Leo had a feeling that something was off in Hazel's statement, but he could understand her apprehension. Firstly, she and Nico looked nothing alike-but that was easy to dismiss, considering how godly DNA didn't exist. Secondly, she didn't really have the vibe of a Hades kid. Nico didn't scare Leo at all, though he did have a look about him that suggested he could kill an opponent in seconds-and Leo had seen it. Hazel, while she was clearly brave on their quest...didn't seem to have an aura of death. She was warm and friendly, even if now she seemed distant at the news.

Still, Piper was the first to approach her, pulling her into a hug. She didn't point out how rare or dangerous it was to be a child of the Big Three; she didn't try to connect her curse with her lineage. Piper simply said: "Congrats on being claimed."

Apparently, that was all she needed to say, because Hazel hugged her right back, a grateful smile on her lips despite her uneasy appearance.

"So, you're really a ghost?" Sarah asked, unprompted. Leo's face flushed at his sister's lack of filter, opening his mouth to apologize before she continued: "That's pretty cool, I wanna hear all about how things really were back in the day. I have a conspiracy-but it's not really a conspiracy because it's true-that the history books are lying to us. But you can tell me the truth during our sleepover in Piper's cabin. If you want to, that is."

She said all of this rather quickly.

"Sorry," Leo started. "She can be kinda..." he thought through a list of words to refer to her kindly, though he couldn't come up with anything. "Kinda a lot to get used to..."

This was true, despite Sarah's scathing look, though Leo had missed everything about her every second they were apart.

To his surprise, Hazel laughed, raising an eyebrow at Sarah as if she were curious about her, not annoyed. "Okay, deal. I've, uh...never actually been to a sleepover before, so I look forward to it."

Sarah beamed at that, and over her shoulder, Apollo let out a bored sigh. "How sweet," he said dismissively. "So, to recap-I've been somewhat assisted in my noble escape from Tartarus. You saw your dad," he pointed to Leo, then to Nico, then to Hazel, then to Sarah. "You saw your dad, you saw your dad, you saw your dad..." his attention landed on Piper. "Did you see your dad?"

"My mom," Piper answered, smiling thinly. "That was a fun breakfast."

"Ah, Aphrodite," Apollo nodded, probably able to tell any demigod's lineage just by looking at them. "Well, I am back and safe, and I've brought you all back here safely, so...burn an offering for me at dinner? I've got to get going-people to do, things to see."

"Isn't it...?" Sarah started, her eyes narrowed.

"Never you mind," Apollo waved a dismissive hand. "But you be good, listen to your counselors-pray to me if you need me, alright, Sarah?" He looked towards the rest of their ragtag group. "The rest of you aren't my kids, so try not to bother me. Also, I'd suggest you look away now."

With only a moment's notice, Leo covered Sarah's eyes and squeezed his own shut, the pain still ringing behind his eyelids as Apollo dissolved into a flash of golden light.

Once the light went away, Sarah appeared wide-eyed, stunned with her short interaction with her godly parent.

"He," Sarah started. "He's..."

"Sarah," Leo hesitated. "I'm sorry-I know meeting your godly parent is not all it's cracked up to be-"

"He's awesome!" Sarah said, turning back to Leo with the same smile she had when Leo first started asking her about Mythomagic. "I mean, sure, he's not the best dad in the world, but-I mean, he's Apollo! He's pretty cool!"

Leo laughed, wishing that she'd been there to stack up the praise earlier, so he and his friends didn't have to. "Sure," he settled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You can burn all the offerings you want to him during dinner."

---

The rest of the day flew by in a flurry, and it was the best couple hours Leo had experienced in probably several years. Just as before, there was only about twenty other campers living at the camp in the winter months, though the demigods that were there congratulated them on a quest well done. After returning to their respective cabins, they each got a shower and change of clothes, getting ready just in time for dinner with the conch shell's blow.

Leo hadn't been looking forward to eating at his separate table when he really wanted to sit with his friends (and family). For once, though, he hesitated to break the rules here. Still, he ultimately decided to start small, moving over to the Hades table to sit with Nico and Hazel.

