Nico could smell the ashes on the wind. He could hear the songs of swords, spears, and arrows slicing through the air, meeting flesh and scale. He could taste the blood on his tongue, running from his nose into his mouth. He could feel the exhaustion sinking into his bones, the ache of every muscle in his body. The strain of the stitches in his wing, slices on his skin all down his legs and arms from claws and other weapons. But he couldn't see a thing. This was a battle, but Nico was blind, the voices were muffled, his ears full of cotton, but he could hear their shouts and screams all the same. Who's? Why were they shouting? Where was he? Which battle, which war?

He was falling. Plummeting from somewhere, the wind made up from razors on every piece of exposed skin. He was going to die, the ground was getting closer. He couldn't see a thing, but he knew all the same.

Nico woke with a start, gasping for air as if it would be his last breath. He snatched his shirt with a vice grip, grounding himself in any way. A nightmare? Possible, but then why couldn't he see? A vision was just as likely, but the same question remained. It could also be possible that someone or something was blocking him from it too. He let out a low groan and let himself fall back into his cot, careful not to lay on his wings. Carefully, he tried to put them away and was thankfully met with success. Finally, they were getting irritating. Nico sank further into his sheets.

"Glad to see you're awake bright and early."

Nico snapped to attention, focusing on the tired-looking, blue woman in scrubs still in the infirmary. Lou was resting not too far away, but other than those two, the room seemed to be mostly empty. her name had been mentioned, but he couldn't remember it right now. 

"Unfortunately," Nico groaned, shuffling himself from the bed. "What time is it?" he asked. 

She looked to a small watch on her wrist, "About 5:30 am, I'm going to be heading out here soon."

"Where's Will?" 

She had to think for a minute, "I haven't seen him since he left with the shadowhunters."

"Ah, okay, how is Lou doing?" Nico decided to ask next. 

"Well, she's beyond physically exhausted with wounds that definitely would've killed a mundane. But I think she should be just fine. I've stitched up and bandaged what I could. Will gave me something he referred to as nectar to our on her wounds and it healed a lot of the deeper wounds."

Nico let out a deep breath, relieved and concerned all the same. 

"We won't be able to move her though, will we?" 

She shook her head, "No, I personally wouldn't."

"Thank you for treating her Miss...?"

"Catarina Loss." 

"Thank you, Miss Catarina."

Catarina gave Nico a long glance. She seemed to assess him, and so Nico met her stare. To him, she wasn't even vaguely threatening, he had seen far worse. Strange, sure, but he must be the same to her. 

"Tell me, Nico, in your opinion, are demigods closer to Nephilim or warlocks?" Catarina asked. 

Nico paused for a moment, then hung his head in consideration. "I suppose it depends," he decided. 

"Depends on what?"

"Lineage," Nico stated. "Not all demigods have abilities. Some have talents and are skilled, some are just a step away from normal people." Nico huffed, "I'm a bad standard. Most demigods don't have the skill set I do, mine is unique to me. And powers as strong as my own aren't common either, I can only name a small handful."

Catarina seemed to contemplate this for a moment, connecting her own dots. "How long do you demigods live?"

"No clue. I've never met nor heard of a demigod who's died of old age. Most of us don't even make it to 16, let alone 18, I'd never even met an adult demigod until more recently."

"Why?"

"Demigods are a favorite snack to most monsters, and we have a tendency to literally attract trouble. The stronger the demigod, the more monsters they attract, the shorter their lives tend to be," Nico sighed. "It could just be a Greek thing though since we're a lot less organized. The Romans seem to have their shit together, dunno about any of the other pantheons too much."

She nodded, and Nico could understand, he had probably just spilled a lot of information on her, and it had also probably been a long night too. It was about to be a long day again. 

"So, a bunch of children are about to go to war today?" She finally asked. 

"Don't worry too much, Ms. Catarina, this is what us demigods do."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nico walked through the halls of the Institute, searching for Will, or any of the Shadowhunters really, because then they could take him to Will. He knew what was coming, so Nico had fully dressed, jacket on his shoulders, sword at his side rather than tucked away in the shadows, and boots on his feet as he went door to door. Nico nearly crashed into Simon when he stormed his way into the kitchen. 

