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It was a dry cool night, and Nico was sleeping peacefully for the first time in months, sweet and dreamless. Strangely, as he slept, the air shifted much cooler, and his bed much less soft. Until a sudden shift woke him.
“Ah son, good morning” Nico was laying on the hard cold stone of his fathers throne room.
“Uh-” Nico began, disoriented.
“ I have something to request of you,” Hades interrupted. “I need you to collect some wayward souls in Hecate's realm.” he demanded.
“What time is it?” Nico asked, eyes still fogged over. “Why couldn’t this wait ‘til morning?” He asked, still laying fully on the frigid stone.
“I told you to quit with the attitude Nico” Hades sighed, “this is urgent, you need to get fitted for some school clothes and a wand almost immediately” he spoke flippantly.
“Wha- school!?” Nico flew up to his feet. “I’m 15! I haven't gone to school in 3 years, I would have to start from scratch!” he spoke hurriedly.
“And,” Hades grunts, ignoring Nico in the process. “All of the books you would need. Yes” he nodded to himself. “This will be exhausting.” Hades turned to look at his son, “for us.”
“Wait wait wait! What's even happening?” Nico's hands swinging wildly in a ‘halt’ motion. “What school am I going to?? And why?” he asked.
“Hogpots School of Wimming and Wizzandry” Hades waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, “Congrats you’re a Witch, or something like that.”
“Since when??” Nico fought.
“Since about two hours ago. You see Hecate and I had an agreement. For every time she won in poker-”
“You guys play poker?” Nico interrupted.
“She would get to keep a lingering soul of her choosing to stay in her world, and every time I win in poker I could-” Hades stopped himself short, “well that's not important. What's important is that for the past 3 millennia she's been cheating” Hades gritted out.
“Has poker even existed that long?” Nico lifted an eyebrow.
“So now I need you to go and retrieve all of her illegal souls” Hades finished.
“And this needs to be right now because…?” Nico questioned.
“Nico, we've spoken about your attitude.” Hades huffed. “I want this done as soon as possible”
Nico sighed and sat at the steps before his fathers throne.
“Nope! No time for sitting Nico, You need to be fitted immediately” Hades nudged Nico with his foot. “School starts in a week, we haven't any time.”
“What does school have anything to do with lost souls?” Nico asked sleepily. His eyes already closing again.
“A good few of them are at this ‘school of whichming and wizzingry’ or however it goes.” Hades responded, nudging harder. “And if we wait any longer the window will only close that much faster” practically kicking Nico to awakeness now.
Nico, resting his eyes, hardly notices the change in scenery again. And when he opens his eyes, he's at the royal seamster.
“Ah hello young sir” Spoke William, the seamster. “I am told to take your measurements for some school clothes.” William gestured to the stool for Nico to stand on. And with a dramatic sigh Nico did just that.
After a lengthy measurement and cloth gathering session (William is a bit of a distracted yapper), Nico was put back in his fathers throne room.
“That took a while” Hades lifted an eyebrow.
“Tell me about it” Nico rolled his eyes.
“Next comes the mandatory shopping trip” Hades spoke as he passed a conjured list of items to Nico.
“Are any shops even open at this hour” Nico blinked slowly at his father. Dreary and discontent.
“No, I suppose not…” Hades turned away shamefully. “I suppose, for the time until the shops open you may go back to sleep.”
“Oh thank Gods.” Like a switch was pulled Nico fell immediately back to sleep, and just before he hit the ground he was instead enveloped in his palace bed-spread.