[ There’s a prolonged silence on the other end. That’s what happens when you have to bite back the bitterness and not snap that everyone gets to that point eventually and it might as well start that way. ]
Yeah, well so was I! I was on my own for over a year. I was living in Daedalus’ labyrinth for months listening to Minos’ ghost. Now I live in a camp full of demigod kids who are lucky if they can go home to their human parent at all because the monsters can smell us and not everyone fights like me.
I know what can happen to kids on their own, okay? I do all the funeral rites at camp. I - you’re the one that doesn’t know how painful it is.
[There's just the slightest intake of breath as Jason tries to restrain himself from snapping at Nico. It's so tempting to bite back and mention horrors from his own childhood. How he spent years alone with no home and no powers. How getting any sort of resources for basic survival was a struggle. How he spent years after his death with monstrous criminals just so he could train to be a deadlier vigilante. There are a lot of things he could list off. He feels like his own trauma is getting downplayed. It feels wrong.
But Jason also knows there are no winners when playing Oppression Olympics.
So instead, he opts to try and remain calm]
You're right that our experiences aren't the same. There are differences. Just please understand you're not alone and you don't have to be alone. That's all.
[ The urge to keep arguing - to keep aggressively pushing people away so they can't hurt him later - is still there, but Nico knows when it's time to remove himself from a conversation if it starts to get too much. Preferably before he starts saying that he's alone because he's always along and that's obviously what he wants because it keeps happening. There's a sniffle to his voice. ]
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Nobody asked you to.
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What do I have to do to make you stop worrying?
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Okay. I have backup plans.
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Like what?
[He sighs]
Look, think of me as a jackass if you want. I'm just worried about you and don't want something to happen to you like what happened with Hunter.
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[ They’re very good backup plans, really. ]
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[He knows Hunter and Dylan aren't ordinary teens. It's better than no plan and going at this alone at least]
If you're gonna keep moving, do you have enough safe spots to rotate through?
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[ What does Jason expect? He doesn’t have houses. ]
I don’t think I know any of the other kids at school well enough to stay with them. Most of them are stupid, and that new guy Tim is jumpy.
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Tim?
[Tim's not that uncommon of a name. Maybe it's a coincidence]
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[ Like the beginning stages of an aniety attack or worse. ]
Hunter sees a hydra and doesn’t blink. Tim’s normal.
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Pretty sure most people haven't seen a real hydra before. Sounds like he's not used to fighting.
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[He'll drop the Tim topic for now. It's be weird if he kept lingering on it]
Just be careful, Nico. A lot can happen. I used on my own for a good while when I was younger. It was painful.
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I know what can happen to kids on their own, okay? I do all the funeral rites at camp. I - you’re the one that doesn’t know how painful it is.
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But Jason also knows there are no winners when playing Oppression Olympics.
So instead, he opts to try and remain calm]
You're right that our experiences aren't the same. There are differences. Just please understand you're not alone and you don't have to be alone. That's all.
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I'm going to go. Bye Jason.
[ He'll end the connection. ]