Nico Di Angelo: Death, Fear, and New Siblings

I do not own Percy Jackson as a series or as a character. PJO and HOO belong to Rick Riordan

Nico's Pov

I am Nico di Angelo, Son of Hades, Hero of Olympus. Right now I'm on the Argo 2. The Giants are back in Tartarus. Some how Percy, Annabeth, Reyna and Frank managed to get both Greek and Roman Demigods back on the same side. The Roman half of the celebrating is just finishing up in New Rome, and Leo is taking some of us back to get ready for the Greek Party at Camp Half-blood. But none of that matters to me right now, I grew up a lot during the Giant war and there is only one thing I have to do to be free of the fear that has ruled me since I learned I was a Demigod. The problem is that if confessing my secret to myself was the hardest thing I'd ever done than this would be the second, telling Percy. That's why Jason was here, though his excuse was to be with Piper. I needed something that prevented me from backing out. All three of them Jason, Percy and Annabeth said they would meet me in Cabin Thirteen first thing when we got to camp, sure I could have used shadow travel to get there early and prepare but I was afraid, afraid that if I was left to myself I would chicken out of this. So there I stood a dark, moody Demigod watching the sky and thinking about everything I'd been through, everything my latest journey had taught me: about my self, about my heritage, about my powers, and most of all about my feelings. I felt as though I had a new perspective on life, the things that made me what I had been during the Titan war no longer held me back, well almost. Most significantly, though no one really knew yet. I had gained a level of control over my powers that no demigod alive possessed, I mean I'm not as strong of will as Percy, or as sharp of wit as Annabeth, and I certainly can't shape shift like Frank, but I finally understood the true applications of my abilities, Umbra kinesis, shadow travel, undead control and summoning, most of all fear. My thoughts were interrupted as Festus roared, spewing fire across the sky. Leo's way of telling us and everybody in a hundred miles that we were home, the triumphant Heroes.

"I don't know exactly what to say here, and I'm no good at speaking to the living, so I'm just going to talk and you need to listen alright, I promise there is a point here." I said to Percy and Annabeth in my cabin not ten minutes later. " There is something I need to do, something I have to tell you."

" You can tell us anything Nico, we are your friends right?" Annabeth said.

" That's what I told him when I found out!" Jason said

" Not that you have anything to do with this." I reminded him.

" Than what is he doing here then?" Percy asked confused. I really didn't want to get on a tangent right now. I ignored him.

"I learned a lot during the war, about myself." I started. " During my time in Tartarus I was put close to death, I was reminded of the connection between death and fear, something that until recently I knew but never really understood. And I had to face it all without the one I loved." I didn't have to look up to know that Percy thought I was referring to Annabeth of all people. I continued. " Then when I managed to get out I was forced into a group, forced to rely on others, something I have hated. My morals were challenged. After we got the Athena Parthenos, my feeling were pushed to their limit. I lost you two, and I knew were you were, and the hell you were facing. As I was about to lose hope I remembered who I was. The Ghost King, I had forgotten, after all the people who didn't understand it's meaning constantly using my title, what it truly meant." I looked up not at anyone in particular, I was very careful of that. " You remember right? Your Prophecy? The one from The Labyrinth. You will rise or fall by The Ghost King's hand. That's what it said. But what it meant was that you would live or die based on if I had the courage to be there for you. Sitting on the deck of the Argos I decided what I had to do. I would pull you from the Doors of Death, and maybe I wouldn't be seen as the hero at the end, but that was fine as long as I was still standing there in the shadows waiting until I was needed again. It didn't matter that I still had to rely on others, because someone was relying on me. Some people call Tartarus hell. They are wrong, my confrontation with Cupid was a thousand times worse. But it didn't matter, in my heart I knew what he wanted from the beginning, for me to face my fears, confront my emotions, admit how I really felt, and I would do it. It's not like I didn't know what my emotions were, and no matter how hard it was, you needed me, you needed me to get the staff,  the staff only cupid could give me. After facing him it even made sense that he would have a weapon for controlling the dead. During that fight I was shown how truly powerful a weapon fear is, and I learned about my umbra kinesis. But most of all a weight was lifted from my shoulders, and after a while the fear that had controlled me ever since I first met you, was mine to control. Now there is only one thing left to do. admit it not to myself but to you. I have had a crush on you since the moment I met you."

