Nico's POV
I felt so guilty over the next two days. Guilty because of the small part of me that had felt relieved when Saven had died, because it had meant Will would be alright.
Will had barely been talking at all, and his mood was reflected by the other Apollo campers. I knew Saven had been a ball of relentless energy and everyone had loved him.
Percy and Luke, however, seemed to be dealing with their own problems using humour. I could see it was just a shield, but no-one else seemed to notice. It was just like Leo all those years ago, but then again, I was the only one who had noticed then either and I hadn't even told Leo about it.
I had also felt a powerful longing to reveal my identity. If I did, I knew I would be free to be with Will, but I had to run it past Percy first. He was boss, and I didn't know if he had a further plan that required my real identity to remain a mystery.
It was morning. My room was dark, although the walls were painted a fresh white. My room had the great ability to look like a light, airy space while being dark and moody-looking, just how I liked it.
I got out of my bed, stretched and slipped on my bracelet lying on my bedside cabinet next to my collapsed staff. I then adjusted my newly reappeared cloak slightly, slipped my staff into an inside pocket and headed out into the corridor, my hood down.
Upon entry to the kitchen, I saw Luke and Lexi sitting at the table, Luke attacking a pile of waffles, Lexi picking moodily at a bowl filled with the same strange-looking gloopy substance that the Arishe ate sometimes. I had tried it, it was surprisingly good.
"Where's Percy?" I asked, sliding into a chair beside Luke and making a grab for one of his waffles. Luke grabbed my wrist without looking and answered,
"He's still in his room. Painting, I think."
"Cool." I answered. I then punched Luke in the stomach and walked away cheerily, a waffle in each hand, leaving him to wheeze and gesture obscenely in my direction.
***
Climbing the stairs, I munched happily on a waffle as I knocked on Percy's door with my free - but sticky - hand. I heard Percy's voice say "Come in." and I turned the doorknob, striding inside.
Percy had painted several more pictures since I'd last been in here, and he was getting better and better. Most of his earliest paintings had been of Annabeth, but since he's let her go he had been painting a lot of landscapes. The one he was currently working on was a huge expanse of green grass, with rolling hills and beautiful flowers. Just looking at it, I could almost feel the breeze sweeping over me and making the grass ripple into a great wave carpeting the scene, with a river cutting off the flow of green and snaking it's way through the valley.
"Hi, Perce." I greeted, pulling up a chair next to Percy, who was concentrating on the brush strokes smoothly gliding down the fresh blue river. He had an apron on, and had covered his wings in what looked like a large bin bag to stop paint getting on his feathers. He had expressed previously how long it took to wash acrylics out of his wings.
"Sup." He said, without looking up at me. "Is something wrong?"
"Oh, no." I answered quickly, shaking my head slightly. "No. I was just wondering if I could, maybe, reveal my identity?"
"Oh sure, just make sure you... wait, WHAT?" Percy did a double-take and almost yelled the last line, staring at me in shock. "Why on earth would you want to do that?"
"Well," I answered tentatively, "If I reveal myself, I would be able to... to be with Will."
Percy's face changed to a look of understanding. "Oh. Well, If you really feel that strongly about it, then it's up to you. I won't stop you if it feels right."
I nodded and began to turn away, but Percy grabbed my wrist.
"Just make sure you stay safe, Ok? Once you do this, you'll make yourself look more human, more vulnerable. People may lose some faith in you. Right now, the campers see us as scary, powerful beings. That can be a good thing."
"When did you get so wise?" I asked, grinning at Percy. "I'll be fine, don't worry. And if anyone underestimates my chances and tries to fight me, well... let's just say that the roof of the big house is a pretty high place to be teleported to."
Percy grinned back at me and released my wrist. "Just tell me when you're going to do it, Ok?"
"Sure." I said, and I turned to leave.
***
Percy's POV
As soon as Nico closed the door behind him, I felt my face fall. Nico was giving up the secrecy and security of his identity just to be with Will that much more often. Will meant that much to him.
"Gah!" I yelled, banging my head on the wall in frustration. Love was so confusing.
I spent the next hour or so nursing my head and continuing with my painting. As my brush made the final stroke against the canvas, I felt a sense of calm satisfaction pass through me. Another completed work.
I snapped my fingers, drying the paint, and walked over to my closet. Pulling the door open, I tapped the back panel of it behind my clothes, which slid open.
