Old and Young, Inside Out

Chapter 10

"So what are you saying?" Dominic asked. "This isn't making any sense."

"Yes, it is!" Nico looked around the library before lowering his voice again. "But you have to open your mind a little. I'm sorry that Persephone nor Hecate have given me any more clues and I'm basically on my own."

Dominic sighed. "Fine. Explain it again."

"The dream I had about them carrying a dead girl out. It was in the past like you said. So I was thinking about all the ghosts here. The only one that could have been her is Moaning Myrtle. So I went to question her and asked how she died. Used some King of Ghosts stuff, right? She died in that bathroom by seeing some eyes or something." Nico concluded.

Dominic glanced back at his unfinished homework. "How does that connect to the Chamber of Secrets?"

"It connects to my dream." Nico corrected. "And I was shown that for a reason."

"Okay, fine, I get that part." Dominic relented. "But I don't get how it connects to the Chamber of Secrets."

"Me neither," Nico admitted. "I thought you would."

Dominic shook his head. "Nope."

"It's not fair." Nico sat back in frustration. "I claim to have all this help from the gods and I can't even figure out what a stupid chamber is."

"You don't have that much help," Dominic muttered. "What? You have a dandelion and what else? Green eyes?"

Nico couldn't help but smile. "Are you hating on green eyes?"

"I actually like green eyes," Dominic admitted. "Didn't your old crush have green eyes? You should like them too."

Nico stared at Dominic, the other boy not noticing his change in attitude. "What?"

"Your old crush," Dominic explained. "You liked Percy, I thought."

"Yeah but I never told you that," Nico grumbled. "Fucking psychic."

Dominic rolled his eyes. "Sorry."

"I just...don't like him anymore," Nico explained. "And I did a lot of stupid stuff because I thought I loved him."

"But you didn't?" Dominic asked.

Nico shook his head. "I've only ever loved Will."

"And you still do?"

Nico stared at his untouched homework. "Yeah."

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Nico sat in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom with the Golden Trio, him and Ron both having ignored their brother's warning about it. He let them search the book for the potion they were trying to find, his mind on other things.

Persephone? You there?

What is it, son of Hades?

Nico grinned at the answer, still finding relief every time one of the goddesses decided to speak to him. I had a question that Hecate won't bother answering.

Go ahead and ask. Persephone answered, humor in her voice. Though I can't promise that I can answer it.

Growing up, I couldn't read English here just as it was in the demigod world. Nico started. But then when I figured out I was a demigod and stuff I could read it. Do you know why? I need to know if it's going to go away.

I don't know why she waited to give it to you, but Hecate may have taken away your dyslexia for the quest. Persephone answered, sounding curious. It's odd. Can you read English when you visit your father and me?

Nico shrugged. Haven't tried it.

Try it next time so you know if it's secluded to just the wizarding world. Persephone advised. You need to know of your abilities if this will turn into a full war.

Nico nodded slightly. Yeah, okay.

"Here it is," Hermione's voice broke him out of his thoughts. "This is the most complicated potion I've ever seen. Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed, and knotgrass. Well, they're easy enough, they're in the student store-cupboard, we can help ourselves...Oooh, look, powdered horn of a bicorn — don't know where we're going to get that — shredded skin of a boomslang — that'll be tricky, too and of course a bit of whoever we want to change into."

"Excuse me?" said Ron sharply. "What d'you mean, a bit of whoever we're changing into? I'm drinking nothing with Crabbe's toenails in it —"

"We don't have to worry about that yet, though, because we add those bits last..." Hermione continued, reading over the potion. Ron gave Nico a worried look, causing Nico to snicker.

"D'you realize how much we're going to have to steal, Hermione? Shredded skin of a boomslang, that's definitely not in the students' cupboard. What're we going to do, break into Snape's private stores? I don't know if this is a good idea..." Harry asked.

"Well, if you two are going to chicken out, fine," Hermione said. "I don't want to break rules, you know. I think threatening Muggle-borns is far worse than brewing up a difficult potion. But if you don't want to find out if it's Malfoy, I'll go straight to Madam Pince now and hand the book back in."

"Two? What about Nico?" Ron asked.

"I'm not doing it." Nico cut in. "I already talked to Hermione. Who knows what that thing will do to a demigod. I'm here for emotional support."

Ron shook his head before looking to Hermione. "I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be persuading us to break rules. All right, we'll do it. But not toenails, okay?"

"How long will it take to make, anyway?" Harry asked.

"Well, since the fluxweed has got to be picked at the full moon and the lacewings have got to be stewed for twenty-one days...I'd say it'd be ready in about a month, if we can get all the ingredients." Hermione answered, causing all three boys to look at her in exasperation.

"A month?" Ron asked. "Malfoy could have attacked half the Muggle-borns in the school by then! But it's the best plan we've got, so full steam ahead, I say."

Nico sat back again as they bickered on and took a notebook out of his bag. Every day he worked on his outline for training those kids, but they never seemed to learn.

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Nico watched as Will brought his cabin up. That blond hair, the blue eyes. Nico loved every bit of him. It only got stronger as he got closer.

"Hey," Will greeted, his hands deep in his pockets as he stopped in front of Nico. "I...um...how's school?"

"Stressful." Nico's fingers twitched as he fought to keep his arms at his sides. "What about college?"

"Stressful." Will grinned down at him. "Can I have a hug?"

Nico basically jumped into Will's arms after the request, hugging his ex-boyfriend tight against himself. His face grew red with blush but he didn't dare stop. Not when it would be another week before he saw him next.

Will kept him close in silence for some time before pulling away, causing Nico to frown in disappointment. "You've got to get teaching."

"What's the point?" Nico grumbled. "They refuse to learn anything. They don't really get how much they're going to be attacked."

"I talked to them." Will looked over at the kids who were busy wrestling amongst themselves. "Hopefully they should be better today. If not, threaten to stop taking their letters to the Underworld."

"Yeah, okay." Nico didn't let go of Will's arms. "Do you have to get going?"

Will nodded. "The Infirmary needs me."

He still didn't let go. "Okay."

Silence. The smell of strawberries.

"Nico?"

"Yeah?"

"You need to let me go."

"Right, sorry."