Leo wasn't sure why he'd felt like he'd explode as soon as he sat down at a table that wasn't his, but to his grateful surprise, he didn't. He felt some eyes on him, but no one stopped him-either because it was only during the winter or because they just got back from a quest, Leo wasn't sure.

"Leo," Nico started, raising a brow at him. "What are you doing?"

"Sitting with my friends, what does it look like I'm doing?" Leo replied with a smile, waving over at Sarah to join them. It looked as though she was already making friends with her siblings at the Apollo table, though she gladly went over to join them. Piper soon followed after. The meal was the closest thing to having lunch with friends in a mortal school as Leo had ever experienced.

When Leo scraped off part of his food into the fire for offering, his thoughts went to Hephaestus. Thanks for the rides back to camp, he thought, basking in the heavenly smell of vanilla and cinnamon that was strangely coming from a piece of brisket. Thanks for telling me about mom.

He also scraped off some for Apollo, hoping he liked half a dinner roll. Thanks for claiming Sarah, he thought, swallowing the lump in his throat as he looked over at his sister, who was currently showing Mythomagic to Hazel. Thanks for helping to bring her home.

Leo lastly scraped off some of his brownie (and it was an edge piece, too) for Hades, in thanks for claiming Hazel. It was odd, though, as the flames seemed to flicker blue in response. It wasn't something Leo had seen before, but he chalked up the response being that way because he was a Big Three god.

Dismissing the thought, Leo headed back over to the table, where his friends' laughter sounded better than any magical burnt offering could smell.

---

Once the evening had rolled over the camp, Leo should have known he wasn't going to stay the night in the Hephaestus cabin.

He liked the cabin and his half siblings just fine, but just like the tables, there were so many other places to go to be with his friends.

He thought about going to the Aphrodite cabin to see what Piper, Hazel, and Sarah had gotten up to-and Leo was sure they were actually staying the night in the cabin, harpies be damned. But Leo thought better of it. He didn't want to be the overbearing older brother to interrupt Sarah's sleepover-she had never had one when they shared a foster home.

Really-naturally-Leo knew he wanted to go to the Hades cabin. His entire journey-from delivering that pizza, to killing his first monster, to finding his way out of Tartarus-Nico had been there since the beginning. His initial nervous energy around Nico never seemed to go away-it had just morphed from his nervousness to this new mythological world, to a new kind of nervousness altogether.

Leo never knew what to expect with Nico, though he knew he wanted to see him that evening.

Slipping out of his bed and sliding on his shoes, Leo carefully slunk out of the Hephaestus cabin.

Luckily the harpies were on the other side of the cabins in their patrol, lecturing an innocent nymph who'd gone on a moonlit stroll. Although Leo felt his heart thumping in his chest at the idea of those chicken ladies chasing after him in a vengeful fury, he managed to slip through the door to the Hades cabin before they saw anything.

Leo was facing the door as he shut it, his back to everything inside. He was just grateful that the place was warm against the biting chill outside.

"Leo?" Nico's voice from behind him asked. "What are you doing here?"

Leo turned and was hit by the strong smell of cherries and vanilla, the room lit entirely by several candles. Nico himself sat cross-legged in a large circle of candles, donning worn black sweatpants and a loose black Ramones T-shirt a couple sizes too big for him. Leo had never seen the son of Hades look so...cozy. He looked how he did that night in the hotel room-still an air of power and unnatural energy, but almost fully human.

Leo found himself smiling at the sight of him, unable to help it. "I just wanted to see you...um...if that's okay?"

"Yeah," Nico nodded, smiling in return. "Of course that's okay..." He seemed to be in disbelief, even now, that Leo would want to visit him. Leo would just have to prove that he really did.

"So, I guess Hazel didn't want to stay in here tonight?" Leo asked, approaching the other and sitting down outside of his little cult-summoning candle circle.

"She's with Piper and Sarah in the Aphrodite cabin, like Sarah offered," Nico replied, frowning. His eyes traced along the plain black wall by his bed, a certain distance to his gaze.

