Inheritance - a sequel to Shelter

It Feels Like Magic

He's back in familiar territory, the realm between sleep and death. This time though, he's weak. Normally being here regenerates him, but now ... He grips the trunk of a black poplar with both hands and pulls himself to his feet, his knees threatening to give out. He rests a moment with his back against the tree, taking in the landscape. Everything is grey or black as usual, a web of shadows and mystery. The voices from his past, his suffering, cry for his attention, but he focuses instead on the mist slowly thickening around him. It's bluish, but still grey, and as it grows the realm appears to shrink, to alter. Some sort of magic at work. He closes his eyes a minute, trying to pull himself together enough to move.

I don't have the energy to deal with this shit. Why do things like this always happen to me? I'm like a weird magnet.

When he opens his eyes again, the mist has coalesced into a thick fog. He squints, barely able to see a couple of feet in front of himself.

Nico! Don't ever scare me like that again! Bianca had called after they'd been separated at the Mall in Washington D.C. Why would you do that?Will had asked, so full of disappointment, and then he'd chewed him out. Run, Nico! Get help! Percy had called, and he had closed his ears and shouted: No! Go away! and then, entirely creeped out as the skeleton warriors were swallowed by the Earth, Percy had said: How did you -" and Nico had run.

His past grows louder, surrounding him, the fog pushing him back into it until ...

"Nico! Is that you?" Hazel's voice.

A path clears amidst the fog. He pushes himself off the tree and stumbles toward her, his heart hammering in his chest. He swipes the fog off himself and with it, his past, as if shedding a snakeskin. He flings his arms around Hazel half expecting her to disappear like an illusion, but when his arms wrap around her shoulders, her wild curls brushing his cheek, he buries his face in her shoulder and holds on tight, relieved as anything when she hugs him back.

"Do you know why we're here?" Hazel asks.

"No," he admits and releases her. "It's so good to see you, though." He feels his strength returning, not even trying to hide how glad he is to not be alone.

She smiles at him, and then looks to the side. Nico follows her gaze. The fog has retreated and the dreamscape changed. To the left, right, and directly before them are the entrances to three dark tunnels.

"Oh no. I know what this is," Hazel says, her hand going to her belt. Her cavalry sword is missing. Her eyes take on a dark and focused gleam.

Nico reaches for his sword, also coming up empty. "What is it?" he asks, keeping his voice low

"Hecate."

As if Hazel's voice acts an incantation, the goddess steps out from thin air, her long golden hair draped over one shoulder and her skin as white as death. Her solid black eyes fix on them and her lips, painted red, the only color on her face, turn up in a smirk.

"My young apprentice. You understand why you are here, of course." She blinks and turns her attention to Nico, frowning. "Unlike this young man, so saddled with the grudges of his past it's a wonder he's able to stand on his feet."

Nico grits his teeth. He knows better than to talk back to a goddess, but damn, that was a low blow.

"What do you have against Nico?" Hazel demands.

"It's alright," Nico says. He touches her arm, signalling for her to calm down.

Hecate doesn't appear to take offense to the question. She shrugs, and Nico blinks his eyes several times as she steps closer to them. With each step her body blurs into three figures, but comes back into focus when she stops a few feet in front of them.