The Exchange

44- Percy Goes On A Nico Hunt

Percy was happy to be heading back home. It was bittersweet actually. He was happy to be going back to all his friends, but this was the first time he would be returning to camp without Annabeth there.

Harry had gathered all of 'Dumbledore's Army' and 'The Order Of The Pheonix' which apparently were two groups who had fought against Voldemort with Harry.

They wanted to bring all of their friends back to camp to help fight Nyx. Percy was all for it. The more people they had the better.

It took them like a million trips to get back to camp. Percy, Jason and Leo went first. Closely being followed by Neville, Luna and Ginny. They walked back into camp, Jason staying behind to let everyone into camp.

"You feeling alright Aqua Man?" Leo asked.

"Yes, and don't call me Aqua Man," Percy told him.

"It's just with Ann-," Leo started.

"Please don't say her name," Percy cut Leo off.

"Okay, but since, well you know, you've just been a bit different." Leo seemed to tread on eggshells around him.

"I'm as fine as I can be expected to be." Percy replied curtly.

********

The next two days were quite hard for Percy. He was training and being trained by the Wizards. The camp felt like it had something missing.

And it wasn't just that she was missing. It took Percy a while to work it out. But eventually he realised that Nico wasn't anywhere to be seen.

He confronted Piper about it (figuring that if anyone knew she would, she was kind of the defacto leader of the camp since she died.)

Pipe just looked at the floor and quickly walked away. Percy scowered the entire camp (multiple times). He even submitted himself to check the Aphrodite cabin (even though he knew Nico wouldn't be within 100 meters of it). He subjected himself to ask Grover, from whom he got nothing from other than some sympathetic looks and a serenade of a song that sounded like it should sound sad, but it just sounded like a dieing cat.

Percy eventually found his short friend sitting at Zeus' fist.

"Nico!" Percy stalked towards him.

"Oh hi Percy," Nico grinned awkwardly.

"Nico," he growled, "what did you do?"

"Nothing!" Nico looked slightly shifty, like he was ready to jump up and run at any second.

"Swear it then," Percy took a step towards Nico, not breaking eye contact, "go on, do it and I'll watch as Zeus smites you."

"Okay, okay." Nico let up, "maybe I did do something."

"Maybe?" Percy raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"Okay definitely, I definitely did something!" Nico stuck his hands up in surrender.

"What did you definitely do?" Percy asked, beginning to become a bit frustrated with Nico, "just spit it out already would you, I mean why can't you tell me-," just then Percy's vision went black and he had the sensation of falling.

Falling in the dark. Falling a long way. Falling back down to Tartrus.

I'm pushing through my writer's block and I will succeed. Anyway, there are 5 more chapters in part 2 and then we move onto part 3!! Whoop, whoop!
Remember to vote, comment and be amazing!!
~Em xx