Chapter Text
Nico went white
“What? What’s wrong?” Will glanced frantically around, looking for a monster to jump out from behind a taxi, “Do we need to shadow travel?”
Nico shook his head silently and sank down on to the bench, keeping out of the way of the crowds that were forming outside of the Empire State Building. They had traveled into the city to visit Olympus, and just their luck some famous mortal had showed up. The building was surrounded by paparazzi and news outlets, meaning if all Hades broke loose his job was going to be a thousand times harder.
“It’s just that-“
The sudden shouts of the press cut him off. They were chasing whoever had just left the building, camera flashes illuminating the entire block. “Great,” Will muttered under his breath looking for an easy way out. He did not want to get in between journalists and their story especially if the mist was hiding something and the “celebrity” turned out to be something he had to kill. He glanced back towards the stampede and finally saw what all the fuss was about.
“It’s Captain America! Wasn’t he recently un-frozen?” one person called from the crowd. Will stood on tiptoe, trying to see over the mob in front of him. He looked down at Nico who appeared to be on the verge of either passing out or hysterics which scared him more than any potential creature. “Hey you okay? You look more dead than normal.” The question, or maybe the teasing, jarred Nico back to his senses. He lept up and took Will’s hand.
“Come on we need to go,” he said trying to pull away. A familiar voice made him stop.
“Nico?” The Captain had reversed directions, now heading towards them in a last ditch attempt to hail a taxi before he was overrun. Nico spun around and looked up at the figure of a much bigger Steve Rogers.
He said the first thing that came to his mind which unfortunately was, “Wow you're huge.”
Steve chuckled. “I’m well aware. And uh- apparently, you’re still alive?” He glanced back at the advancing journalists. “I suggest you explain how later, let’s go.”
The taxi was on its way to Stark tower, the trio having narrowly managed to avoid the mob. Unfortunately, the taxi also smelled like old cigarette smoke and mildew. It almost made him miss shadow travel. Nico and Steve were in a deep conversation that Will couldn’t even begin to understand and had something to do with swing music and Uncle Sam.
“Will one of you fill me in to what in Hades is going on?” he asked taking care not to brush any of the trash that lay strewn about the backseats. Startled by the interruption, Steve broke off and flashed and apologetic smile.
“Sorry, I should have introduced myself. I’m Steve Rogers.”
“Ya I know that. I’m Will Solace,” he narrowed his eyes, “How do you know my boyfriend?”
Steve looked confused for a moment and then gaped, looking back and forth between the two of them “No. Way.” he gasped, punching Nico lightly on the arm and breaking into a huge smile.
Nico blushed and with a sly smile kissed Will full on the mouth. Will spluttered. “I appreciate the gesture, but I still want an explanation!”
Nico rolled his eyes. “Ignore Will. He’s so demanding.”
“HEY!”
Steve burst out laughing watching the two of them bicker, but this time the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Let’s get back to the tower and we’ll explain.”
“It still won’t be any less confusing,” the cabbie warned. Will made eye contact with him in the rear view mirror and then did a double take. Was that Stan Lee?
Steve led them to one of the upper floors of the tower, having to practically drag the two away from a discussion with Tony about his latest robot weapon and its practical applications for large scale battles. He had been too afraid to ask why they were so interested. He had no idea what the hell was going on either, or what had will said? Hades? Nico had just as much explaining to do as he did, especially because he didn’t look like he had aged more than a few years. He looked happier though, more like a typical teenager than the somber child he had known years before. Though in retrospect everything was brighter now than in the 40’s.
“Do you guys want something to drink?” he asked awkwardly as they gathered around the kitchen table, “We have some sodas somewhere.” he dug through the fridge being careful not to even breathe on Nat’s food. Her booby traps were hard core and he preferred to keep all of his fingers. He had almost died too many times to get injured in such a spectacularly stupid way. He carried the drinks back towards the table. Nico and Will were slouched over but perked up when they saw him coming.
“Sweet! Caffeine delivery has arrived. I could still use some ambrosia though. Uh, I mean…” Will faltered
Steve looked at him quizzically but ignored the comment. “ So,” he said with a long breath, “Where do you want me to start?”
“Let me tell him how I got separated first,” Nico said. “Ok so Will You know how Bianca and I were at the lotus hotel right? Through WWII until we ended up at the boarding school and Percy found us. Well before that we lived in Italy and then my mom and Bianca and I were in Washington D.C. for a few weeks after the war got worse. When she died Bianca and I were sent to live in New York for a few weeks.”
