robinnest | Children of Hades

[Will is going to flip his shit the next time they make out in here, is the first thought that comes to his mind. Nico's eyes widen as he watches Mal's spell take hold, incredibly impressed at her magical ability. It's the strongest ability he's ever seen in a demigod and a curl of entirely unearned pride unfurls in his chest as he switches his gaze from the creation to its creator.]

That's amazing. You're amazing. I've never seen magic like that. [He admits easily, moving forward to glide a hand along the bed. Everything feels exactly as it should and Nico flashes her a grin.]

These are awesome.

[ mal bobs in a tiny curtsy. grinning, she turns around. picking up her bag, she drops it and the book on the bed before unzipping her jacket. she removes one more thing: the blue cardboard jewelry box where she carried her mother.

mal carefully takes out the lizard inside, leaving the box on a small table next to her bed. one quiet spell later, in place of the box sits an aquarium. mal places the purple lizard inside and the animal scurries onto the "throne". ]

I’ll be back soon with food, [ she tells her mom. conversationally, she adds, standing, ] So. Tour. When are we…?

Edited 2019-08-24 11:44 (UTC)

[Of all the things he was expecting Mal to have on her, he wasn't expecting a lizard. Nico eyes the tank with the surprise, mostly at the fact that Mal can have a pet in the first place. Then again, Hazel got along fine with Arion so it was possible for some animals not to hate them. (Or possible Mal didn't scare animals away the same way.]

We can go now. Most people will be getting back to their cabins so it won't be too busy. [Thank the gods it wasn't a campfire singalong night.]

Are you trying to hide me?

[ she’s joking—but she won’t make that obvious until he’s flustered. ]

Edited (hated previous icon) 2019-08-25 16:31 (UTC)

[For having known Nico for such a short time, Mal is excellent at playing him. His eyes widen and he lifts his hands in front of him in the "stop" motion as he shakes his head.]

No! Camp can be a lot and people are nosy and I know it's already been a long day so I thought it would be better if we saved introductions for tomorrow, but if you want we can go to the Big House and meet the director and Chiron right now? [By the end of the sentence, his words are running into each other in his frantic attempt to get them out and assure her he is not in fact hiding her from anyone.]

I swear. I swear it on the Styx. [Nico, she doesn't even know what that means probably.]

[ mal

laughs. ]

Nico. Nico… [ she closes the distance between them and takes his hands in hers. she tips her head at him with a smile. ] Hi. Breathe.

[ she gives his hands a reassuring squeeze. ] It was a joke. If you say it's better to wait, we wait. I just made myself a bed; I'm not going to run off in the night.

[ what is this child even, someone tell her because she doesn't know. ]

[For a moment all Nico can process is her hands over his and the comforting squeeze and it honestly doesn't even matter what she's saying. He stares at their joined hands and nods, eventually realizing what she's saying. It was a joke. Oh. That makes sense. He cheeks pink slightly and his lips pull up on one side into a sheepish lopsided smirk.

He's a dumbass. (Mal is holding his hands and her hands are warm. He really really wants to hug her.)]

I knew that. Obviously. [Obviously.

He turns his hands in hers so he can squeeze them back.]

Let's go on the tour before I do something else incredibly embarrassing. Even though I definitely knew you were joking.

You were definitely aware.

[ she chuckles and lets go. ]

[Nico leads her out the door and to the "U" shape of the first twelve cabins, gesturing to the bunch of them as they go. The occasional camper passes by with a curious glance, but thankfully no one stops to ask any questions.]

Camp used to only have cabins for the Olympians. [He points them out as they go, naming each of the twelve.] Children of other gods were allowed to enter, but they all went into the Hermes cabin since he's the god of wanderers. Back then, the gods were a lot worse at claiming their kids and since a lot of halfbloods never knew who their godly parent was, it was easier to lump them all into Hermes' group. [He rolls his eyes meaningfully at her, expression a little bitter. Eventually he sighs and shakes his head, chasing the memories away.]

It's better now. Not perfect, but better. [He pauses again, considering the tone he's setting and coming to a stop to glance at Mal.]

...there's some not great stuff about Camp, I won't lie to you. Grudges between the gods that spill over onto us and dumb ceremony we have to maintain to keep them happy. But everyone here knows what it's like to stand out and feel different. [To varying degrees, sure, but still.]

And I wouldn't have invited you here if it sucked.

I would hope not. [ mal looks over at nico, corner of her mouth lifting so he knows she’s teasing. her cheek dimples when she does.

her eyes return to the cabin nico had pointed as belonging to hermes. it’s easy to pick out: she finds the caduceus hanging over the door similar to the skull at their cabin. shortly after learning her father was not, in fact, a mortal man as her mother had led her to believe, mal had gone to the professor of weird science at dragon hall, the school on the isle.

yen sid, unlike every other inhabitant on the isle, wasn’t a villain or a child of a villain, but a sorcerer who had volunteered to come to the isle to teach. as there was no magic under the dome, he taught science. but he also had the widest collection of knowledge about things that weren’t strictly “villainous.”

one afternoon, mal summoned the courage to approach him after class to ask him if he had any book about the greek gods. the stories sound wild, mal said, feigning nonchalance. thought about using it for my evil schemes final project.

yen sid stared at her so long mal feared the real reason she wanted the book was written on her face. finally, he went into his office and came out with a heavy hardcover book, the gold lettering on the cover fading. mal was almost out the door with her trophy when he called her back.

keep it, her teacher said, his gaze as intense and unwavering as ever. there will come a time you’ll need it.

mal did not flee. but when she joined up with jay outside the school she was out of breath.

mal crosses her right arm across her body, grabbing her left elbow. ]

How do the kids who don’t know make it here? Is it someone’s job to chase down lost demigods?

