Week 6: Execution

[becomemod]

week 6:

 

execution

Sunday morning starts off quietly enough, almost peaceful after the events of the past few days. Today, the alarm on everyone's phone starts at 12 PM, with a reminder of the execution to take place at 1 PM at the stadium. Unlike the Saturday notifications, however, this is the only reminder you get. It appears that attendance is not mandatory this time.

Well. Not for all of you, anyway. One of you feels a compulsion to head to the stadium, heading straight inside and following the staff to ready themselves for what's to come. All others who arrive at the stadium, hero or civilian, are led to spectator seating.

As the clock strikes 1 PM, Will walks into the arena. On the opposite end of the field, Nico steps out to greet them. As long as they both live, neither will able to leave the area, nor will any outsiders be able to enter.

You don't have to watch, of course. That's your choice. But with the event being broadcast all over the city, it may be hard to avoid. In-person or across town, everywhere is buzzing with gossip of the newly discovered villain about to face justice. Regardless of where you go or whether you choose to watch, the only thing to do now is wait.

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[resumed]

[ nope. nopenopenopenopenope.

nope!

in a sense, he did and did not expect this. in a sense, he was hoping and not hoping this would be the outcome. when nico enters the arena, the audience will see something strapped to his back. it's a black blade, faintly glowing purple in the dark and three feet in length. he refuses to hold it in his hand until he has to, and truthfully he'd also brought it in case he had to strike anyone else later.

nobody needs to know that. all that matters actually is that will's here and he immediately clings right back pulling him as close as possible and blatantly ignoring the crowd for a minute. his posture's tense, bat wings fluttering anxiously before they seem to settle and smooth out. ]

I'm... [ he pauses, looking around the area warily and taking in the scenery. there's a look on his face that says the landscape makes him deeply uncomfortable, but he ignores it in favor of the person in front of him. he's immediately taking will's hand. ] Yeah, no, I can't do this. We're leaving.

[ there...has to be some sort of emergency exit in the arena, doesn't there? if they just look. they're always better together. if they look together, maybe they can still save themselves. ]

[stunwhistle]

[there's got to be something they can do.

(there probably isn't. everything they've seen so far, everything they've heard from the others - it all points to the fact that there's no way out of this until he's dead. but will can't bring himself to say that.

he wants to live. he wants to live with nico. they have to mkae it out of here.)

he laces his fingers together with nico's when his boyfriend takes his hand and nods. realistically, he knows he should arm himself. there are some figures on the ground - they look almost like people, but he can't bring himself to look at them too closely - that seem to have been struck down while carrying weapons, and will forces himself to look away from them.

later. if they have to fight, later, he can arm himself then.

for now, he wants to search for a way out with nico.

to the barrier first, then. hand in hand, as they tend to be. he puts his free hand against it as if to test the waters, and then balls his hand into a fist and hits it - but of course that doesn't work.]

[resumed]

[ every now and then as they walk hand in hand, checking the arena for an exit, he flings the fingers of his free hand out. claws outstretched, palm over the dirt, wishing and hoping for something to change. something to happen. something he can actually control because...that's it, isn't it? this has always been about the things out of their control and losing what little control they have.

he looks at the figures more closely than will does, if only to see if he can utilize them. skeletal beings hidden in shadows, tattered clothing hanging off their frames and if he smells the air too long he can all-too-perfectly visualize the noxious fumes of a time behind them.

he grabs for his sword then, poking at the barrier with the tip before swinging lightning fast, trying to slash it open. naturally, nothing happens. ]

It's a little pathetic, isn't it? [ he muses aloud, wandering the perimeter and still attempting to strike the barrier. ] All of these people tuning in to watch an unfair deliverance of "justice" like they actually know what that means. It's stupid. How is this really helping them anyway?

