Mending a prophecy, and other fate related shenanigans.

Crits and proficiencies.

No, but seriously, as someone who's studying music, the fact that Leo not only invents an instrument but plays it well enough that it appeals to Apollo, means he absolutely knows how to play. Like, that's luthier stuff.

So, the languages, I actually had to fix the known languages in the character sheets, bc there were some mistakes (Jason's character somehow couldn't speak common). Ask me how they all work!

There's a few things he learns over the course of their trek through the Snakewood forest, firstly, Valdez was nowhere near kidding when he said the place was full of snakes, secondly, fighting said snakes gets really annoying once you run out of spell slots and have to use a sickle and some darts, thirdly, Reyna's dice bag hangs from her left hand instead of the right.

It's a silly thing to focus on, he knows, but amongst the mental and physical exhaustion, it stood out to Nico. Mostly, though, it was the fact that they were trying to set up camp for a short rest, and so they all had their dice bags in sight.

Valdez even had taken the liberty of testing how serious the rolling for actions thing was, and the answer had been, strict but not unbendable. Apparently, if they could find a good enough argument for why something was a free move, they could then move freely; otherwise, they had to roll.

Not rolling had gifted Valdez a swirling black gash around his right arm like a brand. The cord of his bag had grown and twisted around it viciously, and Valdez had fallen to the ground with a wail.

Reyna and him had been both immobilized, and unable to tear their gaze. Later, Nico had burnt on of his spell slot on healing him back to full, but the mark persisted.

He conceded, if only to himself, that he was staring so much at the bag tied to Reyna's left wrist, because otherwise he'd keep looking at said mark. In his attempt at distracting himself, he looses track of the bard, which is still something he's mad over.

Like why does Valdez have to make the sensitive choice while still getting to pick something that fits him this well. Asshole even plays the instruments for real, Nico's sure, he heard about something called a Valdazinator while he was doing something for his father.

The singing was probably an ability exclusive to his in-game persona, though, because Valdez did a take back when he first tried it. Sort of like Reyna's newfound lion abilities, or Nico's acidic breathing, or the night vision all three of them gained.

Now isn't really the time to be letting his mind run circles like this though, and he's generally so good at keeping that in check that the length he's gone for surprises him. Frustrated, he sharply pulls a dice out of the bag and does a survival check, in order to set up camp.

The dice falls to the ground and rolls, stopping outside his viewing range, and glowing so bright he has to look away, it's disappeared by the time he can make himself look back.

Next thing he feels is a rising itch in his palms, that he tries to fight off by digging his claws in, but it spreads across his body, and then he sees it.

It's almost like the world opens up pop-up book style, the very trees moving out of the way, leaving a clearing with only just enough fallen branches and dried leaves to make a fire, and a climbable tree to use as outlook. Which would be perfect, if Nico didn't feel like his whole body had just been attacked by mosquitoes.

"Man, you just rolled a crit, are you good?"

His ears buzz with the voice, but as he blinks up towards Valdez, he feels the effects dissipate, leaving him a bit dizzy but otherwise ok. He's still glad that both Reyna and Valdez hover close, because he's worried about face planting on the ground.

"High rolls are the worst"

As expected, Valdez cracks at this, a surprised sort of laugh coming out of his mouth, and Nico realizes with a start, that it's only the second time he's heard it since Valdez came back. It's concerning, particularly with the way he returned to them.

The whole thing had been bothering him, Valdez' story had seemed perfectly in character if not for the part where he talked about Calypso joining the hunters. And he had looked just as nonchalant as he had sounded, which made no fucking sense.

Because Nico remembered Valdez' other return, the one after his extended leave during their quest, the one that left him distant and with a near-permanent far-off look on his eyes. It had been too familiar for comfort, back then, so Nico couldn't rationalize his actions now.

How could he be so unaffected by losing someone who had made such an impact on him?

A paw rests on his shoulder, and he jumps back on instinct, almost tripping like he feared, before it registers that it's Reyna's hand. He hopes to get over it just as strongly as he doesn't, does because Reyna thinking he's scared of her is stupid, doesn't because what if it ruins his demigod instincts?

Valdez takes a step back into the clearing.

"Well, my last survival check revealed some edible foraging, so you guys settle and I'll cook something up"

He twirls around removing his pack and pulling out a small brown satchel bag with a bright cyan and red pattern, the flap in particular looks like a sleeping face. And from inside that bag, he pulls an actual iron cast pot, an iron tripod for said pot, a wooden cutting board, a wooden cutting board, two very sharp looking knives, and an iron cast ladle with a wooden handle, and places it all atop a nearby boulder.

Then, as though to cover up the fact that he could cook, apparently, he grabs his dagger and lute, and heads into the thick. Nico exchanges a look with Reyna, which is also still weird because she had a lioness' face, though he supposed his lizard-like face is causing her similar issues.

Reyna helps him into the clearing and sits him against a tree, moving to make start setting up their camp, dice bag swinging from her wrist as she goes about it.

Valdez returns shortly, arms holding what looks like a giant snakeskin full of various roots, mushrooms, and plants. He also sets that on the boulder, Nico tries not to think about it too much, lest he offend their godly DM; though he has no qualms about Valdez.

"What are you doing?"

Valdez lets out a hum, seemingly thinking about something, before rummaging through his pack.

"I have this theory I want to test"

Immediately, Nico's eyes jump to the mark on Valdez' arm, a familiar anger coiling at his chest.

"Do you have a death wish?"

Valdez turns then, giving him the most infuriating grin, tiefling features barely changing his face from what it normally looks like.

"You gonna fulfil it cuvva?"

Whatever anger he had takes backstage to the sound of that word. Valdez says it like it's the most natural thing, like he doesn't realize what he's done.

He even looks at Nico curiously, like his reaction's what's out of place, then he turns to Reyna.

"myh, haf flvyrwzilv smiz xe'p wihulq, ruqmz?"

Reyna frowns.

"You're speaking gibberish again"

Valdez blinks, startled, then makes a face.

"Huh, so only English and Greek translate, good to know"

Shrugging, he moves to prepare the food, surprisingly, the dice bag never appears, which seems to be exactly what Valdez expected. And, as it turns out, Valdez can really cook, but Nico's not gonna feed his ego by admitting that aloud.