"Holy-! You're awake!" Simon exclaimed. "Glad you're okay but-"

"What, no wings, son of Hades?" Jace hissed from further in the room, nursing a cup of something probably highly caffeinated.

"No," Nico snapped back. "Where's Will?"

"He went on ahead to your... camp? Yeah, Camp, about an hour ago, to ask someone if we can come help," Simon explained. 

Nico huffed, "Yeah, no way. Don't need your help. I'll be leaving now." Nico pivoted to leave, but Jace had moved to stand in front of the exit. 

"Valentine is a Shadowhunter problem, not something for an army of children. We're coming to deal with this whether you like it or not," Jace argued. 

"Valentine stopped being a 'Shadowhunter problem' when he came back from the dead and started targeting demigods. And why does everyone here have a problem with us fighting?! This is how it's always been! Monsters don't care how old you are, and neither do the Gods. Butt out, Golden Boy," Nico growled. 

"Why don't you understand that just because it's always been like this doesn't mean it should?! Children should have to go fight and die in wars!"

"Well, then I'm not the one you should be angry at then! Do you think I want this?! I just want to stop more of the few people I care about from dying!"

"This is too much yelling for 7:30 in the morning!" Simon shouted over them, and both snapped their head to him. 

Simon let out an anguished breath and pushed up his glasses to massage the bridge of his nose. "Yes, not wanting your friends to die is a good point. Yes, children shouldn't be made to go off to war because some god told them to. This is a shitty situation all around. But please, Nico, let us help you."

Nico was about to respond when an image of the very person he was looking for came into existence. Both Shadowhunters stared at the mirage in confusion. 

"Neeks!" Will exclaimed. 

"Will! Where are you?" Nico demanded. 

"Glad your up and ready. I'm at camp, and Chiron wants to meet them and make them swear before he decides if they can join the fight," Will informed him. 

"Okay, where are we meeting?" 

"Borders near Talia's Tree. How soon can you get here?"

Nico thought for a moment, "Soon, soon as I can get everyone together, I'll shadowtravel there," He said immediately. 

"Good. See you there. Love you Neeks, don't give them too hard a time."

"No promises."

With that, Nico swiped through the message, and looked around the room, swiping a bagel from the counter and opening the fridge to grab something to go with it. 

"What was that?" Simon asked incredulously. 

"Iris Message," Nico answered through a mouth full of bagel, pouring himself a cup of orange juice. 

"What's shadowtravel? You've mentioned that before," Jace asked. 

"You're about to find out if you start hauling ass, we have a meeting to get to. Find the others who want to come to fight, I can take a good handful but keep the numbers down to strictly necessary," Nico ordered. 

Jace looked miffed but ran off either way. Nico turned to Simon. "Where's a good place outside the wards that's decently dark and a good gathering place?"

Simon paused before answering. "Probably, the Sanctuary. Why...?" 

"Lead the way."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Magnus wasn't sure if he should feel honored or undignified at being dragged along into another battle. Catarina agreed to babysit if she could get into his booze supply, so both he and Alec were going off to war with the angry 14-year-old. Also tagging along were Jace, Clary, and Simon. Isabelle was left running interference, keeping a lookout from their side for any movement from Valentine through all of their channels plus some of her own. Maryse had wanted to come but wasn't supposed to leave, not with the Inquisitor, dearest Robert, supposed to be here this afternoon. It was a dicey situation, but honestly, Magnus had witnessed worse, especially with this group. 

Nico was waiting for them in the Sanctuary, foot tapping impatiently on the stone floors. Magnus got that chill he always did around the young boy, the shadows quivered with his irritation. Nico honestly looked quite intimidating, just like he had that first time in the abandoned theater. He was supposed to be a 'Reaper' after all, though now Magnus was questioning just how much merit that statement actually held. It was valid enough at surface level at least. From what he's seen, Nico seemed to be able to do plenty with the dead and certainly gave off that vibe. 

"Finally, it took you long enough. It's nearly 6:45, we need to be there five minutes ago," the boy complained. 

