Truth meme

[lordofdarkness]

TRUTH MEME

Sometimes, you have to tell the truth. No, I mean, you have to. Maybe it's magic, or a promise, or nanobots; who knows. But you have to tell the truth, and everyone knows it.

What happens next?

• Post your character to the meme.
  
• They have to tell the truth when they're asked questions.
  
• What they ask is up to them. Your character has to answer.
  
• Tag around and ask other characters questions!

Comments

jason grace | hoo/toa

[fulminatum]

[lordofdarkness]

[While several campers nearby are arguing loudly, Nico slips past them, lips pressed shut and avoiding everyone he passes. Most of the Apollo cabin is off consulting with Chiron (as they're about 90% sure fault lies with an Apollo child) and Nico moves to stand beside Jason at the lunch table (not sitting because some gods were more forgiving than others of breaking protocol and Jason's father isn't one of them.) He's quiet for a long time as his eyes seek out the chaos around them before he finally lowers his gaze to his friend and frowns.]

All of this would be easy enough to deal with if everyone would just go back to their cabins and stop talking to each other. [Couldn't accidentally tell the truth if you kept your mouth shut, right?]

[fulminatum]

[ And Zeus is even less inclined to look kindly on his brothers' children — Jason has finished his meal and stands, ready to walk with Nico. As always, he waits for Nico to initiate before he knows to reinforce or rebuff in response. ]

Can you really imagine that happening?

[lordofdarkness]

[With a snort, he shakes his head, not needing any sort of honesty spell to answer that. In reality he knows he's being hypocritical given where he is and what he's doing, but he's trying to be better and being better means not shutting himself in his room until this whole thing goes away. That doesn't mean he isn't going to point out the obvious solution though.

Anyway, there's a reason he's with Jason and ignoring everyone else. They've been through this before, really. At least one sided. Jason has already seen Nico's most secretive truths forcefully dragged from his lips and that makes it a lot easier to be around his friend.]

'least I didn't have to get shot this time. [He mumbles loudly enough for Jason to hear and with enough wryness to know it's an (admittedly somewhat dark) joke rather than anything with true malice or despair.]

[fulminatum]

[ Except with demigods, there's never really an obvious solution. Ask everyone to wait in their cabins until this is over? He knows better than to try: they'd never sit still. ]

Yeah, I'm liking that too.

[ He hasn't reflected on that day much, thought too hard about the possibilities, what if Nico got a faceful of Jason's insecurities instead? His deep, dark secrets? How, as light as he is, as high as he soars, sometimes he feels deeply weighed down. He's not scared of admitting that to Nico, but... he'd rather not, if he could. Nico has enough to deal with. ]

No chance this can wear off by itself...

[lordofdarkness]

[In answer to Jason's implied question, Nico merely shrugs. It remains to be seen if a counter curse will be necessary or not but if a child of Apollo really is the cause of it, he doubts it. More than likely Jason is correct and they'll simply have to wait it out, not unlike the other curses various cabins were known for doling out. (Though he has a strong suspicion that intentional or not, this curse wasn't intended to be as far reaching as it turned out to be.]

Even if it does, I have a feeling it's going to take a while. If it was going to wear off quickly, it would have done it by now. [Without realizing Nico has instinctively begun to lead Jason in the direction of the infirmary (his most walked path) and he quickly adjust his steps to head to the lake instead.]

Is it...[He pauses, rewording.] If you'd rather not talk right now, I'd get it. I'm bored is all. No big deal. [Bored is one word for it. Nico still hasn't exactly learned how to ask someone for their company. 'I didn't feel like being alone' isn't something he knows how to say.]

[fulminatum]

[ Maybe it wasn't, but Jason can't help but think it's a good thing, and that's why it's as far reaching as it was. He wouldn't put it past anyone to have done it as a prank, but after all this, things might be easier. ]

No, it's better that you're here.

[ Jason has always known how to ask for his company, but it's never been presented so directly. Always, want to do this together? or other polite lies, to let someone wriggle out of it if they don't want to. He doesn't want to be one more thing at camp that makes things difficult for Nico. ]

I don't usually come down to the lake. Do you have a favourite spot?

[lordofdarkness]

['It's better that you're here.' Nico looks away from Jason to hide the color in his cheeks. Embarrassing. Jason's so embarrassing and Nico can't even call bullshit when they're under a truth spell. Ugh.]

