fifthofthecovenant | The Last Voyages: IC Contact

It's not, but it could be. Especially if people are sick or death tolling. Nico wonders why it's not already offered, but maybe wardens just take care of that for their inmates?

He likes Hunter all right, but it doesn't really sound like he will.

Also, "You literally live next door." As in, it's really not out of his way.

He really should say no, he's fine, he'll manage. He doesn't know how much he's going to be eating over the next few days, anyway. It's easier when nobody even notices him.

But the thought of trekking all the way out of the kitchen even twice a day is way too much. He's never been great at being sick. And if Nico is offering....

"Yeah, sure, if you really want to," he says with a little shrug. "I'm not going to be going anywhere for a few days, anyway. Maybe the showers." Which makes him wrinkle his nose at the idea, but he definitely doesn't want to spend the next however long dirty. Especially when the feeling of all that sticky blood is still right there, in his memory. Yuck.

"Showers're good," Nico agrees, deciding the meals thing is settled, then. He'll bring something easy on the stomach and not-too-perishable for Chase every meal for the next few days.

"It makes sense, that coming back to life isn't just easy."

At least, it makes sense to him.

Chase gives him an aggrieved look. "It was really easy, the first time," he says sarcastically, since he'd just been dead, then he'd had the Admiral asking him if he wanted a second chance, and then he'd been in his bedroom again. Simple.

Nico's eyes narrow, largely in thought. "I don't know how the Admiral does it," he admits. "My father doesn't like to let people go. So maybe he gets you before you get too far, relatively speaking."

Before they make it through the gate - before they get to the Underworld, entirely.

That could explain the first time. And maybe it's just harder, subsequent times, to prevent that from happening. Or maybe the Admiral is trying to teach them some kind of lesson. Or maybe it's none of the above.

That's a bit of a surprise. "Your father," he repeats. Because he didn't realize this was the kid of... what, Hades? If he's talking about the Greek underworld.

Nico's smile is more a tightness of the lips than an actual smile. "Yeah. My father. Hades."

He doesn't know how much Chase remembers from when he was younger that one week, but he suspects it's not nothing.

Oh, he remembers it. But never in that conversation did he ever actually say his father was a Greek god. It does make everything from that conversation make a lot more sense, though. "Wow," he says after a pause, fitting a lot of that neatly into place. "And I thought my dad was bad. At least he wasn't a god of the dead."

Nico has to laugh a little at that, almost like it's startled out of him.

"Yeah, it makes things complicated." To say the least. "But I guess we get along okay these days."

If you count okay him possibly planning to sneak into Tartarus without telling his dad, but - hey. If he gets his deal? He won't have to. So why worry about it right now.

"Doesn't mean your dad wasn't bad, though," he adds, not explicitly asking, but not shutting that door if Chase wants to explain.

Chase very clearly, visibly debates how much to say, eying Nico a little warily. Then, deciding it might win him pity points with a warden, he says, "He killed my mom when I was about two. Probably was trying to kill me at the same time, but he missed."

It's not like he has to say anything that happened after that. That's not the really important part.

It does kind of work, though it's maybe less pity he gets, and more understanding, of a sort.

"That sucks," is the simple reply. Nico knows what it's like to have your mother killed, to have someone want to kill you, but - it wasn't his father. It was his father's brother, and that means it's certainly not as bad as what happened to Chase. "I'm sorry."

He says it in a way that manages - hopefully - not to be empty or condescending. It's just simple. He is sorry. Everyone dies, but it's hard to lose your family, all the same.

"Is he still alive?"

"Nope," Chase says blandly, and has a sip of his tea, hoping Nico doesn't ask for details. He's been very good about keeping the reasons he's here under wraps. Nico hasn't earned the trust it'd take for real honesty. He might be closer than anyone else except maybe Sweeney, but that's not saying much.

"And it's not like I remember my mom," he adds. "There's nothing to really be sorry about. My adoptive parents were fine."

Nico does not ask for details, so that's something, at least.

"I guess not." He remembers his mom, some. But he was older. At two... no, he supposes Chase wouldn't remember very much.

He glances around, assuming this must be Chase's room in their house, then. With his adoptive family. It seems like a pretty nice house, at least.

But Chase said were, and it could mean something, or it could mean nothing. "Were, like they were fine while you were growing up, or are they gone, too?" He doesn't sound accusing. Just curious.

... Well, shit. Chase isn't really feeling well enough to put up a good act, so the question makes him flinch a little. "Gone, too," he confirms.

And now Nico officially knows something not a single other person on the Barge knows. Something important. He hates that a little.

Nico just nods; for what it's worth, he doesn't ask what happened this time, either.

Although it may or may not be better that what he does ask is, "Was this their house?" as he motions around to the room.

Mostly he just wonders if it's weird, living in a house after your parents are gone. He kind of has no frame of reference at all.

"Yeah, this is my bedroom." He supposes he could've moved into the master, but why would he? That was his parents' room. "The only other option, I guess, would've been my dorm room at school, but this is better."

Even if it's sometimes sad, it's a reminder of why he's here. If there was ever a threat of forgetting, anyway.

"Yeah, definitely." It certainly is nicer than Nico's own dorm room experience. He figures that if you had a choice - and, well, even if you didn't - this seems better.

And Chase doesn't seem to mind, so that's good. Nico's heard you can make requests for new cabins, but that doesn't seem to be in order, here.

He considers asking more, but he doesn't want this to sound like an interrogation, and Chase probably still feels terrible.

So, "Okay. I'll leave you to get some rest, but you can come next door or call or whatever if you need something before I come back."

That sounds awesome. Chase is entirely uninterested in talking any more about it. So he nods, contriving to look tired and queasy. Which is not that hard, because he is tired and queasy. "Thanks. This is, uh. Nice of you."

Unfamiliar, that.

"No problem," Nico assures him quietly, because it really isn't. But also, he's not actually used to being thanked or being called nice by people that are not his boyfriend, whom he understands to be exceedingly biased.

But still, there's something about it that's nice to hear.

He doesn't linger, though, and ducks out after that, leaving Chase to rest until later, when he'll stop by to leave him some dinner.

The Last Voyages: IC Contact

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