Will squeezed his hand under the table. Nico talked about the past as little as possible- understandable as far as Will was concerned. He would do the same if he had been forced to grow up fast and then lose his entire family. He looked up expected Steve to be doing the sad-adult-pity face, and was pleasantly surprised he wasn’t. He’d lost people too, he guessed.
“Anyway, right before we left for Las Vegas we snuck out to do some errands and I got separated from Bianca. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem but I happened to get lost on the exact street where the angry cyclops was.”
“What?” Steve spluttered. “I thought you were being robbed!”
Nico rolled his eyes “ apparently even Captain America can’t see through the mist.”
Will snorted and the seeing Steve’s confusion said, “I promise its only slightly crazy. Nico go on.”
“Anyway so I had no idea had to fight and I was planning on just trying to outrun it. And then I heard this idiot over here yelling,” he said shooting a glance at Steve. “He wasn’t that much bigger than I was and yet he was risking his stupid life to protect me from- wait what did you think it was? a robber?”
Steve grumbled looking slightly pale. “Well I didn’t know it was some sort of monster!”
“Well I’m glad you did get involved, I’d probably be dead otherwise,” he turned his attention back to Will. “So he comes over yelling and making a huge scene. He threw a rock at it and I guess the cyclops decided we weren’t worth it.” he said with a shrug
Steve was frowning hard now looking at Nico “So that’s just normal? for- whatever you two do?”
Will barked out a laugh “ It gets a lot worse than that dude. Be glad the cyclops didn’t have any friends.”
“As I was saying,” Nico said clearing his throat and glaring at Will. “He drove it off and I was just sitting there crying still looking around for Bianca.”
“Well you were just a kid! of course you were upset.” Steve said still in disbelief and shaking his head. He looked between the two of them, extremely confused but also calculating, trying to piece the story together as he was telling it.“ Anyway after whatever the thing was ran away I tried to calm him down, but he just kept mentioning Bianca and panicking.”
“We were inseparable” Nico said, trying to explain and with a sad smile, “I was afraid she had run into trouble too or that it would find her. Not to mention we weren’t supposed to be outside and Hades-my dad” he explained to Steve, “would have been furious.” Will tried to imagine Hades taking out his anger on a six year old. It made him want to punch someone. Preferably Hades himself.
“Which was understandable except I didn’t know she was your sister!” Steve said with a grin, “I thought she was just some random girl. I finally asked what she looked like because I wanted to help you find her.” He shook his head at Nico pretending to be angry but failing miserably- he and Nico were already smiling remembering what happened next. “You made me feel like a fool! I asked ‘Do you like her?’ I was just trying to get any information out of him, make him calm down.”
“Oh I wish I could have seen my face-I was flabbergasted. I said ‘No its my sister! and I don’t like girls!”
Steve laughed. “I think at that point we were both gaping at each other. I was still panicking and said the first thing I could think of which happened to be ‘Don’t worry. I like girls, but boys too.’”
Will almost did a spit take with his soda. “Captain America is gay?!”
“Well bi actually but yes.”
“No way! So do you have a boyfriend?” he asked glancing eagerly up at him. “Is he an Avenger too?”
Nico kicked him under the table causing Will to blush and then angrily kick back.
“Uh- sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” he stammered
“No, it’s okay” Steve said, dismissing his apology with a wave of a hand. “ To answer your question I did, but he died a long time ago.
“Oh. I’m sorry.” There was a pause of uncomfortable silence. He turned and looked at Nico, wondering if he had also met him. He shifted in his seat. “Um, so what happened afterwards? You remembered Nico after all this time just because you saved him?”
“No we crossed paths a few more times after that, I always made it a point to say hi.”
“We weren’t really friends, he was more like a parental figure I guess?” Nico explained
“Yeah, I remember coming to visit you once in the hotel. But there wasn’t that much time, you left for Las Vegas soon after and then I joined the army and became a super soldier. The rest is just like the news reported- trapped in ice, WWII and all that. Actually not really at all like the news reported, but you get the idea."
“And you got a sweet new body” Nico said under his breath. This time it was Will that did the kicking.
“Yeah that too,” Steve said with a smile, “though it’s really not worth all the trouble.” He got up to refill their drinks. “Does that answer at least some of your questions Will?”
“I guess” he said massaging his head, “I suppose that means it’s our turn to explain.”
“The floor is yours” Steve said with a sweep of his arm.
“Well you know those Greek myths?” Nico asked.
“Yes?”
