𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑 𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐒𝐄 ➳ 𝙥𝙟𝙤 // 𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨

viii

After letting Clint be punched by almost every Apollo kid there was, Nico and Clint headed out to the strawberry fields to sit down and talk. Nico sat in a clear patch of grass, while Clint lay down, staring at the sun. Thalia's tree was to their left, and Nico explained all of the adventures he'd had while Clint was off saving the world with mortals. He left out the torture part, though.

"So, Nico," Clint crossed his arms, "how do you know the Avengers?"

"Well," Nico scoffed, "your little friends tried to recruit and or kidnap me five years ago."

"They did what?" Clint narrowed his eyes. "And what were you doing to get on their radar?"

"...Wha-?" Nico raised his eyebrows. "Excuse me? Why do you assume I did something?"

"Because I know Nat. She was probably so busy trying to track Thanos down that nothing else could've distracted her," Clint explained.

"I-maybe-sort-of-went-around-killing-criminals-and-raising-the-dead," Nico mumbled.

"Nico," Clint groaned. "And you're sure you weren't followed."

Nico snorted, "I shadow traveled." Clint frowned disapprovingly.

"Besides, If I had been, they would have busted us a long time ago," Nico added.

"As long as you didn't leave any trace behind, you'll be fine," Clint sighed.

Nico's mouth made an 'o' shape, deep in thought.

"What now?" Clint scowled. "Please tell me you didn't..."

"I might have been bleeding out when I shadow traveled..." Nico trailed off. "So they might have my blood and stuff..."

"Di Immortales, Neeks," Clint pinched his forehead. "And here I thought you were the wise old man."

"I'm technically only like twenty," Nico half-smiled. It was the first time he had in a while.

Clint got up off his back abruptly, and stared out over the field, eyes wide.

"Clint?" Nico's smile vanished. "What is it?"

A red-haired woman wearing a black stealth suit was walking towards camp. Nico recognized her as the lady who tried to get Nico to go with her and her friends on a giant government plane.

"It's Natasha..." Clint was speechless. "What...?"

"Oh, fuck, this isn't good," Nico paled. "If she sees camp, we're all doomed."

"Nico, there's a magical barrier that stops mortals from entering," Clint sighed.

"Yeah, but if she keeps going, she might just see through it," Nico snapped. At that point, Nico was praying to the gods that Natasha didn't keep walking, but she did.

Clint's eyes grew wide as she reached her hand out towards the barrier. As her fingers almost grazed the barrier, and Nico tried to refrain from yelling, Clint panicked and said, "Nat?"

She whirled around cautiously, looking for the source of the voice.
"Clint?" she asked hesitantly.

Nico yanked Clint's arm farther away from the barrier, and whispered out of Nat's earshot, "If I shadow-travel you behind that tree can you try not to blow our cover?"
Clint only nodded as the two of them stepped into the shadows.

"Clint?" Nat called again. Clint walked out from behind a tree on the other side of the border and she whirled around in surprise. Nico quickly traveled back to the other side and tried to hold his breath.

"What the hell?" she yelled at Clint, tears forming in her eyes.

"Hi, Nat," Clint said sheepishly. Nat engulfed him in a hug and the two stayed like that for some time. "What are you doing here?" he tried to ask casually.

"Looking for you, you fucking idiot. What are you doing here?" Nat scowled.

"I'm on a picnic," Clint shrugged. Nat looked at him strangely. "I'm hiding from S.H.I.E.L.D...." he added.

"Understandable," she chuckled. "But you do know, if you had come to me, I would have understood."

"I killed people, Nat," Clint sighed. "I think we're past understanding."

"I've killed people too," Nat reminded him, "and you forgave me. Everyone deserves a second chance."

"Why are you here, Nat?" Clint looked at the ground.

Nat stared at the tattoos that covered Clint's arms and then looked up at him. "We think there's a chance we can bring everyone back."

Clint's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped open, gaping. "I'm... I'm sorry, what?"

Nico, who was listening in on this conversation from the other side, found himself holding back angry tears. Was there really a way to bring Will back? To bring Percy back? Everyone who they had lost; home, as if they'd never left?

Nat looked around warily. "We can talk about this at headquarters. It's not safe here."

Clint glanced in Nico's direction but didn't make eye contact, so not to alert Nat, whose observation skills were unmatched.

"What do you mean?" Clint asked her casually, though inside his heart was aching. Laura, the kids... he missed them so much, it drove him to borderline insanity.

"I think we're being watched," Nat whispered. "It's not safe."

Clint looked at Nico, panicked, with a questioning look on his face. It seemed to say, "Should we?"
Nico nodded yes, curious to learn the plan on how to bring everyone back. Clint subtlety jerked his head to the tree behind him, and Nico understood, shadow-traveling there immediately.

"Clint," Nat repeated, "we need to go."

"Just hang on," Clint sighed. Looking at the tree, he said, "Nico, you can come out now."

A look of realization crossed Nat's face as a pale faced, thin and frail 20 year old with jet black hair, hazel eyes, and black combat boots stepped out from behind the tree. The last time she had seen this person was five years ago, when he was merely a teenager.

Nico di Angelo.