EPIC RP I KNOW YOU ALL LOVE THEEEEEESE!!! “Don’t thank me friend, I’m not the one who fought for you~”

(I'm gonna use the same character from the last one, and I'm gonna go ahead and do romance)

*I whirl around, eyes wide* Hermes!? *I run toward him, giving him a huge hug*

(Okie dokie ^^)

*he looked surprised at first, then giggled*
Hermes: I sensed you could use some assistance from the wrath of poseidon.
*he hugged you back, the messenger god towered over you, but it didn't seem to matter*

*I smile up at him* I missed you *I blush as I admit this*

Hermes: *he grinned and patted you on the head* I did as well. *he clicked his heels together twice, so the wings would deactivate and he could stand flat on the raft* that brings me to the question of if you want my help.

*I smile* Yes, I would like your help

*he looks around at the open water*
Hermes: The gods are giving you a final option, consider this your 'one last chance' to make it back home- abandon caution. Wash it away like the blood his hands have- *he giggles, muttering the last part* Look I know, I know if you dance with fate. And I know, I know you'll enhance your state. *he summons his staff*

(Hello There)
*Niccolo di Angelo was on his hands and knees, coughing water out of his lungs when he heard an extremely familiar voice. no, there's no way he's going to turn around and be face to face with-*
Nico: *weakly* Lord Hermes . . . *the time traveled demi-god tried to stand, but a bought of vertigo crashed onto him like the waves that almost drowned him (Note to self; don't take a boat if you're a son of Hades, even if you are back in time before the child ban and the animosity between Poseidon and your father)* ok, nope, we're gonna stay down right now *the teenager shook his head, droplets of seawater flying off like a dog shaking itself dry* Sorry, Lord Hermes

*his hand hovered over you*
Hermes: Tell me.

*Nico flinched at the hand over his head before resting his chin on his knees and staring ahead of him*
Nico: *barely audible* . . . he's my friend. he was the one who told me I was a demigod, and brought me into this world- your world- our world- ugh, you know what I mean *the son of Hades sighed, drawing shapes in the dirt with his finger absentmindedly* he saved me, multiple times, and lots of others. he defeated Chronos in the second Titan war, helped defeat Gaia in the Giant war- hell, he survived the wrath of my dad, not to mention Zeus as well *Nico sighed again (seems like he does that a lot, huh) and looked at the sky, the stars reflecting in his big brown eyes* but he's even more than all that; he's kind, and funny, and strong, and stubborn as a mule. a bit overbearing sometimes, and a little dense with social cues, but even so . . . he's amazing . . .

Hermes: *his hand settles on your head as he intently listens* You seem to... Admire, this Percy. Yeah?

*Nico bit his lip, wondering if he should be truthful with the god before him. then again, Hermes hasn't blabbed his secret to anyone yet, and he'd been nothing but transparent with Nico. "Kindness can be a weapon" Nico's brain reminded him. "Remember Minos?"*
*The demigod frowned and internally shook his head. no, Hermes was a GOD; even if he did tell him a lie, the god of messengers would see right through it*
Nico: *looking down* I wouldn't really say "admired" nesicerrily . . . he- . . . he was the first guy I loved . . . so, maybe it's a little more than that . . . *Nico curled in on himself, heart racing with guilt at his words* s-still, I have a boyfriend now. he's the most wonderful thing I have in my life, and without him I- *the demigod choked, new tears beginning to form* . . . I don't know what to do without him . . .

(Please don't hurt me.)

Hermes: I see. Well if you want pure honesty from a god, I think Odysseus is pretty... Nice to look at. As you would say. But nevermind- if your willing to accept my help, I can get you home.

(Hurt you? what for?)
*Nico looked up, eyes wide, shocked. he blinked, his lips moving with no sound coming out before he took a deep (yet shaky) breath and cleared his throat*
Nico: r-really? you'd really help me? *the Italian demigod failed to suppress a small sob and laughed shakily* gli dei, I really am a mess, eh? *he sniffled a bit and nodded, wiping his eyes with the underside of his wrist* Thank you, Lord Hermes . . .

