Coming Back [A ReyNico FanFic]

An Underworldly Gift

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Hey, guys! So... I know I said in my previous chapters that I'll be updating more often this November. But it turns out that I can't. I just got assigned to come up with a design for the school lobby for Christmas.

Anyway, I just want to tell you that this chapter is most likely to be the last fluffy chapter. No more extreme fluff on the next chapters. I REPEAT, NO MORE EXTREME FLUFF ON THE NEXT CHAPTERS SO MAKE THIS LAST. There will be action, and lots of blood. I'm not kidding. You have been warned.

Also, thank you for the 4k reads!! So before this author's note turns into a four-page essay, I'm gonna jump right into the chapter.

Oh, and credits to @UntilTheStormRises for a specific part in this chapter. You'll know what. :)

Leo
Leo always thought that cleaning the stables was a funny job. He had even laughed at the people who had to do it. Might have even rubbed it on their faces once or twice.

But Leo was not laughing now that he had to do the job.

Who knew pegasi manure could hurt the nose so bad? They only ate grass for Zeus's sake. Blame Percy and Piper for feeding them the occasional donuts, because these nasty things burn.

Cursing, Leo pointed the hose at the small hill of wonder (note the sarcasm, lots of sarcasm) by a white pegasus's feet. The horse neighed angrily, which probably meant, Watch where you're hosing, you scrawny idiot! but Leo was too busy to even reply. Creaks and squeaks from mechanical things he could understand. But Horse? Meh, only the mighty Water Boy could do that.

It was crazy how he landed this job. Really crazy. He only wanted a can of coke and a pack of junk food, and now he had to hose down mountains of you-know-what because of it. Yesterday, he paid Cecil to sneak out to the nearest convenience store to buy him some goods. People here in camp did that all the time: pay a Hermes kid to buy forbidden stuff. Cecil succeeded without a hitch. The kid brought him the goods, and so he went to the forgery to have some alone time with it.

That's when Chiron suddenly decided to show up while he was eating it. The centaur took one look at his food and gave him the cleaning duty. Talk about caught in the act. The chip was halfway to his mouth.

Leo heaved bundles and bundles of hay into each of the pegasi's stalls. He was about to reach for the topmost bundle in a high stack when a voice said behind him, "Hey."

He flinched, almost getting knocked off by the bundle of hay when it fell from the top. He wheeled around and saw Nico watching him, looking amused. "You missed that spot over there," he said, pointing at Porkpie's stall.

"Why are you here?" Leo asked irritably.

"Piper told me to give you this." Nico produced a roundish package from his pocket and handed it to Leo. "She said it might cheer you up."

Leo took the package and ripped open the paper. Inside was an empty can of diet coke and a junk food wrapper. There was a note taped to the can and it said, Thought we might finish what you started. Enjoy cleaning the stables. Love, Nyssa and Jake.

Needless to say, Leo felt like crying. And Nico just stood there with his lips pursed like he was fighting down a smile.

Leo was quite surprised that Nico played along with this little prank from his siblings. The son of Hades he knew back at the Argo II never did anything fun. He had never even smiled. But now, well, the changes were kinda drastic. Everyone knew who the cause was. And what Leo saw one time. . .

"Um, you're looking at me funny," Nico interrupted, wincing. "And you have a smear of something on your left cheek, by the way."

Leo straightened up and touched his left cheek with a finger. Sure enough, he felt something sticky smeared on his skin. Suspicious, he brought his finger to his nose and sniffed. He almost gagged.