Dawn (Nico di Angelo)

Introductions

Iris finally heard the sound of hooves strut its way toward the door. It opened, and a centaur had come out of it.

"Oh, it's you, Iris-"

But Iris had already slipped inside before the centaur had even greeted her. He followed her as she continued her pace throughout the living room.

"Is something bothering you, my dear?"

"Definitely!" Iris said as she continued to glare at her floor.

"What happened?"

She ignored the centaur and crashed down onto the couch.

"Oh, I'm done for." She muttered, clasping her hands together tightly. She could hardly contain her panic.

The centaur stood in front of her. "Iris, calm down and speak to me."

"Apollo talked to me," she said. "I-In my dream."

"Yes, and?"

"H-He said he was going to get kidnapped," Iris recalled, breathing deeply. "And he told me that it would be my duty to rescue him and bring him back before the winter solstice."

She and the centaur discussed more about her encounter with Apollo. When they had finished, the centaur had warned her not to tell anyone about it until dinner.

"It was just like how Artemis was kidnapped, Chiron." Iris said.

"Yes, somehow..." Chiron agreed. "I suggest you go back to the Pavilion, Iris. Wait until tonight."

-

Iris ate in the Pavilion beside her siblings. She noticed that Will didn't wait for her- that rarely happened- and she remembered that he was in charge of the cabin inspections today so she thought he ate his breakfast quickly and left. Iris didn't have the appetite so she had already stood up to catch up with Will after just a couple of spoonfuls. She hurried out the Pavilion even faster because she was tempted so much to look at the almost empty table a few feet away from hers, where the son of Hades had been staring at her.

She wondered what cabin Will would be inspecting, but she didn't want to just barge inside cabins. Luckily, Leo Valdez had seen her and asked what she was up to.

"I'm looking for Will," she said.

"Me, too!" Leo said exasperatedly. "We're supposed to inspect cabins together, but I guess he left without me."

Iris shook her head and stifled a chuckle. "Running late as ever, are we?"

"It's the Leo way, doll." he winked at her. "But if my calculations are correct- oh, check out that big word I used- I think he's on his way to Cabin 13 by now. Let's go!"

Leo happily jogged ahead while Iris hesitated. But after sighing and scolding her mind to get a grip, she tailed behind Leo. Cabin 13 as a matter of fact, much to Iris' dismay, was the Hades cabin.

-

Iris heard voices as she and Leo made their way towards Cabin 13. It was made of solid obsidian which she had been always intrigued with as its dark color gleamed every time she would pass by it. As they landed on the front porch, she was face-to-face with a skull that was hung on the doorway. Beside the door stood two torches where green fire blazed from them. Iris had this uneasy feeling because this was the closest she had ever gone from the cabin. Nevertheless, the voices grew louder.