"I don't have to no-apologise," Nico points out, whatever that means. He stays where he is, patient, just letting that small movement of his thumb keep going because she hasn't shrugged it off yet, so maybe it's working?

He wonders if another brother would reassure her. But Nico's not a fan of empty promises, so he pauses for a moment, considering his answer. "I believe you defeated her," he says finally. "But this whole war has been about things we thought were dead and buried coming back to bite us, so whether that means she's gone forever or not? I don't know."