[ another sharp strike. still no results. ]

[stunwhistle]

It's not. It's just -

[he kicks at the barrier, but that does nothing. crouches down, next, to grab a sturdy-looking rock, and swings that at the barrier, too, hitting the spot nico had struck with his sword a moment later.

predictably, it does nothing.]

It's just something they're doing to try to placate them. "Look, we're solving the problem"! ...but they haven't actually addressed the real issue here.

[resumed]

[ he watches almost impassively, unsurprised when the rock does nothing but still scoffing a little. like if he pretends to be unafraid, this will be easier on both of them. in a way, he does seem to be keeping his composure rather well. ]

Why would they? It's kind of like home, isn't it? The gods have problems and say they can't interfere, so they send us out to do it and whether we live or die is inconsequential. [ funny how there are parallels in this place to home. ] What even is the real issue, you know? It's not us! Not when choices have been made for us. Hosting a public execution is the coward's way of being a hero if you ask me. Why not come up with something else if you want a real change? Look at what happened with Bob.

[ another stab to an impenetrable barrier, though he seems to finally start to accept...there really is no way around it. ]

...they really did make it impossible, didn't they?

[stunwhistle]

[will's trying to keep his cool, too, but... he finds himself nodding along with nico. he agrees with all of this - about their home, about the expectations this city has of them, about the real issues in oceanside, about the choices they've never been allowed to make, and about the fact that an execution like this is just cowardly.]

...we don't know that it's impossible yet.

[he drops the rock, though, and slides a hand into one of his pockets, feeling for something there - he closes his eyes, then leans over to kiss nico's cheek.]

They don't want to let us out through the sides. Going through the barrier would be - expected, right? Let's try something they don't expect. [he glances at the crevices in their surroundings.] ...down and under, maybe? If we had some way to dig a way out from under the barrier...?

[resumed]

[ instinctively he leans in for the kiss, but he blinks a little when will's digging around in his pockets. what? ]

I guess I could use my sword as a shovel and then...depending, our hands. We can make it work. [ he's also glancing at the crevices... ] Unless we jump? Maybe we should... [ he pauses, trying to think. ] We should look at what we're working with. See if there's another route in the arena itself whether it's through a crevice or...one of those things. [ a gesture to the earth zit. ] Come on.

[ he keeps a firm grip on will's hand and another on his sword, pulling him away from the edges. they venture closer to the end of the arena, more toward the start of the laid out area. as they approach a brittle, midnight-black tree, he pauses then and squints all the way down at the other side of the arena where another tree sits. ]

...do you see that? [ a gesture with his sword, and if will looks he may see the very small, orange flag dangling from the highest branch, right above the lake. ]

[stunwhistle]

[he doesn't pull anything out of his pocket when he withdraws his hand, but one of the cameras might catch a glint of something silver in there. it's fine.

anyway, he follows nico in the direction of the earth zit, glancing at the bodies they pass along the way. maybe he should have grabbed a weapon earlier, when they were closer to the barrier; these ones were all archers.

...well. better than nothing. he snags a bow off of a corpse, but there aren't any arrows in its quiver. as they approach that brittle tree, though, he spots an arrow wedged into the trunk and pulls it loose. this will have to do.

his gaze follows the gesture, and he. sighs.]

Capture the flag, huh?

[...maybe if they get it, that will drop the barrier? he's almost afraid to speak the hope, but - he does think it.]

[resumed]

[ there's a slow nod to that. he keeps an eye on will because of course he does, almost relieved to see him snag a bow and at least one arrow. archery maybe isn't will's strongest suit, but he's decent enough. it'll be enough. (it has to be, doesn't it?)

looking at the arena before them, it's impossible to just walk the outside perimeter to get to the tree. there are crevices along the edge, gaping maws of darkness with little wisps of smoke emerging from them. rivers of lava slowly snake through on separate courses, dividing the path into pieces. those strange, large bulbs appear near-bursting and scattered amongst the rocks and trees, and yet all he can do is smile faintly. ]

We've done this before. And we can do it again, can't we? Navigate the course, don't get caught, grab the flag, we win. [ he grips will's hand tighter. ] If...if we both grab for it, maybe that'll be enough. We can still make this work, can't we?

