madness and ecstasy // leo valdez

-memories bring back memories bring back YOU-

"I know you said you weren't hungry," Jason said, "but do you want some hot chocolate?"

Nico turned away from the wheel, his eyes narrowed like Jason was about to poison him with the mug he held out. It was sort of funny, in a traumatising way, considering only a few days before Nico had been the one offering him poison.

Maybe Nico figured since Jason had downed the acidic liquid from the chalice without a second thought, he owed it to him.

Either way, the son of Hades took the hot chocolate and sipped it. "...Thank you."

"All good," Jason said. He pulled his purple bomber jacket, which was really Frank's, further around himself. It was cold outside. The wind had picked up a little after the sun set, but Leo had still turned the outside lights on, and everyone had gathered on the lower part of the deck to eat the last of the cinnamon rolls.

He knew Nico would probably just glare at him and then leave, or maybe tip his drink over Jason's head, but he still asked. "Uhm... are you okay?"

"What," Nico said. He was on high alert already, like the a flick of a switch. Jason could see it in the tense way he stood and how his eyes flicked to the door back into the cabins on the lower deck.

Jason shrugged. "I'm just... checking in."

"Well don't," Nico snapped, looking away.

Jason watched him. He knew that Nico had gone through so much, too much. He didn't think he deserved friends anymore, or he thought that no one would want to be his. It was pretty obvious.

Jason just nodded. "Okay, then."

He went back down to his other friends, wishing there was a way he could show Nico that they didn't hate him, they weren't going to throw him off the boat or kick him out of their camps once this stupid quest was over.

There wasn't a lot he could do though, Jason knew, apart from offer hot chocolate and be there.

It was a bit infuriating.

"Dude, how cool would an arm that shoots lasers be?" Percy called with a grin, his head in Annabeth's lap.

Jason frowned. "I don't think that's very safe-"

"Buzzkill," Piper hissed, and patted the spot next to her. Jason sat down, taking a cinnamon roll from Leo while there was still some left. He made a mental note to add them to the shopping list on the fridge when he was back inside. Everyone seemed to be loving them.

Leo turned to Annabeth, "yo, you know that thing Iron Man has? The uh... like the floating screens, the ones you can type on and shit?"

"Yes," Frank said around his cinnamon roll.

"Vaguely," Annabeth said. She was brushing her hair again, for the tenth time. It'd become a nervous habit, obviously, but it was better than punching walls. The door to Percy's cabin was spotted with holes. They were quickly running out of ambrosia and nectar for his knuckles. "Malcom tried to make one once, but he just burnt his eyebrows off."

Leo grinned, "how would you feel about shooting them out of your fingers?"

Annabeth grinned just as manically. "What?"

He smiled. They were such dorks.

As they babbled on about pens you could fit in your rude finger, and if you could have LED lights for arteries, he looked up to the wheel, where Nico stood watching them out of the corner of his eyes.