Don't Fear the Reaper

3) A Completely Healthy Mindset on Life

Nico had had a long life. 16 years old, plus however many had passed in that cured casino had left little joy in his life. He had lost his grandparents, his mother, Bianca, his friends, and then Hazel... he missed her more than he could bare. He only knew his sister for around a year before he had lost her, and not a single day had passed in the last two years that he hadn't thought of her.  

He couldn't go to either camp or the underworld without feeling like his chest would explode from the pain. He knew she was in a better place. Her and Frank were in Elysium with Jason, Piper, and the rest of the heroes that died in the wars. She was at peace. Maybe she had even managed meet his mother and they were watching him now... though he honestly hoped they weren't.

They would be disgusted by what he had become.

At first he only went on missions for the al Ghuls as a way to get by. It was hard to survive on his own and security cameras made it difficult to steal without risking his powers getting exposed. The al Ghuls had somehow found him and they treated him kindly. They told him about their mission and taught him their way of life. He thought he was doing good, even if it was through doing something bad. He only killed those who deserved it, the ones who were destined to go straight to the Fields of Punishment, and only a few.

Now... now he had nothing left to hold him back. No more family or real friends. His old friends were dead or they left him. He hadn't seen Percy since the last battle, and Annabeth went with him. Leo was in Texas somewhere, but he didn't need a son of Hades hanging around, bringing memories of the dead with him. He knew they were still alive, but they might as well have been ghosts like the rest of their friends— though at least he could summon a ghost. 

After Gaea was defeated, he stuck around for a few weeks. He recovered from his injuries and burned the shrouds of his fallen friends, asking his father for quick passage to their peaceful afterlives. He helped rebuild and ensured that the two camps would remain peaceful, but then he was gone. Reyna had all but begged him to stay. She offered him a room in her home. She told him he could be a senator of New Rome, but he wouldn't. He couldn't be at the camp his sister should have been able to grow up in. How was he supposed to live a peaceful life there, knowing that should have been hers? 

So he left. He went anywhere at first, but he wound up in the underworld. No one bothered him. His father tried at first, but he was still consumed by the loss of Hazel— even if she wasn't technically his  daughter. Persephone kept attempting to speak to him, but he had nothing to say. He had nothing to say to anyone. People tried to IM him at first, but he always swiped them away before they could actually reach him. He didn't need condolences and looks of pity. He didn't want he hear about their lives or how the rebuild was going. And he certainly didn't care about if they needed his help. He had given up too much already. What more could they want to take from him?

And then he got an IM from Talia al Ghul while he was distracted one day. She didn't offer him condolences or pity. She offered him something far better.

Something to kill.

A man in El Paso, Texas who killed his wife and children. A woman in Vlatavastok, Vlatava who kidnapped children for a human trafficking ring. A married couple in Madrid, Spain who ran a brothel that only offered children.

Each one bound for the Field's of Punishment. Each one reaped. 

Nico had become empty. His eyes, that had always been cold, had frozen over completely. His chest was hollow, but it didn't matter. There was no one left for him to hold there, so he let it grow cold.

"Reaper," a voice said from the other side of the door.

Nico had gotten shot 5 times while on his last mission, so he guessed it was a good thing that his associates had ways to fix the damage that was done. The burn of the Lazarus Pit was excruciating, but at least it felt like something. At least it proved he was still alive— even if 'alive' meant being a husk of who he used to be. 

Nico stood from the bed roll on the floor, silently crossing the room and pulling his mask up from around his neck, making sure it lay snuggly beneath his eyes before sliding the door open.

"I trust you rested well enough," Talia said, stepping into the room they had lent him.

He simply nodded.

Talia sat down on the edge of his desk. "And your wounds?"

Nico rolled his eyes, but still obliged, pulling his arm out of one of his sleeves and lifting his shirt to reveal the right half of his torso.

Her eyes found all five of the bullet hole marks amid his tapestry of scars before she gave a quick nod, telling him that he could return his shirt to normal.  she stood up and crossed to the closet in the room that he hadn't bothered to open, opting to keep all of his possessions in the small backpack that was at the end of his sleeping mat.

She pulled out a league issue uniform from the closet and handed it to him. He sent her a questioning look, but still took it from her before she turned around, giving him privacy to change.

He quickly put on the outfit, folding his only clothes and slipping them into his backpack before tapping the ground twice with his foot, signaling that she could turn around again.

"My son has requested that I contact you on his behalf," she said, eyes trained out the window. "He is loyal to his father, but I do not believe that it is a trap— however I am not willing to risk it. I will be sending you and two others to Gotham. They will state what they want to all three of you. If you deem it a worthy mission, then you may reveal yourself. If not, all three of you will leave together."

Nico hesitated for a long moment before giving a short nod. He knew that Damian was with his father, the Bat. The man had been on his trail for the last couple of years, but he doubted the teen would turn on him— he trained alongside Nico after all.

Talia turned to look at him, an almost fond look in her eyes. She had grown attached to him, but that was like he liked about her: no matter how attached she grew, he always knew where he stood. She did not think of him as a child or someone to protect. He was an asset, one she did not want to loose. It was always weighted— his worth dependent on however long he served a purpose— but it was dependable. He knew where he stood. She told no pretty lies about a mother's love or the possibility of family. All there was were the skills he had to offer and the ways she wished to use them.

"I already sent the other two ahead. They should be arriving in 15 minutes. You will meet them there." She began heading to the door before pausing and looking back at him. "Be careful. My Beloved tends to play mind games."

Nico gave another nod before watching the door close. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and mentally preparing for whatever he was about to do. Damian had taken on a different life, one without need for his specialty.

What does he want from me?

A/N: Nico's POV yay!!! I have opted to not do POV disclosures at the beginning of chapters because I want to work on making sure it's obvious through the text. This is just kinda my way of testing myself by judging how well I did based off of how many confused comments there are lol. It might be a little confusing later on, so if you feel like the chapters need them in the future, but lmk. 

Vote. Comment. Tell me some ideas for questions to ask in the future (I've done over 200 of these things so far and it's hard to come up with them every day lol).