Children of The Underworld

Chapter 2 A Dangerous Game

Nico's POV
Every step I take feels like it's weighing me down with worry as I head to the pavilion. Bianca left for the quest thingy two days ago and I still haven't heard anything from her. It doesn't help that no one talks to me, everyone just looks at me and whispers quietly to one another. I tried to be friends with some of the people who are in the Hermes cabin but they don't care...that seems to be a recurring thing in my life. First dad. Then mom. Now Bianca. Why do they leave me, I haven't done anything wrong...have I?

The only people who seem remotely interested in being my friends are Ethan Nakamura and Will Solace, even then, talking with them is limited. I tried talking to people, especially about Myth O' Magic. I love Myth O' Magic so much, it's so much fun to play. I really love the "Lord of the Underworld" card, it reminds me of my dad before we had to move to America. Dad always played games with me, I wish Bianca did too...she's always been so independent and strong. I want to be like her someday, maybe without the man hater stuff...I don't really know where that came from, did i cause that? Does Bianca hate me?
I'm jolted from my rant when I trip on something. As I look down to see what it is, someone bumps into me and I fall to my knees. I turn around to see who bumped me and it's only Ethan. Ethan is really cool. He's got really pretty eyes, they look like gold and copper were mixed together and poured onto a plate. He's the son of Nemesis, which is really cool. I tried to ask him why he doesn't have a cabin but he just mumbled something about horrible parents and bad decisions from the Olympians.

"Sorry Nico, I didn't see you there. Where are you going?"

"Oh, it's okay! I'm going to the restaurant thing...the pa-vil-ion, yeh the pavilion! I want food, do you think I'm able to get food? Like I know it's not meal time but maybe like a snack. Maybe an apple or a pear? Oooh a pomegranate would be really nice. I love pomegranates, dad said I get it from my aunt, I've never met my aunt...I don't think she's alive anymore...or dad"

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that little man" 
I look at the ground as Ethan pats my shoulder awkwardly. A hand. A skeleton hand. That's what I tripped on. It should bother me more, I know that. I feel like I can't be bothered to care though...Bianca says I I don't care enough about things, but I feel like that's wrong. Sometimes I care too much and it hurts. Lots of things hurt now...I want to sleep. How long can I sleep for? I want to sleep forever, that sounds like an amazing plan, one long endless dream.

"co. ico. Nico. There you are, you zoned out on me. You had me pretty worried, I thought you were having a panic attack or flashbacks or something. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine? Just hungry" I smile but Ethan still looks unsure. Maybe I need to work on smiling, mama always said it looks like I'm wincing, "do you want to join me on my epic quest to see if I can find food!"

"Uhhh sure, I don't have anywhere to be exactly so it shouldn't do any harm to eat something..."

I continue to walk to the pavilion with Ethan to the left of me. Everything here seems so perfect but there's this underlying feeling of sorrow and terror, like a man lost in a tropical sea. I wonder if someone died recently...whatever the cause, it was lost on me.

2 days later

The Hermes cabin feels empty. Travis and Conner said it wasn't always this empty and that the cabin used to be overflowing with kids. I wonder what happened to those kids. Hopefully they're all ok. I've never really been alone before, I've always had Bianca with me, but she still hasn't come back yet...neither has the other people on the quest. I hope they're okay, what if something bad happened to them and they got stuck or what if one of them is hurt really badly...I should see if I can do anything to help. Bianca always said I should try and help those around me, who can't help themselves...maybe I can help those kids who aren't here and get them their own cabin, that would make me happy if I didn't have my own cabin. I try to remember where I can go if I have a problem. I think Percy said to go to a "Big House" and talk to a Mr. D, that's a silly name for a person.

