Fate Withstands

Chapter 38

They got back to camp in relatively good time, save for the short run in with some nasty emprosia somewhere around Indiana. As soon as they pulled up to Half-Blood Hill they saw Annabeth Chase sitting beside Peleus, her golden hair falling into her face as she looked down at the book in her lap.

Nico hopped out of the car and started his track up the hill, his dark eyes on her in curiosity. "What's wrong?"

Annabeth looked up from her book, just then noticing that Bianca wasn't with them. "What happened?"

"She joined the Hunters of Artemis." Nico sat beside her as Will started his own trip up the hill, bags in hand. "But she's healthy. And she can use her powers well."

"The Hunters of Artemis?" Annabeth pursed her lips. "Was it coerced?"

Nico shook his head. "She wanted to be free, and I don't blame her. She spent so much time locked up in that building..."

Annabeth nodded. "Since what, '45?"

Nico shrugged. "Maybe '44. I'm not sure."

Will glanced at Peleus in slight hesitation before sitting beside Annabeth and Nico. "Hey, Annabeth. What's wrong?"

Annabeth sighed as she closed her book. "We got a letter."

"From...?" Will asked.

Annabeth stood up and grabbed the bag she had sitting beside her. There was still dark circles under her eyes from Tartarus, and Nico knew he wasn't the only one that still had nightmares. "Come on to the Big House and see for yourselves."

Nico and Will glanced at each other before starting to follow Annabeth through camp. Campers were here and there, crutches and casts, and bags already packed in excitement to go home for the winter months. Blood still stained the grass. Some nodded in recognition of their return home, others brought their injuries and questions to Will.

When they finally arrived at the Big House, Chiron and Mr. D were once again playing a game of pinochle. When Chiron's eyes took in the three demigods and not four, his gaze saddened. "Did another one not make it?"

"She joined the Hunters of Artemis," Annabeth corrected. "But that's not the reason I brought them. I was going to show them the letter."

"Ah...Mr. Valdez..." Chiron stood from his chair, the sight of just a regular man turning into a centaur something Nico never thought he'd whitniss every day. But there he was, his eyes watching the blanket fall to the porch without any surprise from the transformation. But...

"Did you say Valdez?" Nico asked.

Chiron nodded once before leading them into the Big House. Nico glanced at Will before following, being led into a sitting area and not the rec room. He sat on one of the couches with Will, watching as Chiron extracted a scroll from one of the drawers and handed it over.

"Open it," he commanded. "You were right. There was nothing normal about Leo Valdez's death."

Nico hesitated before opening the scroll, half expecting it to explode in his face or cause some kind of catastrophy. But all that did happen was the unraveling of a flickering hologram.

Of Leo Valdez.

"Hey guys!" Leo cheered. "Sorry to leave you like that. Bad news: I died. Good news: I got better! I had to go rescue Calyspo. We're both fine now. We're taking Festus to-" The hologram filled with static before coming back in. "Back as soon as-" Static. "Cook tacos when-" More static. "Vaya con queso! Love ya!"

Nico looked up at Chiron and beat back the old alarm he had at the Spanish language back in the 40's. "Vaya con queso?"

"Go with cheese," Will translated.

Nico frowned. "You know Spanish?"

Will shook his head. "I took a couple years of it at school. Just enough to know basics like that."

"'Go with cheese' is a basic?" Nico asked.

Chiron cleared his throat. "Whatever the cause, we think that Leo is on his way here. From where and how far, we can't be sure. We had a meeting when you were gone and voted to just wait and hope for the best."

Nico rolled the scroll back up and stuffed it in his pocket. "He cheated death."

Will elbowed him.

"What? I won't kill him." Nico frowned. "He cheated death and came back looking normal without flashbacks or anything. What the fuck."

"Language, Mr. di Angelo." Chiron sighed. "As I was saying, we are just going to wait and see if there are any developments. Ms. di Angelo is in the saftey of the hunters?"

Nico nodded. "Lady Artemis herself was there, took her in."

"Very well." Chiron gestured to the door. "You two can settle in. Will, are you staying this winter?"

Will nodded. "Definitely."

"Very well," Chiron looked to Nico. "And you? Are you staying at Camp Half-Blood?"

Nico hesitated, thought of some restlessness but the places he called home, his warm cabin and not a trench, no fleas or trenchfoot or frostbite...

"Yeah, I'm staying." Nico grabbed Will's hand and held it close. "We're both staying."

Will's face broke out in a grin. "Yeah?"

Nico nodded. "Yeah."

Will grabbed Nico and dragged him out of the Big House. "We can spend Christmas together. And we'll have all this time with few patients to work on your PTSD and stop you from melting into shadows."

"I promised not to shadow travel anymore," Nico said as he followed.

Will rolled his eyes. "You still need to know how not to fade. You can use the shadows like Bianca did, remember? She was using them like a shield. You could do that."

Nico shrugged. "I guess... But if I fade..."

"Remember how we met?" Will pulled him towards the beach. "I was working on keeping you alive, tangible. And I barely knew you. Now we're dating. I'm not going to let you fade. I promise on-"

"Will-"

"The Styx," Will finished. "I promise it on the Styx."

Nico sighed but smiled as he sat in the sand, his eyes on the moving waves. "You shouldn't make promises you're not sure you can keep."

"I'm keeping this one or I might as well die with you." Will sat beside him and grabbed his hand again. "Hey, Nico?"

Nico hummed. "Yeah?"

"We're home and the war is over. We're home from war. You're home from your last war."

Nico glanced over. "It's not my last war. Remember what Artemis said? Something's up with your dad. Who knows what's going to happen."

Will sighed. "Fine, you're probably right. But right now...we're home."

Nico nodded. "We're home."