Worlds Collide Harm(fully)(lessly)

Chapter 13

That night, Nico let himself dream walk to Voldemort's presence. He couldn't see him but knew the other was there in the darkness.

"My first task is complete," Nico reported. "He's a participating champion in the tournament."

"And the government? Do they suspect us?" Voldemort asked.

Nico shook his head. "No one does, not even Harry himself."

"Good, good..." Voldemort's voice shifted around him. "You will help him through these tasks, get him to the last one. That is your new order."

"Why?" Nico asked. "What's the last task?"

"I'll explain as the time nears," Voldemort answered. "You have proven your loyalty, but I need more than you have given me."

Nico sighed. "What can I-"

"Why did you join in my forces?" Voldemort asked. "You have strong will, you wouldn't have given up through torture that quickly."

Nico made a face at the painful memories. "I wanted to know about my mother. And when I found out..." He paused, chose his words carefully. "I've grown up without a father, and when I learned that you and her... I have no family, no one even knows she existed. But you knew her, were close to her."

He could feel Voldemort's pride. It disgusted him.

"You'll have a family with me," Voldemort said. "With my followers. We will win this war together."

"It will be a war?" Nico asked.

"Of course. You think they'll let go of their precious world so easily?" Voldemort asked. "No, they'll try to hold out, try to be heroes. We'll need to break them down, together. Then we'll be able to get revenge against anyone that ever hurt your mother."

Nico gulped. "Those who hurt her..." Zeus. Was Voldemort planning to go to war with the gods after the wizards?

"Don't worry, son, we'll get them."

Nico jumped awake and puked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

December came and the temperatures dropped. Nico avoided Dominic and Dominic avoided him, and all the wizards and demigods noticed.

"What are you two fighting about, anyway?" Will asked. They were walking together near the lake, wrapped and bundled, hand in hand. "He used to be your best friend."

"I hate his abilities," Nico admitted. "He finds things out about me that I'm not ready to share. Then he assumes shit about those things. I'm sick of it."

Will kissed the top of his head. "Still, it isn't his fault he has those abilities. He didn't choose them, just like you didn't choose yours. Remember when other campers were scared of you because you could raise the dead? This is the same thing."

Nico pursed his lips. "Still. I'm not ready to share this one thing and he won't stop asking me about it. I...I just can't tell him, not yet."

"Is it something I know?" Will asked.

Nico shook his head. "It's just...really really personal. About my mother."

"Oh..." Will knew how she died, Nico had told him. But he wasn't going to dare mention everything Voldemort had to win him over. "If you do want to talk about it, I'll listen. I'm here, Nico."

Nico leaned his head on Will's shoulder. "I know. Thank you."

"Anytime."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that day, Hermione came to him with the same question. She caught him in the library doing his homework, plopping beside him without an invite.

"Why are you and Dominic fighting?" she asked. "You can tell it's taking a toll on both of you. And he doesn't have a brother and boyfriend to help him like you do."

Nico scowled. "What? Did he say something to you?"

"No, no, and that's the point," Hermione persisted. "He hasn't spoken to anyone. He's just not himself. I'm worried about him."

"I can't be all chummy with him just because he got upset," Nico sighed. "We're fighting, and it's important shit we're fighting about, and I can't just make amends like you think."

"Well...what are you fighting about?" she asked.

"His abilities, seeing into my fucking mind, me having no privacy," Nico explained. "Not to mention he's being an ass about it. Thinks he understands when he doesn't."

Hermione opened one of her books and began her homework. "I'm sure he was just trying to help."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't helping," Nico said. "And I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Hermione shook her head. "You're stubborn, you know. If you just tried talking to him, you could make it work. I know you could. Ron and Harry made up and so can you two."

"They had a completely different situation," Nico argued. "Ron was being jealous. Neither of us is jealous of the other."

"You sure about that?" she asked.

He frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You and Ron are a lot alike, that's all," Hermione said. "Maybe you should just rethink everything you've done, look from an outside point of view."

"You think I'm jealous of Dominic?" Nico asked. "For what?"

"I don't know, I'm not you," she stressed. "But you and Ron are so similar when it comes to your emotions. You're protective of your family, you get jealous of others."

"I'm not jealous," Nico denied. But his heart wasn't in it anymore. That night in bed, he thought about it some more.

Jealous...of what? Well, he could actually name a lot of things Dominic had that he didn't. He was a demigod-wizard, just as he was, but his life was so much simpler. He actually felt like he belonged at camp. Nobody was scared of him. He didn't have a war hanging over his head, he didn't sign his friend's death warrant, he didn't have a dark mark on his arm or Voldemort calling him 'son'.

He was everything Nico wanted to be. Open about his sexuality, a sense of belonging, no hate from others, no wars or quests, or other world-ending events. No Tartarus flashbacks. No torture.

He could be the hero, just like Percy, like Annabeth, like Will and the others, and Nico was stuck being the villain.

Maybe Nico was jealous. But that didn't mean he wanted Dominic looking in his mind and seeing all the horrible things he had ever done.

Because Voldemort was now his master, his mark was on his arm, he set Harry up for death, and he didn't have the balls to start taking Voldemort down like he had planned to do.

But when had he ever loved himself? When had he ever not been jealous of someone else? Just because it was Dominic...it should have been no different. So why was it?

Dominic was the first true friend he made himself. It wasn't through Ron like Harry and Hermione were, it wasn't through his Bianca like Percy was, it wasn't through Percy like every other demigod was. It wasn't because they were siblings, like his friendship with Hazel was. He made a friend in Dominic by himself. He chose him.

And the one he chose had made a better life for himself than Nico ever could. He left him alone at Hogwarts. He chose the world Nico hadn't.

Nico made sure his curtains were drawn before pulling his sleeve up, staring at that mark. Anubis's nose twitched, the half hell hound laying beside him, and Nico also smell the death coming off it. But what else was new with him?

He'd talk to Dominic, he decided. Tomorrow. Maybe the friend he chose could be the one to help him through this all.