fun of anyway.
He took a quick look at Logan's standard issue xiphos, hanging lazily in his hand. A mean, sharp little edge curled up at the corner of his mouth. “I’d ask you the same, but seeing how basic yours is, I don’t even need to” he scoffed, turning it around.
Logan flung it up and pointed it at him in a halfhearted threat. “Watch what you say about Stabigail” he warned with a grin.
Nico snorted, then quickly hid his mouth behind his fist. Damn it. He’d hoped it had been something a little more unintentionally funny…
“She might be a basic bitch, but she’s all I need. Anything fancier would be wasted on me anyway. This has got to be Stabigail the seventh”. Logan paused, lowering her just a bit. “Maybe the eighth…?”.
Nico could see him go over the entire, most likely violent, history of Stabigail’s lineage.
“Point is, swords don’t last long around me” Logan finally concluded.
“Weird flex, but alright…” Nico shrugged, back to an acceptable level of frost.
Logan narrowed his eyes, Nico got ready for a snide remark. “So, you're more of a defensive guy right? Seeing as you've got all that long range emo magic to work with”.
Nico tried to keep a poker face. “Yeah” he bluffed.
Logan nodded. “We'll work from there”. He looked at him expectantly. “Go ahead. Get ready” he beckoned with his sword.
Nico did, slowly, poker face still going strong under Logan's scrutinizing watch. Damn… Why did it suddenly feel like he didn't know anything about swordfighting? He never really thought about any of this that much before, he just did it… “There” he stated, with much more certainty than he felt.
Logan snorted, making a show of switching his sword to his right hand. Nico clicked his tongue. Arrogant asshole. There was no way he'd let him-!
In a flash Logan had grabbed his wrist and stuck the point of his sword inches from his throat. “Don't lean forward, keep the tip of your sword on your opponent's face at all times and keep your hands close to your body…” he summed up, letting go of him. “You're offering up pretty much all possible openings. This is beginner level shit…” he complained.
Nico huffed in embarrassment. Guess he really was much worse than he thought… “Yeah… Well… Usually I don't have to worry about any of that. I just chuck zombies at the problem until it goes away… Has worked pretty well so far…” he defended.
Logan pursed his lips, barely suppressing a laugh, then pointed his sword at him accusatorily. “Don't brag about being spoiled... Just do what I tell you” he ordered.
Nico frowned. He wasn't trying to… Yeah, alright. Fair. He looked at Logan's posture and went over the notes. He stood up straight, tilted his sword forward and turned sideways a bit.
Logan seemed happy enough. “See? Now I actually have to move to get to your vitals. That should at least give you some time, maybe even an opening”.
Ha…
“You ready?” Logan asked.
Nico nodded. He gripped his sword. Logan stepped forward, hooked his lower leg behind Nico's knees and shoved him over before Nico had time to react. He held on to Nico's shirt, suspending him about a foot above the ground. Nico looked up into another unimpressed expression.
“I'm going to need a little more reaction from you than that…”. Logan pulled him back to his feet in one hard tug on his shirt, causing him to almost topple forward.
Nico scowled. “I thought we were swordfighting”.
Logan glared at him. “Why would I only use my sword? Real fights don't have rules. People are going to throw everything they’ve got at you. You have to be ready for anything” he responded.
Nico thought back to their fight on the hill. He’d thought it was over when Logan lost his sword back then and almost got decked in the face right after. The bruises on his arms had reminded him of that fumble for two full weeks after…
“Try again” Logan beckoned.
“Alright” Nico grumbled through his teeth. He watched Logan carefully until-!
He blocked his sword, barely in time.
“Better”. Logan pulled back.
Damn ri-!
Logan’s sword stabbed forward and stopped right in front of his nose, making him take a step back. “Don’t get cocky! Get back in position as soon as you can”.
Nico did, trying not to grumble. He didn’t need to grumble, anyway. He’d just figured out Logan’s tell. Back in his spot, he glanced down, ready.
Logan inched his right foot closer.
Nico was already at him, sword ahead.
Logan grabbed his arm, pulling it past him. He slapped Nico on the throat with the flat of his blade. “Dead” he declared coldly. He tossed Nico’s arm back at him. “You fell right for it! There’s no way I could’ve gotten a good hit in from all the way over there. If you want to go on the offensive, you can’t be so antsy about it”.
Nico rubbed his throat, hiding a cough. He’d just stick to defense… For now.
After what felt like a lifetime Nico finally managed to block Logan’s swings and dodge his stabs somewhat consistently. Consistently enough, it seemed.
“You try to get me this time” Logan ordered, barely even looking at him.
The clear disrespect helped ease Nico’s nerves. He fought the urge to just chuck a zombie at him, swinging his sword instead. As he’d expected, Logan blocked it easily with his own. What he hoped Logan hadn’t expected was a kick in the leg!
