robinnest | Children of Hades

[ the stiff line of her shoulders relaxes a little. grateful for the change of the topic, she grabs onto it. ]

Pity we lost the keychain. I could have magicked it into a pocket knife or something.

At least this survived. [ she reaches up to tug at his crown, miraculously still on his head. ]

[He'd forgotten all about it until she tugs on it and horror washes over his face. Nico immediately tugs the offending crown off of his head and stares at it in his hands, aiming his ire at it directly and shaking his head.]

How? [He doesn't even have the presence of mind to tell her that he saved the keychain, he's far too distracted.]

It was meant to be, [ she teases. ] You realize you can never get rid of that now.

[ memory of their first visit to the statue of liberty: steal someone else's tickets, kill a werewolf, wreck the interior of the statue, walk out with an indestructible green foam crown. ]

[ANYWAY. Nico makes a face and sets the crown aside.]

You didn't answer my question about using a weapon. [This time the subject change is for him and not her.]

[ mal sighs. she rests her head against the cool glass of the window. ]

I don't know. Sword, I guess. I'd spar with Jay when there was nothing better.

[He perks up, nodding.]

Me too, that's what I use. [He pauses, cheeks pinking just a little.] Obviously.

[He has been wearing it pretty much the entire time since he met her.] It's always good to have a back up. For your powers I mean, in case something stops you from using them or you're too tired or something. Most monsters aren't like werewolves and celestial bronze or imperial gold will work just fine. Or stygian iron like mine.

[ that is brand new information, nico.

mal looks over at him with a little smile. it still takes her by surprise how sweet he is, how excited by the smallest things like, apparently, a shared preference in weapons. it brings an ache to her chest that mal refuses to examine.

holding out her hand, ] Can I see it?

[Unhooking the sword from his belt, he holds it out to her to take. It would be a fairly average looking sword if it weren't for the deep black metal that resembles the obsidian of their room.]

...only we can wield Stygian iron. Children of Hades that is. When monsters are killed, they don't really die, instead their essence gets sent back to Tartarus. Eventually, they reform and come back.

Except if they're killed by Stygian iron. It doesn't let them reform.

[ the sword is lighter than she expected with a smooth grip. she tests its balance like she had seen jay do a hundred times on the isle and a hundred more in auradon.

this blade, though, is obviously different, and not only on the basis of its color. mal passes a hand over it. the sensations she had the first time she saw the sword in that alley somewhere in the city are magnified. ]

They're absorbed?

[He nods.] Maybe if the blade was ever destroyed they'd end up back in Tartarus, but unless that happens, they can't reform.

[And he's never heard of Stygian iron breaking.]...we could find you one. Or find you the ore and make you one. If you wanted.

[Hazel had passed up the offer, already content with her standard issued spatha.]

And we could match? [ she queries innocently. ]

[With a carefully controlled tone that doesn't show how excited he is at the idea.]

Yeah, we would. [He ruins it and grins.]

[ she hands the sword back with a little laugh. ] You are ridiculous.

[ this is not a no. ]

[ HOLD UP ]

Wait. The werewolf. Does that mean it's going to come back?

[He nods and returns a hand to her shoulder for just a second after he reattaches his sword.]

Eventually. Sometimes it takes a few decades, sometimes a couple hundred years. Either way, not for a long long time. We'll be long gone. [:')]

[ we. we because nico assumes she is like him. where a lifetime is measured in decades. ]

Yeah, [ she agrees quietly. ] Long gone.

[ mal drops her gaze to the floor. something strange catches her eye. ] What happened to you?

[ nico’s pant leg had risen just enough to reveal his ankle. or rather, what mal assumes is his ankle because it is twice the size it should be. ]

[Nico blinks, confused and then absently reaches for his head for no reason whatsoever, patting his hair down because she's probably talking about his hair, right? (She's definitely not but his hair is a mess from the crown so he's glad he checked it anyway.) When he finally follows her gaze his mouth opens in a silent "oh."]