" You went through all of that so that you could flirt with my Girlfriend!" Percy said enraged.

 Percy didn't understand what I said but after one look at Jason, Annabeth did she was smart like that. I countered him not with force but with a smile "Of course you would misunderstand that, that's just like you Percy, Annabeth you are one lucky girl, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous of you. Of course I promise not to move in on your terrain, Percy is happy with you and that's all that matters where that is concerned."

Percy looked confused, Jason smiled, Annabeth blushed, then remembered herself. She drew her knife, not her old one, she had lost that: a new one given to her not with a promise from Luke, but from Percy. It was at my neck in an instant, I could have used my powers to dodge the movements, been sitting casually on my bed instead of with Annabeth's knife at my throat but she needed to do this and I had to let her.

" As long as you keep your hands off of him!" she yelled angrily just to get her point across before become calm and casual again. " then I actually think it's kind of cute, your hero crush and all."

Percy understood suddenly and implicitly. The look on his face was hard to decipher. " I'm sorry, you hate me now don't you?" I said I knew he didn't but there was always that chance.

" no, no," he said flustered." it's just this whole time I thought you hated me and you had a crush on me? it's a lot to think about."

" I hated myself, for what I had done to Bianca, relying on her until she couldn't stand it anymore. For what I had done to you, putting such a burden on your shoulders when you were already willing to carry the weight of the world. For being so helpless and weak."

"So where do we go from here?" he asked, an obvious question to ask at this point, especially since I had already told both of them I wasn't doing this to somehow get with Percy. It was also a pointless question.

" Nowhere." I said. " I didn't tell you any of that for your benefit. I told you because it was something I had to do, to move on, not from you but my past. You can forget we ever had this conversation if you really want to. But what I want to happen is for us to just stay friends and for you to always remember that as The Ghost King I'm here for you, and by extension I am here for anyone you want me to be here for, including Annabeth. Standing with one arm in the underworld, and my body hidden in the shadows, right here in Cabin Thirteen, until I'm needed." As I said that a weight I had carried for so long it almost seemed a part of me was lifted from my shoulders and I almost thought I understood what he had felt when he was able to finally let go of the sky. But unlike Percy I didn't feel tired, I felt powerful, stronger than I had ever been. Death. Darkness. And now fear. All of these were under my control, and I didn't need to be in the Ocean, or the Sky to use my powers, they were with me as long as I was who I was. One last thing was left to do in cabin thirteen.

Rule One: Intimidate your opponent, it is from this point that you gain the advantage. " I hope you all understand that this is my biggest secret. I may have told you, but if you tell anyone without my permission, I will send you to Hades myself." I said as coolly and calmly as I could, letting my Aura of Fear extend out to the whole room. Rule Two: walk unnoticed, blend with the darkness. Make your Presence felt, not known. Before I had even finished talking I conjured shadows into the room making them cling to me, my guests, the wall and the floor. My Cabin became dark very quickly. Rule Three Understand your opponent, get in their head, visualize their motives, their intentions. Use their misconceptions against them. Learn every one of their strengths, and in so doing their weaknesses. Check, check, and check. Hades Cabin Rule of Engagement Four: Exploit every one of their weaknesses. The moment this is achieved you are already victorious, no matter how much of the fight is still left. I shadow traveled behind them, the darkness of the room made that easy, after all I was so precise with my shadow traveling that I could blink in and out of existence without actually moving. With my sword drawn on Percy's back I let the darkness I had created dissipate.

"understood" I said.

Percy's hair stood on end, Jason jumped, Annabeth stared. " understood" came their reply.

"Good now lets go entertain some Romans".