[ no, you can't, the voice in his head says. you are nico di angelo, the one death follows. still so cavalier with life. when will you learn?

he shakes his head to clear it, scanning the path. ] It has to work. If they want us to play, we'll play. They never said it had to be by their rules anyway.

[stunwhistle]

We can.

[will's voice is firm when he says this. he wants to believe this. they have to believe this. he pulls their joined hands up to his lips so that he can kiss nico's knuckles, then looks at the path ahead of them.

it's dangerous.

but that's nothing new.]

...we're both too stubborn to know when to give up, right? So. No giving up. [he looks over to him, and he smiles, his expression warm.] ...let's do this. Together.

[onward they go!]

[resumed]

[ are they really just...going to make people watch them take a casual stroll through a dark abyss? yeah. welcome to your date execution where you get to watch us be cute for a few hours uwu

it feels familiar being with him, spending time together even when doing something stupid and dangerous. the weight of will's hand in his feels familiar, and he thinks, stupidly, how even in the darkness and even knowing their demigod powers aren't real here, will's still glowing just a little. how unfair.

the first part of the path is clear, at least. it's all dirt and dry, dead grass, little pebbles and rocks rolling under their feet as they move to wander further in. ]

I've never been stubborn in my life, Solace. [ very clearly teasing. ] We're...I promised you, didn't I? That I wouldn't let you go. I don't break my promises. I mean, we've survived three whole wars and Tartarus. I'm not losing you now.

[ it's probably just his imagination that the earth shifts slowly beneath his feet, a familiar sensation from before. ]

[stunwhistle]

Sure you haven't, di Angelo.

[he's very clearly teasing back, giving nico's hand an affectionate squeeze as they make their way forward. the promise settles something in him, and he bumps shoulders with him briefly.]

And I promised, too. I'm not leaving you. [there is almost no way that they're going to be able to keep these promises, but. maybe if they just keep being stubborn, they can brute force it?] We're -

[going to make it home, he starts to say.

but.

the sensation of the earth shifting beneath them isn't just in their imaginations, and will gasps - because as it shifts, they stumble, heading straight for a crevice. he tightens his hold on nico's hand and tries to tug him back to offset them so they don't fall in.]

[resumed]

[ maybe they can. they're greek, this is just what they do. they try to plan something and then bruteforce it to be what they want anyway because they're stubborn and young and reckless. having will here settles something in him, a reminder that he's still not alone. is he really blatantly ignoring what has to happen here? yeah. he's a son of hades, he lives life as if rules don't apply to him most of the time.

before this, he had received his father's blessing to try and be happy, to try and find something good in life and be the one child of his that didn't suffer tragedy after tragedy any longer. funny how immediately after that he came to oceanside and this bullshit circus started. week after week, he watched friends get hurt and friends kill friends and other friends kill other friends quite publicly and he's grown sick of it.

this is the end. if he has to do this, he's doing it his way. but the thing is that also as a son of hades...well. life's never kind for long. things never really work out the way he wants them to, you know? the ground rumbles and the crevice widens, the edges crumbling beneath their feet and will pulls them back. on instinct, nico pushes will away to safer ground, but he's still holding his sword. he doesn't see it. he doesn't notice it. but the unfortunate thing is that while the tip did nothing to the barrier around them, it's sharp enough to pop one of the blisters of the earth behind him and it bursts, loudly and spouting out a sickly yellow liquid that douses over him. there's a sharp yelp, both surprise and pain, as steam quickly begins to rise and acid seeps through his clothes, reopening old wounds and settling into new burns while he's trying to fling the goop off as best as he can. ]

[stunwhistle]

[of course nico pushes him to safety. of course he does.

he's always been like this. will's eyes widen as he stumbles back, trying to grab for his hand again to pull him along with him, but - his fingertips just barely brush against nico's, and he's not able to catch him.]