(For shipping ody and Hermes ;-;)

Hermes: I dunno how big on hugs you are-

(oh, nah mate, you're good. they have such tension tooooooo)
*Nico had to suppress a snicker at that, but did allow himself to smile*
Nico: not a big fan, but right now, I think it'd be ok *Nico did seem a bit hesitant, almost embarrassed by the admission*

*hermes does not give two shits. He wrapped his arms around you regardless*

*Nico made a surprised sort of squeak in his throat at the sudden hug, kinda like a squeaky toy. he blinked and hesitantly wrapped his arms around Hermes's torso as well. the raven haired boy sat their for a couple of moments before suddenly scrunching up his neck and squirming in the god's grasp*
Nico: *giggling* hehey! your wihings ahare tihickling me! *Nico's lightly freckled nose scrunched up as he shut his mouth in embarrassment, still trying not to snicker*

Hermes: Sorry- *he chuckles, smirking and moving them a bit so they aren't in the way*

(Status report; God adopts teenage time traveler he found on the street)
Nico: *sighing in relief* thanks *Nico attempted to break the hug, but then resigned himself to his fate and gave up* if Percy or Will had anything like that, they'd just pull me tighter *the son of Hades suddenly backtracked, resting his head on Hermes's chest tiredly* Don't get me wrong, I love them, but gods, can they be annoying sometimes

(Seems chill)
*he gave a squeeze, then relaxed to a weak hug*
Hermes: but you stick with them.

*Nico nodded, his vision beginning to slip and darken with exhaustion. Apparently crying made you tired (who would’ve guessed), and seeing as Nico had been crying 3-4 times in the past 2 hours, the urge to sleep hit him like a truck*
Nico: *yawning* mhm, I’m never gonna let them go. They’re stuck with me, whether they like it or not

*he pulled you closer*
Hermes: uhhhh-huh.
(BREAKING NEWS- your local god being weirdly adorable with a child)

(AHHHH, I love itttt)
*Nico laughed softly under his breath, something between a sigh of contentment and amusement, before his eyes fluttered closed and he slipped into the grasp of sleep. he leaned against the god, much too cold from all the seawater and night air to be healthy, savoring the god's warmth against his cool, damp skin*

*his warmth seemed to seep into nico. He didn't dare move at all, afraid to ruin the moment*

*What Hermes had come to learn while being Nico's pillow are the following;*
*1. Nico talks in his sleep and seamlessly slips between English, Italian, and Greek*
*2. Demigod dreams truly were a bitch because even if he wasn't waking up, he was still whimpering like a wounded and distressed dog*
*and 3. THIS BOY WAS CLINGY AS SHI-*

*bro couldn't care less and just say there like :3"

*Eventually, the sun rose and the birds began to whistle. Nico blinked blearily, having now mostly dried off with only a little bit of dampness left in his clothes. his black hair looked like it had become salt-and-peppered from the salt left over from the seawater. the demigod yawned, about to fall back asleep when he realized what- or rather WHO he was laying on*
Nico: *jumping up* Gesù Cristo-! *the son of Hades swallowed nervously, eyes wide and cheeks flushed in embarrassment* I'm so sorry, I didn't realize that's what I had done, merda-!

*bruv had not moved*
Hermes: *looking down* Don’t worry about it- *crooked smile*

*Nico managed to finally break the hug (granted, with a fair bit of squirming) and picked up his crutch, using it and the tree trunk to get up. he sheathed his sword and took a deep breath, clearly attempting to play off the fact that he fell asleep in the arms of a god that back in his timeline probably would've smitted(?) him into oblivion*
Nico: right. um, how did the talk with Calypso go?

(I’m rereading PJAO rn, I feel so bad for Nico ;-;)

Hermes: *he looked up from there his gaze was glued to his staff-whatcha-macallit (sorry lord Hermes-)* Oh- Calypso! Yeah it went fairly well. She is one stubborn lady though. Claiming: it’s up to Ody, not me.