Sadly, he had. Nico managed a good hit, but didn’t get him to move an inch. A vice grip tightened around his ankle. Their eyes met.
“Aim lower next time” he was told.
Crap…
With an annoying chuckle, Logan pulled him right on his ass.
Nico sighed out all the emotional pain. Why did he come here again? Did he really need to do this? A hand in front of his face stopped his downward spiral. He looked up, ready for another smug expression.
“C’mon, don’t make me wait” Logan complained, surprisingly serious.
Oh.
Nico took his hand. Back to his feet, he prepared himself once again. This position still didn’t feel natural… His mind worked overtime.
He swung. Blocked.
He kicked lower. Miss.
That was fine, that wasn’t what he was going for anyway. What he was going for, was an opening. As fast as he could, he pulled back his sword and swung harder. He smiled as he managed to disarm Logan.
“Not bad!”.
His smile strained as Logan’s hand closed around his wrist, twisting it and almost making him drop his own sword. Nico grasped at his fingers, trying desperately to pry them open. No such luck.
Logan shook his head in feigned regret, twisting his wrist further without any issue. “Wrong choice~” he mused as he made Nico let go of his sword with a painful hiss. He reached over and pulled hard on Nico’s free wrist, tearing it away with embarrassing ease.
They glared at each other over both Nico’s tightly confined hands.
“I have the clear upper hand here… You should have gone for a counter attack”. His expression turned more scrutinizing. “I'm right in front of you! Openings all over! You don’t even know how to throw a punch?”.
Nico tried not to look away in shame. He bit into his scowl, forcing it into a stoic stare. Logan let go, looking him over thoughtfully. He took a deep breath and beckoned at him. Nico straightened up, not entirely sure what to do.
“I'll give you the first hit” Logan clarified, smiling suspiciously smugly.
Nico clenched his teeth.
Logan cocked his head. “Whenever you're-”.
Nico cut him off with a fist, going right for his, unremarkable, sharp jawline. Logan caught it before it landed, keeping it in a tight grip.
“Aha! You're learning” he mused, not even remotely less smug.
Nico clenched his teeth harder. Damn right he was! He flung his other-!
His left hook got caught just as easily as the right…
“ Now what are you going to do?” Logan asked, grinning deviously. He tightened his grip on Nico's hands painfully hard.
It was really hard to think like this.
Logan moved closer. “Too late” he taunted.
He swept his feet out from under him, still not letting go. Nico's back hit the ground with a smack against the wet grass. He couldn't suppress a surprised gasp, making Logan snicker. A little bit closer by than he'd like… Logan had him pinned down on the ground, both hands firmly around Nico's forearms by now. They wouldn't move even an inch. He struggled under Logan's weight. Nico watched his eyes flicker with excitement. He was clearly enjoying this a little too much…
“I thought you said you were gonna try not to kiss me” Nico scoffed, trying to jerk his arms free one last time.
Irritation mixed with excitement, turning Logan's grin almost wicked.
“C'mon. Trash talk isn't going to get you out of this. You've got to be a little more creative” he scoffed. He moved one hand to Nico's throat, squeezing threateningly.
You also said you were gonna try not to kill me, you dick!
Nico grasped at his hand, uselessly . He wouldn't be able to get a good hit in either… Too far away and not nearly enough room.
“Find an opening” Logan demanded, squeezing tighter.
Alright, jerk. Whatever you say.
Nico dug his heels in and pushed himself upward, causing Logan to lose some balance. He used the opening to quickly knee him in the crotch, making him wince. Nico threw him off and grabbed his sword. He got to one knee and held it under Logan's chin, raising it to force his eyes on him.
“Ha!” Nico huffed out.
He prepared himself for Logan's angry outburst. It was a no-show. “Wow! Straight up evil!” he laughed. “ Way better!”.
Oh.
Nico grinned back at him.
Loud clapping coming from the side caught both their attention. A young man with short, brown curly hair walked up to them. His wide grin added to Nico’s suspicion he’d been watching for a while. Nico met his mahogany brown eyes. The man held up a hand, still walking closer.
“Hi. Mark” he offered short and effective.
“Hi. Nico” Nico managed back before Mark stopped and nudged Logan in the shoulder with his shoe.
“Gwen says it’s time to come home”.
Nico looked down at Logan, finally moving his sword away. He got to his feet and offered a hand. Logan took it, still grinning. The sunlight hit his dog tag as Nico pulled him up, making it glimmer. Apparently it had slipped out from under his shirt. Nico noticed something in the small metal text. Without thinking about it he reached for it and held it up slightly.
“Samantha…?” He asked.