Inside was a large room, full of dozens and dozens of paintings. I pushed my clothes aside and entered, lifting my new work onto an empty peg near the back of the room. I was already running out of space.
Just as I was about to leave, a small door caught my eye. I hadn't been in that particular section of my gallery for a while, and I pushed it open.
Inside this part was a slightly smaller room, this one filled with portraits. I always kept my portraits further away from possible prying eyes, as they seemed more... personal to me. Painting people was something I did rarely, and when I did I always used a subject that meant a lot to me, not just a random person.
On the walls were pictures of the seven from the Argo II, Luke, Nico, Annabeth and Adalind. I looked at them fondly, remembering the moments that had inspired me to document them in paint form.
I felt a pang in my chest as my eyes fell on Lexi's portrait. She was facing the side, her hair whipping around her shoulders and her eyes gazing at the sky above.
I had painted this after me and Lexi had gone stargazing in Ariem, and she had showed me all of their constellations and what they were called. I remembered the look on her face as she had gazed at the balls of light in the sky, talking to me about how the Arishe called them Sunspheres, and how they believed that each one held the spirit of a fallen monarch of Ariem.
I turned away and stumbled out of the room, determined not to look at the painting for longer than I should, for I knew that if I did, I might never leave that room again.
****
Feeling the buzz of confusion that was now a familiar presence in my head, I decided to take a walk outside. Flicking up my hood, I strode into the weak sunlight filtering through the autumn gold leaves of the forest as summer faded away.
I paused to admire the canopy above, framing it in my fingers, trying to imagine it on a canvas. I continued walking, still looking up and oblivious to the legs propped up in my path.
"Oof!"
I fell with a crash, and the person who I'd tripped over jumped up, muttering apologies. He looked down at me and I saw the curly brown hair and elfish ears of the supersized mcshizzle Leo Valdez looking down at me.
"Oh, hey Perce. Sorry I tripped you mmph!"
I clamped my hand over his mouth, stopping him from saying any more.
"Shut up, Leo! You can't just go blurting my name out whenever you want to!"
"thowwy. Cam woo wet go noow?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry."
I released Leo and sat down next to him on a large root protruding from Thalia's pine. He looked at me with curiosity.
"How've you been, Leo?" I asked, actually wanting to know the answer. I hadn't seen Leo in years.
"Not too great, actually." Leo said, his face falling. "Finding out your extremely long term girlfriend is a secret alien puts a bit of a damper on the relationship."
"Oh. But, why are you so upset about it?" I asked, rather tentatively.
"Perce, she has a different name!" Leo said, sounding half exasperated, half angry. "How would you feel if Annabeth said her name was... Mildred or something, and that she came from a different planet?"
"Pretty miffed, I guess. Wait, what do you mean Annabeth?" I asked in confusion.
"Well, she's you're girlfriend, isn't she?" Leo said, looking confused himself.
"No. Not for a long time. She... she cheated on me." I admitted, my eyes downcast.
"That bitch! I'll punch her face in!" Leo started, jumping up, but I pulled him firmly back into his seat.
"I've forgiven her."
Leo looked at me in shock, staring at where my face was hidden beneath the shadows of my hood.
"Well... well... at least she didn't lie about her entire existence! Jeez, this feels worse than how I felt on the Argo II !
"What? You were upset on the Argo?" I asked, and my confusion mounted to a peak. Leo was always so bouncy and full of life.
"Wait, you never noticed?" Leo questioned me. I shook my head, and he began explaining, addressing his scruffy trainers.
"The Argo was supposed to be my sanctuary. I loved it so much and putting Festus' head on it made it feel like I was bringing him back to life, which I basically was. It was such a personal connection and when you guys all came and we set off to fulfill the prophecy, I was so excited. I thought that I was finally going to be included in something important. But with all of you off being all lovey-dovey with each other, I was left on my own. All I had was my machines. I was the seventh wheel and I felt like I was just being used as a tool to fix the ship and make gadgets for the main stars, you guys.
You all had incredible abilities, nearly all of them were unique. All I could do was control fire, and I secretly hated it because it killed... it killed my mum. I had no-one, so I just sat on my own when you weren't around and whenever someone talked to me I would try to be cheerful and funny so you wouldn't notice. I guess it worked.
And then, every night I had nightmares of my mum, telling me how disappointed she was in me. Telling me she hated me. How she was scared of her own son's power and how I was basically wielding her murderer. And one night, the night before we killed Gaia, she told me to kill myself.