"Tell me where we're going and I'll open a portal," Clary offered, but Nico huffed. 

"Nah, secure location, we're taking my method."

"'Shadow-travel'? Right?" Simon offered. 

Nico smiled, but it was hardly kind. The boy pulled a whistle out from his pocket, normal except for the fact it was made out of ice. "If any of you attack my dog, I will stab you," he threatened before blowing into the whistle. 

Everyone was silent for a moment, but then the shadows rushed and poured in a way shadows should decidedly not. A large hellhound, the damn biggest hellhound Magnus had ever seen emerged in the middle of a Shadowhunter Sanctuary. Of course, this caused panic, a few shouts, Jace drew a blade of some kind, and the hound ignored them in favor of covering Nico in slobber. Everyone froze as Nico snorted before falling into a fit of laughter. 

"Gods, you all look dumb," Nico remarked.

"Says the one covered in hellhound slobber," Jace hissed like a ruffled-up kitten. 

It was honestly amusing just how much one emo kid could irritate one of the greatest Shadowhunters of this age. That was until you remembered that that same emo kid could pull off impossible feats of magic like child's play and could apparently summon a hellhound the size of a sedan on command. At least from the outside it probably seemed funny. 

"Well, this is Mrs. O'Leary, she's tame and a good girl. Some of you are going to have to ride her since I can't take all of you myself," Nico explained like that answered all their questions. 

"Ride a hellhound, are you crazy?!" Simon sputtered. 

"Probably. Three of you get on her, I'll take the other two."

Magnus frowned, wondering who he was supposed to trust with his life this time, a plus-sized hellhound or a teenager with an aptitude for necromancy and sass. Magnus chose the teenager, and so did Simon, which meant he got the joy of watching Jace stare down the hound, who apparently just wanted to sniff him while Clary laughed at his misery and gave the hellhound pats like it was just a normal dog and not the size of a car. Either way, she responded like a normal dog, and finally let the three of them climb on after a good deal of sniffing, a bark that caused some of the dust to fall from the ceiling, and a call from Nico. 

Clary sat up front, Jace in the middle, gripping onto Clary for dear life, and Alec had his own firm grip on Jace. Magnus made eye contact with Alec and could see the exasperated regret in his boyfriend's eyes. Riding a hellhound into who-knows-what was just the kind of insane Magnus had come to expect from this group and always tried to avoid. But here he was. 

"Okay, just some notes and warnings before we're off. It isn't a far trip, but if you fall off or let go, you're dead, never to be seen again. So don't. Mrs. O'leary knows where she's going, and so do I. Also, it's pretty noisy, but don't listen, that is also very bad for you. Got it?" Nico said, a vicious smile on his face like he hadn't just announced their imminent danger. 

"Wait, what?" Simon asked, eyes wide. 

Jace started panicking from his own position on the hellhound, securing everything he possibly could with a thick rope. Magnus felt the blood drain from his own face as he finally realized what Nico had meant by "shadow-travel" and was decidedly not ready for this. 

"Great! Hold your breath," Nico grinned. 

Suddenly there was a vice grip on his arm, and Magnus was quick to react by holding onto the small teen for dear life. The shadows moved like water around the room before they consumed them, drowning around the light so quickly Magnus could swear he must've closed his eyes. 

Except for the fact that they were wide open, and he could see nothing. He felt as if he was being compressed and stretched, then packed tight, then repeated, all while hurtling along at the speed of sound. He could hear shrieking though, shouts and curses of rage and pain and grief and terror so great it ripped through him and would definitely be a sound that would become the background for his nightmares. He didn't know where Alec was. Somehow, he still felt the iron vice grip Nico had on him, so hard it would probably bruise, and Magnus was thankful for it. It was the only thing grounding him at that moment since he couldn't feel anything else at the moment. He had his own experiences with sensory deprivation before, but this was something else, and it was terrifying. 