"Look," Leo started, unsure of where to go once he did, only that he wanted to bring Nico down to earth, away from his racing thoughts. He reached out, toying with a lose string on the knee of Nico's sweatpants. The son of Hades looked up at him, that look in his eyes like he was unsure of what to make of Leo.

"I don't know what Hades told you in the Big House," Leo said. "But I'm sure he wasn't about to invite you and Hazel to a theme park or anything."

Nico snickered at that, and Leo smiled to himself. "Still," Leo continued. "No matter what, Hazel is your friend. She's our friend. And when she said that you were her brother, she sounded proud. I can't tell you how she feels about being a daughter of Hades, but I can tell you she's lucky to have a brother like you."

Nico nodded, conflicting thoughts still flickering in the lights of his eyes. And when he blinked, Leo noticed it-his eyes were watering.

"I didn't think," Nico shrugged, his pale cheeks flushing. "I mean, Hazel is not...she'll never be a replacement for Bianca or anything, I would never even think that, but...I just never thought I'd have a sister again..."

"Yeah," Leo nodded quickly, reflecting back on how Nico had explained the crack in the dining pavilion, though that seemed like a lifetime ago. "Yeah, I think I sort of know what you mean. Not that what happened with Sarah is anything like what you went through, but...you know..."

"I know," Nico echoed, letting out a deep breath before looking up at Leo. It seemed that, despite his words being a pile of nothing, the son of Hades appreciated it, and it seemed to make him feel better. He actually smiled, the look crooked and curious, and Leo once again wondered what the son of Hades was like when he first came to camp as a ten year old. "Can I...can I show you something, Leo?"

Leo raised his brows. "Does it involve sneaking past those chicken ladies again? Because I wouldn't hesitate to leave you in the dust if they chase after us."

Nico rolled his eyes, a fond smile on his lips. "For one, I'd be leaving you in the dust. Also, no. We can stay in the cabin-we can see it from the window."

With that, Nico stood, going over to the left window at the front of the cabin. Against the windowsill, an oddly large collection of grey bricks gathered in an oval shape, containing nothing but dirt and patches of grass. Some dirt collected in a small pile in the center, suggesting some gardening or something must have been done there within the last couple weeks.

The son of Hades didn't comment on his strangely grandiose, yet lackluster indoor garden, instead settling to sit on the edge of it. Leo did the same, looking up at the bright stars outside. For once, he wasn't afraid of what the darkness meant-he knew that they had successfully completed the quest, so his dad and Sarah's dad would do the rest to get the sun back up and running.

Nico's gaze was towards the south, where the top of the forest tree line stood against the sky. "Do you see the constellation of the huntress with the bow?" He asked softly.

Leo was never good at this kind of thing-whenever he was asked about constellations, he typically lied and said he saw things he didn't. But he didn't want to do that this time; he wanted to see what Nico wanted to show him.

Leo took in the big picture of the stars, looking for a pattern, though he could only see a distant star glowing bigger and brighter than the others. "Is it around that one star that's kinda glowing more blue-ish than the others? That one star's really pretty, but I have a hard time with constellations to be honest-"

He was slightly startled by a soft laugh from Nico, and the son of Hades was looking at him as if he'd just told a clever joke.

"You kinda beat me to it," Nico said. "Down south of that star is the constellation of Zoë Nightshade, a Hunter of Artemis who lost her life on a quest a few years back." He paused, pointing out the area, and Leo studied it again. The stars, as if gathering together just for him, became easier to see. The picture was crystal clear-a young girl racing through the cosmos, bow in hand, ready to bravely battle monsters. And at the tip of her quiver, blinking as if waving hello, was the beaming blueish star Leo had seen earlier.

"It was the same quest where...where I lost Bianca, too," Nico explained. "After the post-war council in August, Artemis showed me the star she'd made in Bianca's honor-the same star you pointed out just now. Ever since then, I tried to say goodnight to it every night before bed. I feel bad that I haven't been doing it lately, with everything going on, but...I just thought that I would show you, I'm not sure why..."

Leo instinctively shook his head at the dismissive tone he'd taken on towards that last part. "I'm glad you showed me. It's gotta be the most beautiful star in the whole sky, Nico..." he looked back towards Nico, his black eyes reflecting the silvery hue of the moon. Once again Leo felt that familiar odd coil he had in the hotel room-and the car, and in the depths of Tartarus itself; it was the coil that seemed to pull him closer to the son of Hades.

