Jasico

Pairing
Pairing:	Jason Grace/Nico di Angelo
Alternative name(s):	Jason/Nico, Jasico
Gender category:	slash
Fandom:	Heroes of Olympus
Canonical?:	no
Prevalence:	third slash pairing for the fandom on ao3
Archives:	no pairing-specific archive available, most fic is on ao3
Other:
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Jason/Nico, also known as Jasico, is among the most popular slash pairings for the Heroes of Olympus fandom.

History

Initially, Jasico was a rarepair, with few instances of work on Fanfiction.net. It only started to grow in popularity after the release of The House of Hades, in which the two characters start to develop a bond when Nico is forced to come out to Jason by Eros/Cupid. This creates trust when Jason accepts Nico, and they begin to befriend each other after an initial period of mutual, mild dislike.

Simultaneously, Percico saw a rise in popularity as well within fandom, and the two pairs were often seen as in contrast with each other. However, while there have been cases of ship wars, a lot of people are friendly with shippers of the other, or even liked both.

After The Blood of Olympus was released, many fans have lamented a decline in fannish content, probably due to most people in the slash fandom who created content for Jasico switching to Solangelo. However, the book did Jason and Nico getting closer and sharing some touching moments, thus providing those who stayed with new inspiration for fics and art.

Works set in the canonverse usually have a strong focus on the pre-slash side of their relationship, which is almost always depicted as a Friends to Lovers one. Works set in between The House of Hades and The Blood of Olympus tend to have Nico's feelings for Percy playing a bigger role; usually, these stories feature Nico struggling with letting go of Percy to stay with Jason, or Jason helping Nico to get over Percy. These works have been criticized for depicting Jason as merely an instrument to solve all of Nico's problems through his love while absolving Nico of responsibility for his personal growth. Incidentally, this is criticism that's now leveled almost exclusively at Solangelo, with Will Solace taking Jason's place.

Common Tropes in Fanworks

• Pining, usually in the form of Pining!Jason. This one is so common that 90% of time it's not specified in the tags or description (searching "Jason Grace/Nico di Angelo" + "pining" on ao3 only brings up 22 results as of October 2019, misrepresenting the actual prevalence of the trope in fandom)
• Before The Blood of Olympus, stories in which Nico leaves Camp combined with and Jason goes looking for him were common. Usually, Nico escapes to the Underworld and stays at his father's palace, and Jason convinces him to come back, with both boys confessing their feelings at some point.
• As with any PJO/HOO ship, Mortal AUs are very popular, especially those with a high school or university setting. Superheroes AUs and Magic AUs in which the source of the characters powers is not their godly nature are also common.

Example Fanworks

Fanfiction

• How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found in 10 Easy Steps by MyVantilene is an example of a story in which Nico leaves for the Underworld after the end of the War.
• SPQR: Legion of Super-Heroes by ElfGrove is a popular WIP Superhero AU for the pair.
• kingburu is one of the most popular Jasico authors, posting both tumblr ficlets on her blog, as well as longer, chaptered works on ao3
  • If Your Heart Wears Thin is one of the most recced and read fics for the pair. However it is, as of 2015, on hiatus.
  • Siamo Nei Guai is a well-known fic where two Nicos from different universes (one of whom is Canon!Nico, while the other is his Roman counterpart) swap places.
• sadgaywerewolf (previously mintleaftea) is another rather famous Jasico fanwriter. Most of their work is comprised of series of one-shots set in the same verse