Flowergirl, Percy Jackson

018. Our Lady of the Underground

THE next day feels like a dream, a semblance of normalcy compared to the quest. No more monsters explode from the labyrinth, and so things begin to return to how they were. Lila spends most of the day helping the Apollo cabin in the infirmary, tending to wounds. Hardly anyone has escaped unscathed; Lila's only bruised, but most campers have suffered wounds. A few bleed out on the beds, ambrosia not enough to save them. That alone is enough to clothe the eve of the battle in a dark cloud. They won, yes - but at what cost?

It was only one battle, and next year there may be a war. 

Still, there's much to be grateful for. When Lila scrapes a fraction of her pizza into the fire, for the first time in her life she knows who to pray to. Persephone. 

Mother, thank you for claiming me. (Okay, she wasn't really "claimed", but close enough.) Thank you for protecting me. Thank you for watching me, and keeping me alive. Thank you for protecting the camp. The fire hums in response, like Persephone has heard. It's the first time she's ever been listened to; it feels like a new start. A new beginning for them all. 

Being claimed comes with a new set of problems she hasn't even considered. Where should she sleep? Generally children of the minor gods sleep in the Hermes cabin, but Lila has a clear connection to Demeter, and the Hermes cabin is eager to kick her out and give her bed to someone else. So Lila kind of tucks into a bed in the corner of the Demeter cabin and runs away before she's forced to talk to any of them. 

But where should she eat? Sitting with Demeter's kids would defy the point of this avoidance. Silena is beckoning her over, but that's forbidden, and Chiron has a set in his jaw brought about by the loss of their campers and his aching legs. He'll be stricter than usual. 

She's not the only one unsure of their place. Nico is skulking in the shadows, watching the campers, the fire, the camp. 

"We can sit together," Lila offers, standing beside him. Nico starts at the sound of her voice. 

He shrugs. "No, it's fine. You fit in here better than me." He tries to escape into the woods, but Lila's legs are longer, and she easily keeps up. He might have a growth spurt soon - she shudders at the thought. He won't forever be her skinny gothic stepbrother. 

"Not really," Lila admits, and Nico slows, perhaps realising he can't outrun her. "There's no cabin for me, either. I don't know where to sleep. I don't like it with the Demeter kids. They're my aunts and uncles..." She shudders. "Can you believe that? For years, all I've wanted is to be there, and now that I'm finally welcome, I still don't belong like I wanted to." 

"Belonging is overrated," Nico says. "Bianca always used to tell me that." 

Lila smiles. "She sounds cleverer than me." 

He inhales deeply. "I'm going to summon her, now. Do you want to speak to her?"

Lila isn't expecting that; her lips part for a moment, suddenly dry, before she nods. They are both children of the Underworld, after all. A little casual necromancy is not unexpected. "Do we need Happy Meals?"

He half laughs, the corner of his lip tilting upwards. "Not anymore." 

If Nico weren't on their side, Lila might be worried. Already, in a few quick days, he's grown from a newly discovered child of Hades to a boy who can raise the dead with relative ease. It bodes well for their cause. Maybe Hades has a few more kids for her to adopt. Or Poseidon. Or even Zeus, but Lila would avoid them. 

This time, Nico only sticks his sword into the ground, a few inches deep. The black iron glows in the moonlight, empowered by the darkness, drawing power from it. He places his hand on the blade, similar to how he banished Daedalus to the Underworld. His pale skin in stark contrast to the deep blade, he looks half-dead himself.