In all this craziness, the gods and monsters and huntresses in the sky, Leo's comfort rested not just in the camp, but in Nico. He couldn't imagine ever admitting it to Nico, but as long as he was by his side, Leo would be home; he wondered if their trip to Tartarus said that well enough.

"Thanks," Nico replied, his smile sheepish as he played with the loose string on his sweatpants.

Leo's gaze wandered towards the underwhelming patch of grass between them, bathed in the moonlight. "Can I ask what's with this little garden? I didn't think you had a green thumb or anything..."

Nico's smile turned more crooked as he looked back at Leo. "I don't-I'd probably kill any plant I touch. It's a summonings ground, so I can summon any spirit from the Underworld from the safety of my cabin." He paused, shrugging. "So the chicken ladies don't eat me mid-offering."

Leo nodded, his heart suddenly skipping a beat at the realization that just clicked into place. Nico had spoken with the ghost of King Minos of myth, and probably countless others through which a child of Hades alone could contact. Through this little oval section of dirt, Leo could possibly see his mom.

But Leo didn't want to say anything outright-that would be a tall order, and he was having such a good night with Nico already...he imagined that sort of opportunity would render himself unpredictable.

"What..." Leo started. "What kind of things do you use for offering? It's not, like, live animals, is it?"

A certain mischievous light danced in Nico's eyes at the question. "You know, it's actually exclusively sons of Hephaestus with curly hair who are just a little bit annoying." Nico explained, leaving just a bit of space between his index finger and thumb to show precisely how annoying he found him.

"Ha-ha," Leo rolled his eyes. If anyone else had suggested that, Leo might have closed himself off, but he knew Nico didn't mean anything by it.

"It's not live animals," Nico clarified, taking out the little shovel left on top of the grey brick. "It can be, but any kind of food and drink can also work-my go-to is usually kid's meals at any fast food place. I also have a stock of instant ramen and soda that works, too."

Leo hummed in interest, his gaze tracing along the patch of dirt-it looked so unassuming for what Nico could do with it.

"Leo," Nico said, his tone suddenly hesitant. "I did want to ask...I wanted to ask if you would like for me to summon your mother. We don't have to-but I wanted to offer."

Leo's heartbeat was a distant thrum in his chest, as if he were listening to someone else's heart in a movie. His every movement froze as he grappled with the offer-a chance to see his mother for the first time in eight years? Who could say no to that? Leo could catch her up on his life and his great adventures-she'd be happy to hear about all his great friends. He could tell her he loved her and ask if she was sure she still loved him.

He could apologize to her, for everything, including how troublesome he was before the fire.

He could tell her he met his dad, like she always wanted.

But...

"No," Leo shook his head, his own voice sounding as if it were a recording with the volume turned down. "I mean-I appreciate that, I really do, but...I don't think I should. At least not right now, anyways. I think...I mean I was a handful, but I think that she did love me, and I made her happy no matter what. I don't wanna pull her spirit out of the Underworld just to heal my subconscious, you know? I want to talk to her later...when I have a laundry list of things that'll make her even more proud that I'm her son."

Nico paused, seemingly pondering his words, and Leo was momentarily left worried that he had rambled on too long. Even so, he wasn't embarrassed-he meant everything he said.

"That," Nico said, "is really, surprisingly emotionally mature of you, Leo." He looked up at him, his black eyes soft with a look that read entirely, to Leo's surprise, that he really admired him.

And what more could Leo want from the demigod he himself admired the most?

"Don't be too surprised," Leo grinned. "I gotta balance out my comedy somehow, I can't always be making you laugh."

"Sure," Nico agreed sarcastically. He spun the little shovel in his hand once before sticking it into the soft dirt and pointing his pinky at Leo. "To later," he said, offering the promise as a toast.

"To later," Leo promised, entwining his pinky with his.

Nico stood and stretched, starting back over to the circle of candles before Leo stopped him with a hand on his wrist.

