Heroes of Olympus - The Blood of Olympus (Discontinued)

Chapter 18 - Nico

Chapter 18 - Nico

"How do we know we can trust this guy?" Nico whispered to Reyna.

He, Reyna, and Coach Hedge had made camp in a small grove of trees just off the cliffs of the English Channel. The Athena Parthenos still rested at the bottom of the cliffs, sheltered by the pine trees overhead. Amphityron had left with Laelaps to hunt for the night, promising to return the next morning. With the woods to their backs, and the sea facing them, Nico felt very vulnerable, as if the watchful gazes of hundreds of monsters were burning into his skin.

Reyna regarded him with steady eyes. "A promise on the Styx is a vow much not desired to be flayed. Should it be so, the one who swore upon it would be greatly cursed. I assume you possess this knowledge already, considering your father owns that river."

Nico looked down grudgingly. "Yeah, I've had bad experiences with that river before."

"You didn't bathe in it..." Reyna trailed off.

Nico looked up at her. "No! Of course not! If I did, I'd either have iron skin, or I'd be dead."

Reyna was silent.

"No, I mean bad experiences as in... experiences with my own father..." Nico went silent. Memories that he hadn't dreamt of in months suddenly came flooding back to him: Breaking Percy out of Hades's dungeon, cursing the guards into slumber, collapsing in Percy's arms from putting the dead to sleep, riding Mrs. O'Leary to the Styx, watching Percy dip in the magical waters only to walk out impenetrable, so impenetrable he had been able to destroy Hades's entire army once the god had found out of their escape from the prison.

Nico's thoughts seemed to dissolve before one image came forth: Percy; his green eyes gazing into his own, with his wind swept black hair blowing in the breeze. Nico's heart swelled with a dull ache, spreading through his chest, into his shoulders. His undying love for Percy was so powerful, it took all his will not to break down. His sadness gave way to anger, as his mind focused on Cupid, how the stupid love god had forced him to confess his emotions in front of Jason. Nico had never felt so small. So broken.

"Your father, how?" Reyna asked.

Nico knew it wouldn't do him any good to hold anything back. The world was ending anyway. So he told her the story. He even put in a few details of how Kronos tried to take over Manhattan as well. When he finished, Reyna was silent, just nodding her head to signal she'd heard.

Nico was grateful. He didn't want to be bombarded by questions. As he sat there, lost from the world in his thoughts, Coach Hedge groped around, looking for spare dead pine needles littering the ground. "It's too cold out here," he muttered. "My tail is completely freezing off my rump. Why isn't there any fire wood around?"

"Probably because you ate most of it for supper," Reyna said.

"So?" Hedge barked. "Coniferous bark has lots of Vitamin C. Good eating for Satyrs. Plus the sap is an extra bonus."

Reyna made a face. "You fauns are impossible."

"Satyr!" Hedge snapped.

"Whichever," Reyna retorted.

The coach gave up looking for branches, and plunked down into the dirt beside Reyna. The fire pit that sat before them had already burned out, the burning coals reduced to black smudges of charcoal. With the cold, crisp night drifting in, a fire would be more than welcoming right now. Hedge was right. It was freezing out here.

Nico zipped up his black aviator's jacket, and buried his hands in his pockets, shivering from the wind. "I think I'm going to take a walk. If I sit here any longer, I'll get frostbite on my rear. Plus, I want a fire, so I'll look for wood."