Ghost King Meets Batman

What The Hell

"Camp Half-blood doesn't have that?" Dick asked.

"Not your usual arts and crafts. We have sculpting, ancient Greek pottery, blacksmithing, and practical things that we actually use."

"Blacksmithing?" Tim frowned, unconvinced. Nico took out his dagger coin and visualized his dagger. In an instant, he was holding a perfectly balanced, silver blade.

"A Hephaestus girl made this for me after I saved her in the Battle of Manhattan." She had been about to be trampled by a hellhound but he had killed it first. She gave him the dagger a few weeks later. It was a sweet gesture and she still waved when she saw him. People like her were the only reason he had stayed around camp as long as he had.

"It turns into a coin?" Bruce asked to clarify. He nodded and imagined it changing back, holding it out for him to see. He took the coin and examined it with interest. He clutched it tightly in his palm, seemingly testing it. When he was satisfied, he handed it back. 

"Who else do you need to find?" Damian asked gruffly, bringing them back on track. Nico noticed that he was watching his ring intently, knowing very well that that was where the sword that had taken his life was concealed. He winced at the memory of finding the younger boy dead in his room. It was not a fond recollection.

"Jason Grace, son of Jupiter. His family history is also pretty complicated. If I understood what Reyna was telling me, he was practically raised by wolves and then the Roman legion. It's a long story and I don't even know it all. It's best not to ask. Then Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus who literally sets himself on fire when he gets too excited. He is an amazing engineer. He's spent the last several months building a vessel for this grand quest. All his own designs, he thinks. That's also complicated. Nico didn't understand it himself. Something about a dream boat and mysterious blueprints?

Then there is also Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, who is the smartest girl I've ever met. She hates spiders like her mother and I think she has a big part to play in all of this," he finished. If the 'Mark of Athena ' she mentioned was anything to go by, Annabeth was one of the key components.

"Can they work together?" Tim spoke up. I nodded.

"They've already been on a quest together. Well, the first three have... and they have had months to grow closer. Annabeth can work with almost anyone, and she and Leo have been working on the Argo II for a long time now. Annabeth and Percy are dating and have been on many quests together."

"Are you sure that you aren't part of the quest?" Jason asked, spinning one of his knives on its side like a top.

The demigod considered it carefully, was he sure?  Maybe he was meant to be one of the seven. Maybe it wasn't his place to close the doors. He pushed that thought out of his mind. If it wasn't the son of Hades, then who? He would be a part of this war, but not the quest itself. He would write his own fate. Then he thought of the strange dream. Maybe, if he took this path, that future would no longer exist. Who knows.

"I'm pretty sure. I feel like it is going to be a combination of people from both camps. That just makes sense," he reasoned. Why else would Hera go to the trouble of bringing them all together as she did?

"When will you know?" Dick leaned forward, gripping the edge of the countertop.

"I don't know. Usually, whatever is supposed to happen happens. One time they tried to send Clarisse on Percy's quest and Percy ended up taking point on it anyway. That's a very long story." He said when it looked like everyone had questions.

"Sounds like a group of strong individuals." Bruce allowed, circling back to the original topic.

"Some of the strongest Demigods of our generation." He agreed.