"Um," Leo started, standing up with the son of Hades, unsure of why his heart started to race at Nico's curious look. "I know this is kinda out of no where, but I just wanted to thank you. You, and everyone, for fighting all those monsters while I figured out the whole button issue. It was really awesome, the way you took down Matt-I know he's the worst-but I also know there's not a monster you can't face."

Nico shook his head, smiling slightly. "I don't know about that, but thank you. I was just pissed he was paying you 7.25-you deserve at least eight."

"Eight, huh?" Leo asked. "That'd be nice. I might actually have some savings, and I could take you out to the movies."

A moment passed, and only after Leo saw the expression on Nico's face-surprise, his face flushing slightly-that he realized he'd said something he shouldn't.

"All of us, I meant. Me and you and Sarah and Hazel and Piper-maybe even Mr. D, if it'll put him in a better mood." Leo corrected with a nervous laugh, his heart sinking with disappointment at the thought that Nico might not want to go with just him.

It didn't have to, like, mean anything.

Really.

"Yeah," Nico agreed, his eyes locked on Leo's, soft and contemplative before roving down to his stomach. "I meant to ask before...if I could see...?" He started, nimble fingers reaching for the hem of Leo's shirt.

"If you could see...?" Leo echoed, his heart skipping a beat. Why did he feel so much tension around Nico, building to some sort of precipice? Right when he thought he had unlocked everything the son of Hades was about, something new started to unfold.

"Your scar," Nico said, meeting his eyes again. "I know Apollo healed you and all, it's just...I was so scared when it happened. But it's alright if you don't want me to see it, of course..."

"Oh," Leo tentatively placed his hand over Nico's, allowing him to lift up his shirt just enough to see his old wound. All that was left of it was a thin white scar, something easily overlooked, as if it hadn't happened at all.

"It doesn't hurt," Leo explained, "at least, it's very minor when I strain myself. It's just when I think about it...the, uh, mental pain of it is worse than the physical pain."

Nico nodded, his expression solemn as a funeral. His cool fingertips traced against the scar, somehow causing warmth to zip down Leo's spine. "You could talk to Mr. D," Nico offered. "Rumor has it he's something of a mental health expert. I'm not sure I could trust him myself, but I suppose I can't knock it until I try it."

"I'm alright," Leo shrugged, feeling almost disappointed when Nico pulled away from his scar, and his shirt dropped back down. "At least, for now. I'm back here with my new friends, and my sister, and I can maybe actually relax a little...besides, the trauma was kinda worth it. I got to hit on Apollo, who I've been kinda crushing on since that weird orientation video."

Nico frowned, that same curiosity dancing in his eyes that Leo had seen many moments before. "You shouldn't joke like that," he said.

Leo's mind roved over Aphrodite's words at the hotel, about how Nico might have a nice boy waiting for him at camp. Who had she been talking about? Was Nico serious about never loving anyone again?

"What if I wasn't joking?" Leo asked, his voice lowered to a whisper, as if the moment it cracked into regular volume, this would all be real. "What if I...what if I was like you and Piper?"

It was the first time he'd technically 'come out' to anyone, because it was really the first time he'd really admitted it to himself. So many half-hearted internal jokes had to lead somewhere-he felt like much more than a supportive friend to people like Piper, Nico, and Sarah; he felt the same as they did, somewhat.

When Nico met his eyes, Leo could see only a dash of skepticism at his confession. And only a moment later, Nico grabbed him by his shirt, pulling him close and pressing his lips to Leo's.

Leo could hear his blood rush in his ears, his heart pounding in his chest as he fumbled for what to do with his hands. He settled for holding Nico close by the back of his neck, his fingers tangling into where his hair curled at the bottom. He could feel Nico's hands on his hips, his thumb reaching up to trace his scar over his shirt.

There was one kiss, then another, both initiated by Nico, as if the son of Hades needed to ensure that he'd kiss him. Then there was a pause, startlingly brief before the third, when Leo leaned forward and kissed him.

Leo finally pulled away, his breath hesitant and shaky as he brushed some of Nico's hair away to better see his face.