NICO!

[he hits the ground hard, safe from the acid and horrified as he hears nico yelp with pain and sees the acide start to burn through his clothing. he scrambles back over to him, immediately moving to help force the goop away. no. no, this can't be happening. some of nico's old wounds are reopening, and he's in pain, and there's blood from the old wounds now, and -

will panics.

and he does what he always does - what's instinct for him. nico will recognize the greek hymn that falls from his lips, the way his wounds and the acid burns start to glow, and the warmth like sunlight as they start to heal over.

and he'll feel will's hands shaking as he grips him by the shoulders and examines him for any wounds he might have missed.]

[resumed]

[ it happens before he can register it. he's trying to sweep the acid off with his bare hands (stupid, but whatever) and his hands burn and sizzle for only a moment before he sees the glowing golden light and the familiar hymn reaches his ears.

and he immediately tries to back away as his injuries start to stitch themselves closed. the acid and blood drip off of his form to the ground and the wounds on his torso and the tear in his neck and the marks on his arms start to scar back over. ]

Will, stop. Stop! [ he doesn't get far enough because will's got him in a grip by the shoulders, and even the hole in his lip seems to have closed up. ] Why did you heal me!?

[stunwhistle]

You cannot expect me to see you get doused in acid and have all your old wounds start to open up and not do anything about it!

[he knows, logically, that it is a bad idea.

but will has never been able to turn away from people who are in pain. that goes doubly so when it's nico who's in pain.]

We just - we just have to find a way out of this.

[resumed]

I don't care, you idiot! [ this is probably not the time to be calling will an idiot but ahhhhhhhhh. ] I would have been fine and we could've figured out something when we both got out of here. And now...

[ well. they both know that, logically, it was a bad idea. he's known since the beginning of all of this.

"I need to tell you something about the healing power I have here and you need to promise not to freak out about it."

"You know I can take on whatever you're throwing at me."

he's been there through all of it. all of the times will's healed everyone and had to work through the backlash of his power. all of the times he'd been afraid of his own power, worried he'll lose control and take it too far. all of the times he'd been worried he would hurt nico specifically because nico refused to abandon him when it was obvious how much will was struggling. and now...it seems as though this place is determined to make all of those fears try to breach the surface. ]

If we move fast, we can still grab the flag and end this and get out of here before it happens. Okay? I've got you, we're not...this isn't going to happen this way. [ he's already trying to get to his feet and grab his sword again. ]

[stunwhistle]

All that acid was not fine!

[wow. he's going to die here and nico is calling him an idiot. he sees how it is.

(except, no. he is still clinging to the thin, stubborn hope that if they can just get ahold of that flag, they'll be okay. he knows that isn't how it's worked so far. he just can't bear to actually give up.)

if it were someone else in here, maybe he could bring himself to fight.

now, though - will feels himself start to tighten his grip on nico's shoulders and forces himself to let go, his hands still trembling. he picks up the bow and the arrow he'd dropped, but stashes the arrow in the front pocket of his hoodie - for lack of a quiver, it will have to do.

and they have to get moving. he holds out one hand to nico - he won't be able to shoot his bow with one of his hands occupied, which may kind of be the point - and nods in the direction of the flag.]

...let's go. Let's make this quick, we can - we can do this. We'll just watch out for any more of those things.

[resumed]

Gods, whatever. [ stop bitching at your doctor, even if will probably knows him well enough to know he is grateful and also worried out of his mind now. but it's fine. it'll be fine. the arena's...not that big. probably. if they work fast, they can get the flag, finish the "fight" and get out.