...sure, over here. [A couple hundred feet from the dock where the canoes are tied, he leads Jason to a small grassy knoll only a dozen feet from the gently lapping shore. For the most part he's silent as they walk, but the longer they walk, the more clear it becomes that there's something he wants to say. Eventually whether born of truth spell compulsion or simply the need to speak his piece, he stops in place and turns to Jason.]

It's weird. All of this but I mean...I keep having this moment where I think, Gods, what am I going to do if I say something and everyone finds out my secret? [His brow furrows and he shakes his head, rolling his eyes at himself.]

It takes a few seconds to remember it's not a secret anymore. It's like some stupid afterimage of...of all that mess.

[fulminatum]

[ Jason follows him, hands tucked into his pockets. He doesn't make himself small, but he's not standing tall and blazing the way, head councillor, Pontifex Maximus. Just Jason with his brother. He looks at Nico a few times, trying to figure out how to encourage him to talk, but eventually just leaves it alone. Nico hasn't lied to him. He can't — but he also doesn't. ]

You've kept it close to your chest for a really long time. And besides... Cupid was cruel to you about it.

[ It's hard for him to believe this was the same force that Piper was about, she spread beauty where she went, and Cupid had been... monstrous. Horrifying. He supposes it makes sense of a son of Mars, but still. ]

He could've asked me, but I wasn't conflicted.

[lordofdarkness]

You weren't living a lie. [He corrects quietly. If any of the others had gone, he isn't sure what Eros would have demanded or if he would have complied at all. The others knew who they were and who they loved. They understood themselves on the same fundamental level that Nico had been denying himself. He hadn't chosen Nico at random, he had targeted him from the very beginning, probably even before Zephyrus set eyes on him.]

I hate him. I don't think I'll ever not hate him for that. It should have been my choice, where and when. [And to who.]

[He's quiet for another few seconds and then he snorts, some of the tension draining out of him.]

And then you with your noble words and encouragement...[Despite what might have been a mocking tone, there's a lightness to Nico's voice that borders on affection.] I think that was the first real conversation we had.

[fulminatum]

Yes, it should have.

[ But that's not how it played out. Jason turns towards him. ]

Is it weird, I'm glad it was me? I'd been trying to understand you.

[ Jason's always worked as part of a team, even when they push him forward. Romans, side by side, moving together as a machine of many parts. Nico hadn't fit anything he was familiar with, even with time spent among the Greeks. ]

[lordofdarkness]

[He's glad it was Jason too but he manages to keep that much in. Nico turns his head to look at Jason then, seemingly searching him for something. An answer to a question that hasn't been voiced maybe.]

Why? [He forgets about the curse then and about being careful with his words. His curiosity overpowers his better sense.]

[fulminatum]

[ Soft, ]

You're family.

[ Jason sits, patting the space next to him for Nico to join him. He doesn't add anything for a few beats, looking at the water lapping the shore. ]

I always had the Fifth Cohort, but... sometimes it felt like they all saw my dad standing behind me with his thunderbolt. You know.

[ Being singled out. ]

And I thought sometimes, if there's me, why aren't there others? Nothing was stopping Neptune or Pluto.

[lordofdarkness]

[Two weeks. It's been two weeks since the truth curse began at camp and while Nico has made some effort to eat, socialize, and not completely disappear for the entire duration, as the days have dragged on, the effort has diminished. If the underworld had food that he could eat that wouldn't trap him for eternity, it's likely he might have disappeared all together until it was all over, but since it does not, here he is back at camp. It isn't any meal time but the kitchen is technically always open for campers who got on well with the nymphs, something Nico had made great effort to do.

Which is why he's talking to one of them and not paying attention to anyone else, making it easy to be surprised when he turns to notice Percy only a few feet away. Of course that's the moment the nymph retreats to go and get his food together leaving Nico staring awkwardly at quite possibly the person he least wants to speak to while under a truth spell.

It's not even like he has any secrets from Percy exactly, not anymore (and thank the gods for that) as it is there were simply too many potential conversational landmines between them. He can't just run away when he's waiting for his meal though? Maybe Percy won't approach him.]

[phykios]

Hey, [ percy says, approaching nico with a lopsided smile. ] You hungry too?

