The Dissonant Notes Of Fate

Fourteen

Thanks to Rezurex for beta-ing this!

A/N: 'Ello! Me again, with chapter 14 of The Dissonant Notes of Fate. Last chapter Nico and Bianca were claimed and I want to inform you all that they'll be playing major roles in this second arc of the story. Happy reading lol. Don't forget to vote, leave a review, comment, kudos, whatever. Enjoy your day/night/afternoon!

Cheers, TripleHomicide.

LUKE felt extra conflicted that night. The camp had erupted into chaos as the news of the claiming of the two di Angelos spread. Murmurs about the Great Prophecy, although most didn't know what it was, was rampant in Camp Half-Blood, causing Thalia to hole up in her cabin.

It scared Luke that there were other children of the Big Three they hadn't known about. For six months Nico and Bianca had lived amongst them, and Luke didn't even want to think about what would have happened had Kronos found out about the two kids before they had. The son of Hermes sat curled up in his bed, gazing at the ceiling. He released a sigh, folding his arms as he got submerged in his thoughts once more.

The idea that Thalia might not be the Prophecy Child scared him. It made him angry, that the fates were toying with them. He was livid that none of the Big Three except Poseidon, had kept their oaths. The heritage of the Di Angelos meant that Thalia could die any minute, any day, at any time, only for Nico or Bianca to claim her place as the prophecy child. It was more likely to be Nico, seeing as Bianca was a never-ageing huntress. Luke wasn't prepared to accept that. He frowned, pinching the bridge of his nose. It had taken a long time for everyone in the already crowded Hermes cabin to fall asleep. Nico wasn't there. Chiron had offered him a room in the Big House and it was only because his sister nagged that he accepted.

Luke sat up in his bed, looking around him in the semi-darkness. The cabin was packed as usual. His mind wandered to all the unclaimed demigods lying among his siblings. He knew that Kronos preyed on them each night. The Titan Lord was looking for allies and again, Luke was scared. Any of them could turn dark at each and every moment. And he was in a room full of possible traitors.

Luke stood, grabbing a shirt from his bedside and throwing it on. He crept towards the doorway, then quietly pulled the door open. The son of Hermes stepped out gingerly, trying hard not to make any noise, as he didn't want to wake anybody. He moved towards the steps and almost yelped out in surprise when he brushed past a body in the darkness. Luke took several steps back, blinking to make his eyes adjust to the darkness. The blue-eyed boy, recognising the smallish but lean form of the newly claimed son of Hades, tilted his head in confusion, "Nico?"

The boy was seemingly trying to blend into the shadows. He was hugging his knees as he leaned on the steps, head bowed. He looked up tiredly when Luke called his name. He was instantly alert, black eyes wide and awake.

"Castellan," He murmured. Nico hurriedly stood, brushing invisible dust off his body. "Sorry, I thought everyone else was asleep."

"What's wrong?" Luke pressed, brow furrowing. Nico glanced up at him and he could see the hesitation in his eyes. He reached out and placed a hand on Nico's shoulder. The boy sagged and Luke had to hide his surprise when his hand wasn't shrugged off. "You can talk to me, you know." He said, kneeling so he was on Nico's level. "Has someone been bothering you?"

The younger demigod let out a sigh, then shook his head. He faced Luke. "It's—I—I couldn't sleep. Not in the Big House." He gestured to the Hermes cabin. "And, I wanted to come in, but...I wasn't sure if it was allowed."

Luke gave him a sad smile. "You'll always be welcomed in the Hermes cabin, Nico. Anyone who tries to stop you will have to go through me first." The small kid's lips stretched into a small, rare and uneasy smile. But it was a smile.