(they won't, they won't, they won't. but neither of them are good at giving up.)

he grabs will's hand, lacing their fingers together knowing exactly why will's purposefully doing this and he begins to pull him forward. ]

If we don't pop them it should be fine. And the good thing is nothing else is coming out of those things. I would call that a plus. [ he sidesteps a small pool of lava as he navigates them forward. ] ...just stay focused. Pay attention to me. Think about getting out of here.

[stunwhistle]

Yeah. It's better than - better than it could be.

[he swallows hard, his grip on nico's hand growing tighter as they pick their way across the field. he finds his gaze lingering on the lava pool that nico sidesteps as he pulls him along. his gaze lingers on it for a moment too long, his expression blank. he gives a small tug to nico's hand -

and then he snaps out of it with a gasp, turning away from it and following him where he leads.

no. no, he will not push his boyfriend into a pool of lava. no.]

Once we're out of here... [focus. focus. on what's waiting for them outside of this arena. on nico himself.] ...once we're out of here, we'll...

[...what will they do once they're out?

suddenly, it's so hard for will to remember.

his grip tightens around the handle of the bow he's holding.]

[resumed]

[ the thing is he knows he should grant will mercy. he should probably hurry this up for everyone watching. he should just run his sword through his boyfriend, quick and painless and effective and call it the end. william andrew solace is dead.

that would work if nico wasn't so fucking selfish and didn't want to try and actually hold onto someone, for once. that would work if he didn't so desperately want to not be responsible for the death of someone he loves, for once.

he feels the vicegrip on his hand and he knows will's struggling to keep it together. it means he's walking a little faster, pulling him along and letting his jaw work so that he can bear the pain in his hand. focus. that's all they have to do. ]

We'll...go to the beach. Or we'll go back to the park. Space to get it out, and then back to the dorm. [ to their left, another acid bubble bursts and he pulls will closer out of its line of fire. ahead, a sharp branch dangles a little too low for comfort. the path ahead begins to grow a little more narrow. ] Listen to my voice, Will. Focus on what I'm saying. Tell me what we're going to do once we're out of here.

[stunwhistle]

[that sharp branch is way too low for comfort.

will's gaze flicks between nico and the branch. it drops to their hands - to how he's holding onto nico's hand just this side of too tightly. and then it looks back up to the branch again.

he adjusts his hold on the bow and slides it so that it's caught in the crook of his elbow, then reaches up to grab the branch. it's in their way. he wrenches it down, snapping it from the tree so that it clears a path, and as his hold on it tightens painfully, the bark cutting into his skin - he's able to loosen his hold on nico's hand.

he can do this. can't he? it's just like before. he worked out so much of the backlash on thursday night. every other time, he'd managed not to hurt people.

he doesn't have to do this. he doesn't have to hurt nico. he won't hurt nico. he can't, he - ]

...we're going to go to the beach or the park, like you said. Get this out of my system, and then - back to the dorm. [he closes his eyes, trying to picture it. back to the dorm with nico - somewhere safe and peaceful.] It's been a long weekend, we can just - we can take a nap. No bars between us this time.

[his grip tightens further on the tree branch, and it cracks, splintering the wood. he drops it, his fingers clenching, and once he doesn't have anything to grasp onto - his hold on nico's hand starts to tighten again.

...

he's not in control of this. he knows that. it hurts, but he grips his wrist with his hand and yanks it back, out of nico's.]

I - Nico, just... [he swallows hard.] Run, okay? Put some distance between us for now. I'll... I need to get some of this out. I'll follow you, so, lead me - lead me to the flag, okay? We can still grab it together. W-we can still get out of here.

[resumed]

[ every move is watched with all of the alertness in the world. he keeps an eye on will's expression, where his hands go, what he might be planning to do. he lets him break the branch and watches as it crumbles and snaps in will's grip. he's kind of glad that's not his hand, but...whatever. broken bones can be fixed. he doesn't have an ability to fix someone dead here, so he'll take his chances.

he nods because yes. they're going to go get it out of will's system, then they're going back to the dorm, just them, just to sleep it off and try again in a few hours. maybe meet with their friends. try to prepare for the new week.

this time he grimaces with the grip on his hand, but soon enough will lets go. he snaps his gaze back to will's face, hearing the words and his eyes widen a little as he thinks of something else.

