Chapter Text
Palmero, Italy
The house is silent as Giuseppe ghosts through the halls. It’s times like these that he wishes he had Nico’s ability to be anywhere he wants whenever he wants. It’s not that he’s not welcome here in his family home, it’s just with everyone actually home for once he doesn’t want to disturb anyone who is sleeping. It is three in the morning after all.
Shadow Travel would help with that objective immensely. He’d never understood the Greeks' supposed obsessions with children of the Three Brothers until he met Nico. He’d thought that if children of Zeus and Poseidon were anything like Nico it’d explain a lot. Then he’d met Percy and he had not been disappointed. At least in the power department. He wished Percy would at least occasionally think before he acted, a sentiment shared two fold by Nico.
Technically he should report that he found two American Greek demigods of extreme power to the First Legion. It’s indicative that the Greek gods have not been fully changed and is something that needs to be monitored. But, Giuseppe can’t bring himself to betray his friends like that. As long as it isn’t a problem he chooses to keep his mouth shut.
He almost misses the first squeaky stair on the staircase that leads to his room. Almost, which is why he is startled when a moment later a stair squeaks. He looks up to see Bianca lighting a path down the stairs with her phone. Her eyes are wide at being caught in her past midnight sneaking.
Giuseppe gestures for her to follow him back down to the kitchen, quietly. Of course, his mortal cousin is not nearly as adept at sneaking silently as he is, but they do manage to let the house sleep. He’ll take the victories where he can.
“What are you doing up Bibi?” Giuseppe asks once they’ve made it to the kitchen. He gets himself a glass of orange juice to try to keep him awake. He’s been traveling all day and night and is exhausted. But, he also can’t discover a fifteen year old sneaking around his house and just let it go.
“I couldn’t sleep, Bepe.” Bianca admits tiredly.
“Nightmares?” Giuseppe asks. It’s most likely the problem. She’s had all kinds of terrible nightmares since she was basically able to explain that she was having them. Dreams about monsters and running for her life and apocalypses. He’d say they were prophetic but there isn’t a drop of godly blood in his cousin's veins.
She nods tiredly but doesn’t elaborate further. It can only mean one thing. “The metal giant again?”
“I wish he’d leave me alone.” She says tiredly. “All I want is to sleep. But he’s always there waiting at the edge of my subconscious.
Giuseppe hates that she has to suffer like this. He’s faced his fair share of monsters of course but at least his monsters are all real. Tangible monsters that must be defeated least they kill an innocent, not like the monsters of Bianca’s far too young mind.
But Bibi doesn’t need her older cousin’s pity right now. She’s clearly looking for advice and, being a demigod, Giuseppe has a lot of experience with nightmares. Unfortunately most of his advice won’t bring comfort to a fifteen year old.
When you wake up realize it’s not real and try to go back to sleep isn’t the best. But, honestly, it’s what he’s got. Along with when you wake up, make yourself think about something else, and of course his favorite, drink some wine and go back to sleep.
Bianca is still waiting expectantly for an answer to her unasked question. He has to say something.
“Mediate.” Slips from his lips before he’s really thought through how that’s going to sound to a teenager.
Her offended expression is priceless at least. “I dream about being murdered by terrifying beasts, and your answer is meditate? Bepe!”
“Yes.” Giuseppe says. “We can’t really control what our mind gives us in sleep but we can control how we respond to it. Mediate, drink ice water, do whatever you need to do to calm yourself and then go back to sleep.”
“You can also meditate before bed.” He adds. “It might help with focusing on good sleep beforehand.”
His little cousin is silent for a long moment but he’s expecting what she does eventually say thanks to the very disgruntled expression on her face.
“You give awful advice Bepe.”
He shrugs because it’s all he really knows to tell her. It’s up to Bianca to decide if she’s going to hear him out.
They sit companionably for a while longer. Giuseppe focuses on his juice and fights all the yawns his body wants to give. He’s tired but if Bibi needs him he’s going to stay. It isn’t the longest shift he’s ever taken. Not by a long shot.
Finally Bianca yawns and says. “I’m going back to bed.”
“Night Bibi.” Is all he says. She takes herself back upstairs and Giuseppe finishes his drink before gathering his things and heading back to bed himself. It’s going to be an early morning after all. It always is when the whole family is together.
He wonders how Nico is doing with his large family gathering. He’d mentioned it off handedly during their last conversation. That he and Percy’s families were getting together at their house.
For some reason it seems weird to think of either demigod as having family. They’re so deeply entrenched in the godly world he can barely see them hanging out with a bunch of mortals. He wonders if the mortals know? He wonders if the gods are okay with that.
The more he learns about his friends the more curious he becomes. It’s almost like an unsolved riddle. It’s clear there’s more than what meets the eye to both men. They play everything so close to the chest. Giuseppe just can’t figure out what. Maybe one day they’ll all be close enough to be honest.