"Um," Leo started, smiling uncertainly. "I've never been kissed before..." he muttered, because that was about the dorkiest thing he could think of.

"Me either," Nico replied, meeting Leo's eyes before glancing down at his lips and back up again. "But...no," he shook his head, backing away. "That was a bad idea..."

Leo's body hollowed out as if it were made of wood; his heart dropped down to his stomach. "No it wasn't," he insisted. "I-I liked it. I like you, Nico."

"No you don't," Nico countered. "You don't know me-we don't know each other-"

"Yes we do," Leo said, his face flushing, his heart jumping back into his chest in a race of panic. "We've gotten really close over this quest, I thought, but we could still get to know each other better-"

"No," Nico shook his head, a determined finality in his voice. "I don't think-I mean...I like you, Leo...but last week I hadn't even met you, and...there's just a lot going on right now..."

"You're shitting me," Leo scoffed, "I mean, I kinda get it, but you don't even want to give it a try?"

Nico frowned, his eyes shining as if Leo had insulted him directly. "You should go back to your cabin, Leo."

Leo's eyes stung, a lump forming in his throat, all too soon for his liking. The whiplash made his head spin-why, why did he have to have an average tragic teenaged love story to go along with all the demigod weirdness?

"Yeah," Leo's voice cracked. "Yeah, okay." He started towards the door, wondering, hoping Nico would call and tell him to wait. Nico would change his mind, and kiss him again, and they'd lay in his bed talking all night long. That was how this was supposed to end.

All was silent but the creak of the door as Leo opened it to the biting December evening.

Leo walked back in a daze to his cabin, though of course his evening had to get even shittier before he could make it to his bed.

The crunching of the frost-covered grass must have alerted the attention of the harpies, and they were no longer distracted by passing nymphs. One of the unsettling chicken ladies in question scrambled his way, faster than she looked.

"Camper out of bed," she crooned, clawed fingers poised as if she'd been waiting for a moment like this for decades.

Leo's heart jumped in panic, but part of him didn't even care-maybe this was his perfect ending after all, making it out of Tartarus just to end up at the beak-end of the camp's night patrol.

"Just leave me alone," Leo said, sniffling, sounding like quite the hero. "I'm going back to my cabin, anyway." He tried to move past her, though she clawed at his arm, scraping a long, nasty cut in her wake.

Leo looked down at his arm, shaking as the cut burned, the deep red blood dripping down onto the snow. He seethed, basking in his rushing anger over the pain from the injury.

Small, candlelight fires lit his fingertips, the flames racing to his hands as if his skin were laced with gasoline.

"Leave me alone," Leo repeated. The blood from his cut began to sizzle from the heat of the ensuing flames, rising in quickly-evaporating droplets.

The harpy squawked, backing away for a moment before snapping forward, barely missing Leo's neck as he dodged.

"Leave me alone!" Leo yelled, charging the monster with nothing but his flames. He didn't even need to hit her-he hardly knew how to form a punch, anyways. He just touched her. He held his hands to her midsection, reveling in her screams and squawks. He could only think of the events of the last few days-the omens, gods, and injustice of it all. The questions were answered, but would Leo had been less miserable in his old life, working crappy service jobs with a crappy foster home?

Leo moved the flames to the harpy's neck, then her face, not stopping in spite of the noise, or the smoke, or even the sound of his own maniacal laughter.

The harpy slipped away too fast, crumpling to that glittering dust, mingling with the ash. Leo wanted to follow her down to Tartarus, relive the fun all over again.

Leo was met with the pungent smell of smoke, fried chicken, and burnt hair. Looking down at the ground around him, the snow had melted into a perfect circle of green.

Swaying on his feet, his vision blurring, Leo stumbled to the cold, wet grass.

His black vision dancing with specs of light, Leo drifted in and out of consciousness, unable to get his eyes open.

Leo could hear a bit of a commotion around him-the slamming of doors, the sounds of shoes and horse hooves against the grass.

"Oh, god, Leo, what'd you do...?" A distant voice, one that sounded like Nico, asked.

"Oh, child," Chiron's voice said solemnly. "Help him up, please, Mr. di Angelo. Let's get him to the Big House and allow him some rest."