Mark hissed. Nico saw him suck in his lips and quickly look at Logan, then at Nico. Crap. He felt the tension rise quickly.
“My mother” Logan said. The coldness in his voice and expression did not match the flames in his eyes.
Right. “I heard she passed away...”. Nico let go of the tag. “My mother died young too… It's rough, huh?” he asked.
Logan's expression softened. A hint of unease shone through. “Yeah. Thanks.”. He held onto his dog tag absentmindedly. “Sorry about your mom” he added, avoiding Nico's eyes and settling on Mark instead.
Mark seemed to freeze up a little, a slightly forced smile making its way across his face. He quickly looked away from Logan, at Nico. “Are you staying for dinner?”.
Nico didn’t even have time to breathe. “No!” he stumbled. “Uh, thanks!” he stumbled on.
“Oh…!” Mark responded, taken aback. “Okay…!”.
Nico quickly sheathed his sword, ready to make his escape. He rolled his shoulders and turned back to Logan, for what would hopefully be the final awkward interaction of the day.
‘ Thank you for your help’. Come on, it’s not that hard!
His jaw wouldn’t unclench enough to allow him to say it anywhere near convincingly. Guess unconvincingly would have to do...
“Th-”.
The words got stuck behind his teeth as Logan suddenly got right up in his face, staring deeply in his eyes.
“While you were glaring at me earlier, I wondered…” he started, threateningly low and quiet.
Nico prepared himself, for anything.
“Are your eyes actually solid black?” Logan finally asked.
Anything except that , apparently.
The way the sun hit Logan's eyes almost made the amber colour glow. When he didn't look so pissed off, they were actually kinda-! Stop it! No they aren't.
“No, very dark brown” Nico replied, almost choking on his own breath.
Logan cocked his head just a bit. “Never seen that before… They're even darker than Yan's”. He turned halfway and took out a cigarette.
Nico blinked. Guess he'd won their sudden staring contest? He shook off the nerves, feeling more than a little annoyed now. Screw Logan and his emotional warfare. Was this another ‘lesson’?
“You have those soul stabbing type of eyes” Logan chuckled, inhaling a drag from his cigarette.
Great , Nico just loved being thought of as creepy. It's not like that was a sore spot or anything. You know what? Good. He didn't mind scaring him. He was about to tell him so.
“That's pretty dope” Logan added begrudgingly. He seemed to mean it.
Nico didn't know what to say to that. He didn't really know what to think of it. “Uh…” was his first try. “Thanks” he tried a little harder. “For your help today, I mean…”.
Logan glanced back, completely serious again. “Sure”. He started wandering off, back towards the house. “Bye” he blew out in a stream of smoke.
“Bye…” Nico muttered back. At his pace he wouldn’t hear him anymore anyway. There was no way he was going to shout after him…
“Don’t take it personally” Mark started apologetically. “He’s, uh… He’s always like this… Lately ”.
Nico put up his hands, waving for him to stop. “I’ve heard, yeah. But I do have a talent for getting on his nerves. I can't seem to stop doing it either…” he chuckled bitterly.
Mark seemed confused. “What? This is the best mood I’ve seen him in days ”.
Nico blinked at him.
“He probably likes you” Mark teased. “Don't tell him I said that…” he added, all the previous glee out of his voice.
“He hates my guts. I promise” Nico scoffed.
“Yeah, right” Mark replied, voice low with sarcasm. “If that was true he'd have bitten off your fingers back there. He lets no one touch his mom's tag. Not even Gwen!”.
Nico thought about it. Whatever was going on, ‘ like’ was definitely the wrong word. The nicest way to describe their dynamic was that they tried to tolerate each other. And only since today, honestly… He’d just gotten lucky. If he had anything to do with Logan’s ‘good’ mood today, it was probably just the prospect of strangling him.
Nico felt a faint humourless grin curl up as he swallowed, still able to feel the tight grip around his throat all the way down. That fucking psycho... “Sure, Mark” he tossed out dismissively.
Mark held up his hands in defeat.
Nico took a step back. “Say bye to Gwen for me”.
Mark stuck up a thumb. “Sure thing! Goodbye, Nick!”.
Nico grinned through the frustration of yet another nickname. These people really were family…
He held up a hand as he slipped into the shadows. Well, whatever Logan’s problem was, it wasn’t Nico’s to deal with anymore.
The whispers stopped as he stepped out onto very sandy, rocky ground. He took in the warm, reddish orange all around him. Rocky walls scaled far into the sky. The dry, torrid heat was almost unbearable. So… How could there be a rainbow right in front of him? So close by too… He looked closer, right into Chiron’s forced smile.
“ No!” Nico said sternly.
Chiron’s forced smile turned into a painfully apologetic grimace.
“No… Please…” Nico pleaded to any God listening.