*But instead of being discouraged by the news, he seemed a little bit- relieved?*
Nico: that’s not too bad! That’s what happens in the original story anyway, and he chooses to go back to Penelope, so I’m not THAT worried *the son of Hades tilted his head in thought and dropped his eyes to the ground* then again, this Odysseus isn’t like THAT Odysseus, who’s basically completely bland and one note, so I’m not sure how this Odysseus’s empathy is going to get in the way . . .

Hermes: *a little confused* Woah- too much of his name. What are you talking about?

Nico: 0v0 riiiight, we haven't had that conversation yet *Nico winced and looked away sheepishly* sorry, I forgot about that *the Italian demigod looked back at Hermes after a second, his brown doe eyes large and much more relaxed looking than Hermes had ever seen them* So, remember how I said when you mess with the past, it affects the timeline? Basically, back in my timeline, Odysseus is the main character of an epic called The Odyssey. essentially, I unintentionally messing with time and got sent back here into the timeline of The Odyssey. that's how I know everything that's going to happen

*another Hermes giggle*
Hermes: No, my friend, don’t be so uptight!

*Nico swallowed and nodded before going over to a tree and leaning on it*
Nico: thank you, Lord Hermes . . . sorry if I was accusing you or anything *the son of Hades sat down, resting against the tree with his sword laid across his lap*

Hermes: Don't you worry. *sympathetic smile*

*Nico nodded and leaned his head back against the tree, still soaked to the bone with seawater and covered in sand, closed his eyes, and fell asleep*
*The demigod didn't know exactly how long he had slept for, only that when his stupid demigod dream (aka glorified nightmare) woke him up it was dark. his scream was echoing in the woods and waves, and the boy was left panting and shaking. he looked around, remembering where he was, and sighed, pulling his knees to his chest and hiding his face in them. f**k. he wanted to go home; go back to Percy, and Hazel, and Kayla, and Austin, and WILL (especially Will). but he couldn't cry. crying would just make things worse*

(Awwww)

*as if on que, A figure flew past him, mostly just a blur of gold light. Then it stopped, Hermes.*
Hermes: So I talked to Calypso and- what's wrong?

*Nico looked up, sniffling, long eyelashes wet with tears, eyes rimmed with red, tear tracks running down his cheeks and lips trembling as he stared at the god. the boy pulled his several sizes too large aviator jacket tighter around his body, flipping up the collar to hide his face*
Nico: *quietly* don't look at me like that . . . please . . . just ignore me . . .

*he hovers over, getting on his knees beside Nico*
Hermes: Hey, I may be michevious, but I can't ignore a kid upset.

*Nico put his hands over his ears and shut his eyes tight, pulling himself into a ball almost desperately*
Nico: *shouting* go away! *the time trapped demigod's voice rang out in the inky night, the boy shaking his head furiously. tears flew off his cheeks, his normally measured voice choked up with tears* just go away, Percy!

Hermes: *the god flinched slightly* Hey... Who's percy...?

*Nico’s head snapped up, his eyes wide, as if it only registered now what he’d said. He froze, breath dropping out, body deathly still in a deafening silence. He wiped at his eyes with his hands, looking away*
Nico: *sniffling* n-no one . . . Forget I said anything . . .

Hermes: *knowing smirk* I thought you couldn't have my help.

*Nico frowned at the god, his long lashed doe eyes making it a little hard for the god to take him seriously*
Nico: -_- ha ha, very funny *the demigod started to walk off the sand and towards the more stable grass, not wanting to give Hermes the satisfaction of relenting . . . but also internally knowing he needed the god's help. he frowned, scowling at the ground before sighing and turning around* . . . ugh, fine; Lord Hermes, can I have your help?

*one handed fingergun*
Hermes: Absolutely.

*Nico blinked and turned his head away, biting his lip to keep a smile off his face. By the gods, Travis and Conner Stoll acted like their father. Talk about uncanny*
Nico: *clearing his throat* -ahem-, mm, right, Where exactly am I right now? It’s not exactly like Odysseus is here right now for me to reference my knowledge off of, so I’m not quite sure where in the Odyssey we are

Hermes: *he made the 🤔 face* nice pun... But if I'm not mistaken Ody is on Calypso's island. Speaking of which I was supposed to talk with her...