Suddenly, the world was too bright, and Magnus could breathe again, he hadn't even realized he had stopped. He was gasping, struggling to get enough oxygen, it felt like he was hyperventilating. If he had eaten anything this morning, he would've surely thrown it up right then. From his half-glances, the others weren't doing much better as he watched as the massive hound leaped from the shadows, all three riders clinging on to dear life and one another, pale and shaking. Magnus did his best to gather himself and watched as the riders slowly let themself fall off onto the ground, Jace's tether rose coming undone by a sharp blade. 

The only ones who seemed to be okay were Nico, who looked purely amused (some payback that had been. Sure, they were physically all right, but Magnus had a new page to add to his mental scarring list now.), Mrs. O'Leary of course, and for some damn reason, Simon. The youngest just stumbled around dazed for a moment before shaking it off. 

"Reminds me of dying," Simon groaned, leaning up against a tree for support. 

Magnus realized at that moment, that they were in a forest, he could hear the roar of the ocean not too far away, and your typical soft forest ambiance. Of course, Long Island was their destination. The forest was thick and mostly untouched by modern civilization, but there was a particularly large pine tree and a stone gate with some sort of writing on it he was far too disoriented to see. He could nearly taste the magic or something close to it in the air, faintly reminiscent of strawberries. The others slowly began to gather their bearings then too, Magnus quickly went to help Alec to his feet. 

"I hate you..." Jace panted. Nico didn't respond with anything but that same sharp smile. 

"Neeks! You could've given then a proper warning before dragging hem here," a familiar voice scolded, Nico, stuck his tongue out as Will cleared a hill and came into view, an older man in a wheelchair not too far behind. 

"I did!" Nico defended himself, "I told them to hold on for dear life, don't listen to the screams, and to hold their breath. Not my fault."

"Those were some of the worse warnings I've ever heard," Alec sighed, pulling his weight off of Magnus and onto his own feet. 

Nico shrugged, "Oh well."

Will sighed. "Sorry," Will apologized on Nico's behalf. "Either way, this is Chiron, the head of our camp." 

Chiron gave them all an appraising look but lingered on himself and Jace particularly. Magnus had stood in the presence of beings who were far older than himself before and far more powerful, and he was getting that impression now. Maybe not the power part, but Chiron had been around for ages at least, and it didn't help that the name was familiar either. 

"It's been a long time since I've met with a Warlock, and longer since I've encountered a Nephilim," Chiron remarked, and that grabbed everyone's attention. "I've been told that our current threat is related to your world on top of our own, is that true?"

"Unfortunately," Nico sighed. 

Alec stepped forward to answer as well. "Yes, the leader, Valentine Morgenstern, was once a Shadowhunter, though twisted and hateful."

Chiron let out a long, mournful breath. "I see. And you wish to assist?"

"Yes."

"Nico, what's your opinion?" Chiron asked and Magnus decided they were screwed. 

"They're irritating, sure, but skilled. Their help would be greatly appreciated both in the fight and for information on the leader." 

Magnus blinked and glanced around. Jace looked even more shocked than Magnus felt. 

Chiron considered the words, "And I understand you have... permission for them to know?"

Nico pulled out his phone and opened it to show Chiron something. There was a moment as Chiron pulled out a pair of reading glasses and squinted at the screen before handing it back. 

"From my understanding, they're fine to get involved in this instance, as long as they stay out in the future, and don't drag any of us into their affairs. This particular case should be fine since it involves both sides. Valentine is an enemy they have experience with, and his backer is someone we're unfortunately familiar with," Nico explained with an air of professionalism Magnus hadn't been expecting from the boy. 

"Backer?" Chiron questioned. 

"The Pit, he's after Percy, Annabeth, and I. You know why."

Chiron seemed to wince. "Do you think-"

Chiron didn't even get to finish his question before Nico answered it. "No, at most, Valentine is a useful pawn. I don't think he'll show up himself. Too little time, especially with recent events. He'd need more time than that."

Magnus was having a hard time following the conversation, and it seemed to be a shared sentiment. 

Chiron glanced them over again, and Magnus felt like he was being assessed. "In order for us to continue, I need you all to swear by the River Styx. This is an unbreakable vow and will be kept until death. Breaking this promise has consequences far worse than death, do you understand?"