[He nods, gesturing with his chin to the forest surrounding camp.]

The satyrs who live in the forest here send out scouts all over to track demigods down. If they find one, they do what they can to help get them here. Since demigods attract monsters and all sorts of trouble, it's pretty easy to figure out if someone they suspect is a demigod or not.

[As he talks, he leads her to the edge of Camp near Halfblood Hill, stopping short of the border and raising a hand to where he knows it is even if he can't see it.]

Camp has a protective border around it that monsters can't get through, that's why getting demigod kids here is so important. They're safe. Relatively at least. [It's part of what makes Mal's case so unusual. She's made it seventeen outside of Camp and is clearly capable of surviving. It's not unheard of exactly, though it's extremely rare any of them made it to Mal's age without the protection of Camp.]

Edited 2019-08-26 19:55 (UTC)

[ mal frowns at nico. ] But we can leave. It doesn’t keep us here.

[ hanging unsaid is a question: “right?” they can leave, right. they aren’t trapped, are they. she didn’t swap one dome for another, did she. ]

Edited 2019-08-26 20:24 (UTC)

Yeah, we can leave whenever we want. The barrier only keeps things out, it doesn't keep anyone in. Chiron—he's the one who watches over everyone here—keeps a closer watch of the younger kids, especially the ones who are only summer campers, but the year rounders have a lot more freedom since this is where we live.

And anyway, [Nico shrugs, thinking about when things were stricter than they are now] I've always come and gone whenever I wanted. [The worst that would happen if someone left when they weren't supposed to is Chiron would frown and worry a lot, but there weren't any actual reasons they couldn't leave aside from for their own safety.]

[ mal's entire body seems to breathe a sigh. of course, she isn't locked in. nico had said some kids went to school elsewhere, didn't he? but when he mentioned there was a barrier…

mal still stretches a hand out. she is only at ease when she meets no more resistance than a gentle breeze blowing through her fingers. ]

[He offers her a reassuring smile as she tests the barrier and then begins to lead her towards the mess hall.]

Every cabin has a designated dining table to sit at. That's for Hades. [He points out one of the long tables, definitely overkill for its single occupant. Not that he's been sitting there lately, foregoing it to sit at the Apollo table for "Medical Reasons." (Chiron was too old and too tired to fight Will and Nico on the doctor's note they handed him.)]

Sometimes it's okay to move around, but you have to be careful and know who you might offend. Mostly just remember to never ever sit at the Zeus table. He doesn't like us and will absolutely retaliate. Demeter likes us. Hera doesn't. You can always ask me if you want to know about any specific table. Or god for that matter.

So, what? You're usually sitting at that giant table alone?

[ tell her what you told the narration… ]

Edited 2019-08-26 22:38 (UTC)

Well, I used to. [Unable to suppress it, a sly smile steals onto his lips.]

My doctor wrote me a note. Sitting by myself can have adverse effects on my mood which isn't good for my recovery—remember how I told you my powers were recovering from overuse?—that recovery.

So I've been sitting at the Apollo table.

[ mal laughs. she puts a hand on her hips, eyebrows raised. ]

You dog.

Edited (it’s too early) 2019-08-27 09:09 (UTC)

[His answering smirk is unrepentant and he shrugs.]

It's for my health, Mal.

Mm. [ mal makes a "no argument" gesture. ] I'll be sure to remember that when I'm eating alone and spreading out all my stuff on the table.

[He shakes his head, still smiling.]

Except, I won't have to sit there because I'm not sitting alone anymore. Now I get to sit with my sister.

Oh, no, no. I would never risk your health. [ mal's eyes widen in the perfect picture of innocence, hands clasped before her.

if not for the change being so abrupt, she would make a damn convincing show of naive concern. ]

If you need to sit at the same table as your boyfriend, you do that. Don't you worry about me. I'll figure out dinnertimes.

[ she punctuates the declaration with a wide, brilliant smile.

nico's sister. kicking him the fuck out. :) ]

[With a roll of his eyes and slow shake of his head.]

Wrong. I just need to not be alone, and now I won't be. [It's teasing but it's also full of affection. Were they cheating so that he could sit with Will? Yes, yes they were. But he never would have if he'd had a sibling. It never would have even crossed his mind.]

Come on, I'll show you the pegasus stables. Well, from far away, they don't like me.

[ she's gonna magic him to the apollo table and wave at him from across the dining pavilion. ]

Animals scared of you too?

[Gods, it's nice having someone around who understands these things.]

Yeah. One of my friends can talk to horses so he's put in a few good words with them for me, but they still won't really let me close.

[On the way to the stables he points out the arena (for combat training he tells her) and the armory. Once they reach the stables, he points to them from afar and then moves on. There was no point in upsetting the pegasi this late.]

We're allowed in the forest but the barrier doesn't keep the monsters out of there, so if you go in be careful and keep your guard up.

Edited 2019-08-28 05:00 (UTC)

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