"I'll follow you, so, lead me - lead me to the flag, okay? We can still grab it together."

“The other side, Nico! We’ll see you there. Understand? Lead them there! Promise me!”

it terrified him, knowing that this is slowly spiraling out of their control, and he hates the way he adjusts his grip on his sword. he hates it more that he's not apologetic about it. it had worked the first time, hadn't it? leading people to a door, something that would help stop yet another tragedy from ending their world. just one more quest. just one more... ]

...I told you before. We ever find ourselves in a situation where you may hurt me, I'll defend myself. [ at this, his voice starts to give out just a little, but he squares his shoulders and turns to look for a different path. ] I'm not leaving you. Don't keep me waiting.

[ and he knows will is going to follow, and it's for that reason he bolts, diverting them to a different path amongst a small cluster of trees, skeletal warriors tucked amongst the dry wood and guarding a few extra weapons they had fallen with. ]

[stunwhistle]

I'll be right behind you.

[wherever nico goes, will is going to follow. that would be true even if he wasn't slowly losing his grip on himself - even if he didn't need someone to take out the urge to stab and slash and bite and break on.

(the worst part about this is it's not just the acid. it's the old injuries, too. the reminder of the hurts nico has suffered up until now - and the desire to inflict all of them right back on him again.

he can't let himself do that.)

nico bolts, and will follows after him. he's quick, and agile on his feet, and he spots the glint of a dagger in one of the skeletal warriors' hands - he leans down to snag it, his gaze locked on nico's back, and then with a gasp he turns and forces himself to stab it into a tree. no. no, he is not going to plunge a knife into nico's back. no.

he wastes a little time, standing there, his hand still wrapped around the hilt of the dagger, like he might tug it free -

but he forces himself to abandon it and takes off in pursuit of nico again. as he runs, he retakes hold of the bow, pulls out the arrow from his hoodie pocket, and takes careful aim. archery has never been his forte - not the way it is for his siblings - but he knows how to use a bow. he might not be able to hit a bullseye, but he nearly always hits somewhere on the target.

and nico is a much bigger target than just a bullseye.

he can't stop himself from firing.

but he is also able to call out a strained warning.]

Look out!

[resumed]

[ this is just what you do when you're born to be a demigod, destined to fight your whole life. you learn how to defend yourself, and you fight against monsters that pursue and hunt and want to eat you alive.

(even now, of course, will's not a monster. will's still perfect. will's still the one person nico holds to a high standard, the one he always thinks "i've never met anyone as kind and understanding and good as you are." will has always been too good for nico, but he thinks after all this time, maybe he's good enough for will now.)

he doesn't look back, feet and heart basically pounding in sync as he zips through the clearing and puts space between them. he jumps over a rock in his path and veers off to avoid a large root sprouting from the ground. he hears the sharp stab of a blade in the wood and kind of thinks "oh, great, he found a blade."

but the only thing that makes him aware will's even retrieved his arrow is the very faint sound of something soaring at top speeds and the call of his boyfriend to move. he whirls out of the way, quickly slamming his back into a tree trunk to avoid the arrow as it sinks solidly into the tree he'd just been in front of. okay. fuck. that was close. he doesn't move immediately, reassessing his path to make sure it's one they can take and also making sure he doesn't lose will while also making sure to try and stay out of firing range.

and because he can't help himself... (because he needs to make sure will follows. he needs to make sure he won't lose him. he needs to make sure they both get out alive.), he calls back: ]

Hah! You're losing your touch. Are you keeping up or what? [ and he takes off running again, out of the trees and more toward several pools and rivers of lava they have to navigate. ]