“Uh, well they’re not myths- they’re true. There’s a bunch of demigod kids I’m one of them- son of Hades, Will’s a son of Apollo.”
Nico and Will took turns back and forth, explaining the Lotus hotel and Nico’s apparent time travel, battles, camp half blood, and Kronos, and Gaea, and the Romans. Halfway through Steve got up to stretch shaking his head and bringing back snacks. By the end of it Steve sat stone-faced, occasional sipping from his now mostly flat soda. The boys too were drained, they hadn’t been forced to re-live everything that had happened the past few years in such detail.
"Do you- do you believe us?” Nico asked hesitantly.
“Yeah I do.” Steve said reassuring them, “I mean it’s weird but I guess Thor’s a god, right? And I know he exists. I just can’t believe they have children doing this.”
“Not really like we have a choice. I personally enjoy my continuing existence,” Will said.
“Exactly my point. You’re being forced to do your parents work, and they clearly don’t care about your safety,” he said angrily.
“That’s not entirely true” Nico said trying to explain. “We can intercede where the gods can’t, and while some are awful parents you also can’t say they don’t care.”
“And look what you’ve done. You fight because you have to, you didn’t get much of a say in it either.” Will added.
Steve rolled his eyes and sighed. “Of course I did. I literally signed up.”
“No,” Nico said quietly, silencing the argument abruptly. “Don’t delude yourself Steve. You’ve been a pawn too. And paid dearly for it.” he added. Will had looked up at Nico’s change in tone and then realized that Nico was beginning to do what he called the “death scan look,” making Will wonder what information was about to be dug up.
Steve shifted awkwardly in his chair. “Fine. But I want to help you guys out.”
“That’s not a good idea…” Nico started
“Of course it is. You guys were all over Tony’s weapons, they could obviously be of use.”
“The weapons? Maybe. You guys? No- you can’t see through the mist. It would be like the cyclops all over again.”
“But I thought you said the gods are linked to mortal conflicts. That means it probably affects what we fight too. We don’t have to completely understand what’s going on to punch it.”
Will high-fived Steve across the table, scattering food wrappers in the process. “Dude’s got a point," he said, grinning. "That needs to be our new motto. ‘punch first think later’”
Nico sighed. “I suppose, but don’t let Annabeth hear you say that.” He drummed his fingers on the table thinking for a moment. “The problem is we have no idea to what extent and how combined mythical and mortal fighting would work. And not only that but we’re not the only demigods. The Romans and Egyptians have them too.”
Steve leaned back in his chair. “Fine no fighting. For now,” he said with a pointed look at Nico. “You mentioned Annabeth? And a bunch of others? do you think it’s possible to call a meeting to compare notes and see how to best help each other?”
“That’s doable. I’ll ask Chiron.”
“Then it’s settled. I’ve also decided that from now on Avengers tower is going to be a demigod flophouse. Do you think I can announce that too?”
“What?” Nico asked confused just as Natasha walked into the Kitchen. She rolled her eyes at Steve’s comments, setting the glass she had just grabbed down on the counter with a thunk.
“I see you’re turning into Batman with the whole taking in kids thing.”
“Yep!” Steve said brightly ignoring her jab. “You two are staying for dinner, right? I think Nat’s making perogies.”
“Only if you do the dishes” she said before breezing back out of the room to talk to Tony.
“Sweet!” Will said before Nico could stop him, “Can she teach us spy-stuff? I wanna prank the Hermes kids for once.
“Have fun with that. I don’t want to start an inter-house war.”
"It would almost be worth the retribution.” he said dreamily.
Dinner was delicious, though Natasha had staunchly refused to help the boys plan pranks, much to their dismay and Steve’s amusement. At the end of the evening they prepared to head back to camp despite Steve’s repetitive attempts to get them to stay. Will was gathering their bags (a.k.a. annoying Natasha) when Steve approached Nico. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“No promises,” Nico replied with a smile. “If it makes you feel better I’ll send Annabeth and her boyfriend Percy to meet with you before any demigod-wide discussion takes place. I’d leave you their numbers but we can’t really use cell phones.” he said ignoring Steve’s confusion. “Anyway they’ve been doing this stuff longer. And Annabeth is scary smart, if anyone can help make connections throughout this mess it’s her.”
Steve scrawled their names down on a piece of paper near the phonebook. A phonebook? “Bet that will be an interesting conversation,” he said looking back at Nico and capping his pen. “Thanks for the info.”
“And thank you for dinner.”
“No worries. Just looking out for another boy from Brooklyn.”