Nico: . . . really *the demi-god's right eye twitched slightly as he seemed a little irked by the revelation* then, uh, maybe you can, like, deal with that first? y'know, since this is the ODYSSEY? santa maria, madre di gesù . . . *the last sentence was muttered while Nico shook his head in exasperation* I'm going to assume I'm not in immediate danger right now, right?

Hermes: Nope! So your probably right.

Nico: great, um, ok, I'll just rest here until you get back then *Nico paused, frowning at the ground before looking up at the god before him* . . . why does this feel like a trap, Lord Hermes

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/GoaKyNG0gcI
(Yeets random yt link at u cuz it seems relavant)
Hermes: *before he swoops off he stops* And why would it be that?

(OH MY GODS, ABSOLUTELY)
Nico: *frowning* I- I don't know . . . it's just, never this easy . . . *Nico looked at the grass, eyebrows furrowed and his dark brown eyes looking practically black* in every single part of my life, nothing is ever this simple *he looked up, although with the many many years Hermes has been alive as a god, the glare Nico gave him looked more like an angry puppy then wolf* and there's absolutely no catch?

(Hello :))

*The messenger god hovered closer, his hand hovering above your back. His presence had a strange aura (yes Hermes has maximum aura) to it.*
Hermes: You don't have to apologize. *his tone was underlying with concern* what brings you out to sea?

*Nico groaned and shook his waterlogged head*
Nico: well, since Ithaca is in shambles right now and frankly, I'm too scared to go down to the Underworld and see my dad because we haven't actually talked since I showed up- and if this Hades is anything like MY Hades, then I'd probably just be killed immediately. *Nico ran a hand through his hair, spluttering as sand ran down his face* ugh . . . anyways, I came to try and find Odysseus. I only realized once I was really far off shore that 1. I'm a Son of HADES and would probably be sucked to the bottom of the sea, 2. I have never sailed a ship in my entire life and was basically learning as I went, and 3. I'm from the future; I literally know what has happened, is going to happen, and is happening right now *Nico laid back, sighing* so, yeah, adding on top of that that I can't swim and am 150lbs of pale skin and fragile bone with sarcasm as my only defense, I basically set myself and everyone else up for failure. yay, me . . .

*he smiled sympathetically, clicking his heels twice so he could stand flat in front of you*
Hermes: I could help you-

Nico: *eyes closed* dad said no making contracts with conditions with gods *Nico managed a tired smile at the god of messengers* Thanks for the offer though, Lord Hermes *the demigod laid still for a few more moments before sitting up, sighing a sigh that seemed more belonging to a man who's lived 2 wars and then some than to a, what 14, 15 year old kid?* Actually, can I ask you for a favor?

Hermes: *his grin never falters* Of course.

Nico: ok, so, a crutch? could you get me one of those? a can works too, or even just a big stick I could shave down with my sword- like what I made when I first got here on Ithaca *the boy scowled at the sea in front of him and the god* the sea took it in the wreck

Hermes: *his face softened, nodding* Such an innocent request, let me tell you, you are more good hearted than most heroes I've met. *he waved a hand and summoned up a cane/ crutch, one in a similar look to his staff*

Nico: *Standing* thanks? and I'm not a hero, I just- *Nico paused, thinking. he wasn't a hero, was he? Greek heroes go on torture level missions that mostly end in tragedy and mental trauma- ohhhh . . . ok, maybe he was a hero-* uhh, yeah . . . um, thanks . . . *Nico shuffled his feet, taking his new crutch and busying himself by looking at the details* Thank you, Lord Hermes. this is, really cool, actually

*it was an elbow crutch, made of dark wood and gold accents*
Hermes: Its no biggie. I have a flair for the dramatic *proud smile*

*Nico smiled at the god before looking around*
Nico: now, where the hell am I? *the dark haired teen's brown doe eyes scanned the surrounding scenery, eyebrows furrowed in thought and lips turned downwards in a frown. see, the problem with being placed in a story you know the plot of is as soon as you start f^cking around with it, the whole thing can change*