As I'm walking to the  Big House I see somebody with a bag sneaking across camp and exiting the camp border before sprinting off. I wonder what that person was doing, they kind of looked like Ethan, the shaggy black hair did at least. I hope it's not Ethan, that just means another person is leaving...is it my fault? Sadness floods through my body at the thought of Ethan leaving camp. Reaching the Big House I push the door open and let it slam behind me. The room is dusty and smells vaguely of cheese. There's a few ping pong balls scattered around on the floor, up above the fireplace is a stuffed jaguar head. In the corner of the room is a bald and pudgy looking man who is passed out on a dingy looking couch, next to him is another man in a wheelchair who's shuffling a deck of cards.

"Are you Mr. D?" I ask the man in the wheelchair tentatively.

"No I'm not, the man, god rather is right there. I'm Chiron, what can I help you with?" the man said, introducing himself and the fat man.

"Like the trainer of hero's Chiron?"

"Exactly, I don't think we've properly met before, I'm normally very good at introducing myself to the new campers. If you would be so kind as to tell an old horse your name."

"Nico di Angelo"

"Well Nico, what can I do for you today? Need to change camp schedules or need to pick up a prescription?"

"No, none of that. I was wondering why there's only twelve cabins for the gods when there's tons more. Aren't gods supposed to be like, super envious and jealous of each other...I mean it would make sense to make more cabins to make them all happy?"

"If we had the money to build more cabins and the materials available, but we simply don't. The cabins also represent the twelve Olympians and I fear building more cabins would cause them to think we are comparing them to minor gods. So it's overall just an unacceptable action that I fear would have more consequences for us  than benefit."

"Gods like sacrifices right? What if I gamble with one of them? If I win we can get more cabins for minor gods, but if the gods winD I-i can give up Myth O' Magic"

"That's very noble of you Nico, but what god would be crazy enough to actually accept a gamble like that. If a god did actually accept they wouldn't win anything at all and risk losing everything and bringing dishonor to Olympus."

"I'd be that crazy" echoed a third voice. The pudgy man sat up, eyes burning with excitement and a hint of madness. Purple fire glowing out of his eye sockets as he walked over to me. Time seemed to slow down as he approached Chiron and me.

"I've been waiting for a gamble worth my time. What game do you choose? Poker. Blackjack. War. Something more crazy? Real life mouse traps, we can recreate the Saw Games!" The man said.

"Dionysus! He's just a boy, a stupid one all be it, but still a boy! You can't do this" said Chiron with a manic expression.

"I choose Myth O' Magic as my game of choice' ' I felt a small confidence knowing a god wouldn't know how to play a silly card game. Dionysus suddenly flashed a smile, seeming to screaming as if he's already won,

"That game hasn't been played in seventy or so years" the god narrowed his eyes as he continued to speak"How exactly would a boy like you  know that game? No matter, I'll crush you like the parasites you half bloods are."

I felt the deck of cards start to burn in my pocket. Suddenly we weren't in the Big House, we were seated at a larger wooden table with a binder of cards in the middle, the room itself was dark, except for the single light overhead illuminating the rest of the room. Sat across from me was Mr. D, or rather Dionysus. He sat in the chair like a man who just won a million dollar lottery. Arms extended lazily, one leg crossed over the other, and a look of peace rested on his face.

"I must commend you on your choice to choose such an outlandish game, if it was some other god you would have had a very high chance of winning that gamble, but not against me," the purple fire returned to his eyes and passion and excitement radiated off of the god.

" you just happened to have the wrong god take you up on that gamble. In recent years it seems my domain has expanded past it once was. I'm no longer just the god of wine and ecstasy, but now parties, gambling games, and insanity! No matter what cards you have in that deck of your's, you aren't going to beat me. Not now, not ever. I'll make sure I exterminate this idea that minor gods should be on the same level of Olympians so help me Fates I'll crush that titan movement myself if those backstabbing gods will get away with this treason!" The god continued to rant with such scorn it could burn a hole through platnium, until he exhausted himself on the topic of minor gods. Then the room slowly started to collapse in on itself as I felt myself being pulled into the shadows.