[ percy has not, in fact, actually been at camp the last couple of weeks. he's been too busy with all his school catch-up, not to mention trying to pass his SAT with a decent score, and not to mention his DSTOMP. it's a tall order of reading and studying for someone who doesn't like either, but it's also weirdly, refreshingly normal. stressing about tests and classes and homework and stuff? he hasn't had problems that small since...well, maybe since he was twelve.

but he heard about the truth curse from chiron when he arrived, dropping in to see how things were going and maybe play a game of capture the flag, which had earned an annoyed headshake. still, in its own way? that's pretty normal too, as far as demigod life goes. he guesses he's relieved they aren't all stuck speaking in haiku or something.

he'd missed dinner, hence the question. maybe he shouldn't be asking questions given the whole truth thing? but it'd seemed innocent enough and, truthfully, he'd briefly forgotten. ]

Uh, if you want to talk about it.

[lordofdarkness]

[Nico snorts, rolling his eyes and shaking his head because no Percy, he isn't worried about telling you if he's hungry or not.]

Yes, I'm hungry. Amazingly enough, I'm not afraid to talk about that. [He'd meant to give a sarcastic "no, I don't want to talk about that" but the curse pulls the honesty from his lips and he furrows his brow, annoyed. It's the principle of the matter, really. Now that Percy's approached though, he isn't sure how to duck out of the conversation with his friend, especially because a part of him doesn't really want to. They didn't see each other that often and it's been nice being able to become friends with Percy for real.]

You picked a good time to be away from Camp. If I were you, I'd stay away for another week.

[phykios]

Just making sure, dude.

[ good-naturedly. because it is, actually, the principle of the thing. he shrugs at the suggestion. ]

I won't have a ton of time anyway, but I won't avoid camp either. It seems kinda unfair that I can just leave when not all of you can.

[ he's careful not to look like he's talking about nico specifically -- he's thinking of plenty of full timers -- but, you know, he's not not referring to nico. he'd done that during the titan war, felt guilty then, but this is just some stupid curse, not the impending fulfillment of a world-ending prophecy. ]

[lordofdarkness]

I tried. Temporarily I mean. [And he colors a little at the tacked on admission, feeling like the clarification was necessary. He wasn't running away again.]

But there's no food in the underworld that I can eat without getting stuck there forever. [Nico makes a face like the thought of premature death by Persephone garden is more of a mild inconvenience than anything else, mostly because it...it kind of is.]

And anyway, it gets boring down there...[Apparently that's too close to skirting dishonesty because he finds himself saying immediately] I miss camp. [Damn it. Nico glares at the ground since he has nothing else to glare at.]

This is so annoying.

[phykios]

[ percy smiles, unable to help himself. ]

That's not a bad thing, you know. There are plenty of people who like having you here.

[ and that's the truth. he's seen how jason lights up when nico's around, how will solace good-naturedly pushes nico out of his shell, how the apollo cabin has collectively accepted him as one of their own. ]

[lordofdarkness]

[Nico sees that smile and raises you one unimpressed (half-hearted) glare.]

Yeah, there really is no accounting for taste here. [The way the corner of his lips twitch gives away the smirk he's fighting down even if the fact that he was able to say that at all speaks to the work in progress that is his understanding of why his friends like him. (It's enough maybe for now that he believes his friends do in fact like him. That he has friends.)]

[phykios]

[ he raises his eyebrows. ]

Yeah, I used to think the same thing.

[ about himself, obviously, not nico. ]

But that's the thing about camp. It'll always surprise you.

[lordofdarkness]

[With a shrug] I guess.

[They settle into a mostly comfortable silence for a while, Nico gazing out into the forest, his eyes occasionally falling on the campers walking by, chatting amiably as if there isn't a truth curse on them or it somehow doesn't matter.]

Do you—never mind. [Nico isn't sure if it's the conversation or the curse or some combination of both that's making him more inquisitive than usual, but he does know that it's wrong to ask Percy right now.]

[phykios]

What?

[ he's curious now, curse or no ]

[lordofdarkness]

It's not fair to ask you anything now. [The more he thinks about it, the more he feels stupid for letting anything slip at all. Stupid and a little bit ashamed. He knows what it's like to be forced to answer something he didn't want to answer.]

It was stupid to try.

[phykios]

Dude.

[ he appreciates the consideration nico is showing him, really. but you can't just dangle something in front of him without answering (hello, great prophecy). and also -- ]

If I really don't want to answer you, I'll tell you. Promise. [ there he goes with his promises again, part of him thinks. ] Besides. I'm not keeping anything from you.

[ which is true enough. he means, he's not actively keeping any secrets from nico. ]