I twisted my ankle. [And he shrugs like it's no big deal because, well. It's no big deal.] Will can take care of it when we get back.

When did you…

[ she remembers her pushing past him. then him coming back up the stairs. from the nearest landing. ]

I didn't— [ she looks stricken. ] I am so sorry! I'm so sorry, Nico, I swear I didn't mean —

[Nico looks startled at the reaction and he shakes his head and shrugs again.]

It's not a big deal, it's fine. [He holds his hands up in emphasis.]

I barely even noticed. [Which is true because he'd been far more concerned with getting to Mal. He does pause then in thought, remembering her pushing him behind him (and down the stairs.)]

Um, you do know I can fight though, right? I fight monsters like that all the time. You don't have to worry about protecting me in a fight.

[ NOT NOTICING DOES NOT MAKE HER ANY LESS RESPONSIBLE, NICO. ]

I'm so sorry, [ she repeats, holding her hands in front of her mouth. which part she is apologizing for is up for debate. ]

I didn't think. I just saw it going after you, and I— [ she has pressed back against the car door, her expression marred by guilt. waiting. ]

[With all of his experience with people who have been beaten down by life, Nico has no experience with this. The way she shrinks away, looking for escape, and the fear and guilt in her eyes. None of the campers he knows have reacted this way (even back when they did shrink away from him in fear.) Intuitively, he softens his expression and lets Mal have her space. After a moment, he reaches out with one hand (low, palm up) and tugs at her fingers until he can close his own around them.]

It's okay. I know. [It was an overreaction, sure, but he'd never misunderstood her intentions to keep him safe.]

It was the first time you saw a monster like that. It's always a lot.

[ mal shakes her head, throwing her purple hair into a tizzy. in auradon, she would have half the populace ( those that were starting to like her ) turning away from her. on the isle, her mother would never have tolerated such a shameful display before a petty beast. she is mal, daughter of maleficent. she does not let anything or anyone get the better of her. ]

I shouldn't have reacted like that. [ another apology. a self-censure. ] I know. I'll do better.

[ mal fights to free her spell book from her bag. ]

Here. I can find something to fix it.

Mal, No. [And where the scolding had been absent from his voice before, it makes itself known now.]

You literally passed out a few minutes ago from using too much magic. [He places a hand on her bag, not with enough strength to actually stop her if she isn't listening to him.]

[Softer] Will can manage it and it doesn't hurt.

[ mal narrows her eyes at him before giving in with a defeated sigh. she pushes the corner of her book back inside the wristlet and zips it shut. that last spell took too much out of her. she has never felt this empty. how did her mother manage to cast spells like this and remain standing? were it not for the piece of ambrosia, mal would still be half-faint.

crossing her arms in front of her, she leans back into her seat and glares out the window. her fingers find the gold dragon pendant around her neck. mal fiddles with it in anxious gesture. guilt, embarrassment and shame war for dominion. shame wins.

when she was little, her mother used to say mal was just like her father: foolish, weak, human. that stopped when mal learned the truth about her father; instead, maleficent pointed out how disappointing mal was, how much shame she brought her mother and her father both — for why else would he have left her as an infant?

her mother was evil and delighted in being cruel and would never hesitate to lie. but she was right about mal's father. hades had taken steps to protect nico and bianca, likely bothered to look in on hazel. he never cared to protect mal. hasn't contacted her, not even an acknowledgement that he is aware she is in the mortal world. and why should he? she's the failure, the girl who botched trying to be good, the girl who tried to protect her brother and instead got him hurt.

she would not want her close, either. ]

[Nico watches her, knowing his words are hitting her the wrong way and unable to find the words to fix it. He won't take it back or let her burn herself out more on such a minor injury, but he shouldn't have said it the way he did. He should have found a better way. He frowns, watching her fingers curl around her pendant and wishing he was brave enough to reach for her hand again.]

...you know I've never seen anyone go back and fix the damage they caused. That was really cool of you.

Children of Hades

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