Once Gaia was dead, I realized the nightmares had been caused by her. But I haven't stopped worrying that everything she said was true.
Calypso was my only release. Getting her off Ogygia was something that only I could do for once. I felt needed. And now, I find out that was all a lie. She is a princess of her people, and I'm just a worthless add-on to someone else's life."
I was speechless. I had no idea that Leo had felt this way, locked these feelings away for so long.
"Leo... " I struggled to find words for what I wanted to say, and when I found none, I asked instead, "Why didn't you say anything? Me and the others had no idea!"
"Because you had other things to focus on, I guess."
"But don't you see? This is an even greater reason for you to forgive Calypso. She makes you happy, and if there's once thing you deserve, it's happiness."
But before Leo could reply, a crash echoed through the camp. Campers all around looked up, eyes darting over the surrounding area like anxious meerkats. Everyone had been on edge for a while after the constant attacks.
More crashes. They were coming from the forest, echoing crunches that made it sound like something very, very big was heading towards the camp.
"Campers, to arms!" I shouted as loudly as I could. My cry seemed to awaken those campers left in a daze, and they jumped to attention, running to fetch swords and spears from the armoury and strapping themselves into breastplates and helmets.
My armour bracelet was on my wrist without conscious thought and Leo had lit his hands with fire.
The crashes were growing louder and louder and as we watched, two trees on the edge of the camp were ripped up from the roots to reveal an enormous stag.
This stag was about fifteen feet tall, with huge, curling antlers and strong hooves that stamped the ground. It's eyes were ferocious and wild.
"Artemis!" I heard Lexi yell to Luke and Nico next to her over by the campfire. She sent a panicked look in my direction and for a second, our eyes met. I quickly looked away and focused on the huge, deer shaped problem running towards camp.
I drew riptide and soulcleaver, and the light from the autumn dawn caught on my blades. They shone with reflected light and the stag turned, it's attention caught by the flickering.
It began to run towards me, it's target clearly set. As it grew closer and closer I readied myself for a fight, the first angry bursts of Adrenalin surging through me -
But before I could strike, a huge roar of savage anger made me look round as I blur of red crashed into the stag, sending it flying away from me.
Adalind, by some miracle, had escaped the confines of her room in the cabin. She had grown to the size of a school bus and was attacking the stag with every ounce of strength she had.
"Adalind! No!" I yelled, before saying the same in my head. If she heard me, she didn't respond, instead continuing to battle it out with the stag.
I knew I couldn't intervene. Dragons were very possessive and territorial creatures and once they had selected an enemy, they would accept no help in defeating it, instead choosing to battle it one on one in a huge conflict over personal superiority.
In any case, the two animals were battling so fast there was no way I could get in without the risk of injuring Adalind accidentally and lowering her chances of victory. Plus, I knew she'd be very offended if I did, thinking that I didn't believe she could handle it.
But the stag was winning. No matter how hard Adalind fought, without the element of flight she was greatly weakened. The stag's attacks were making more contact and Adalind was slowly backing down.
With one blow, the Stag's hoof caught Adalind's head. She fell to the ground.
For a second, I blacked out. My knees buckled and I fell to the floor. But as quickly as it had happened, I awoke again, looking around.
Adalind had been knocked out, and so had I. This connection thing was a pain.
But as I looked back over the battle, I saw that Adalind was still motionless on the ground. Why? I had awoken, why hadn't she?
The Stag, obviously thinking it had won, turned to the campers. Leo strode forward, his hands lit with fire, and again the deer's eyes were caught by the glare. It began to charge, getting closer to Leo, who raised his arm above his head -
This time, it was a much smaller person that intervened, that dived in front of Leo to stop the stag claiming his life. A figure who I saw as having auburn hair and brown eyes, but that I knew was just a disguise.
Calypso fell to the ground in front of Leo, her white clothes stained with red.
I couldn't think, or feel, or breathe. Calypso, the immortal, the princess of Ariem, couldn't be...
Will ran over to her, kneeling down next to her. He placed one hand on her neck, the other over her heart.
"She's still alive!" He yelled to the camp at large, and it seemed that everyone let out a breath of relief.
The stag was still coming. The motionless figure of Adalind behind it, however, was not motionless any more. She was rising, standing, her legs strong and her head pointing towards the sky. Then, she began to glow.
"What is she doing!" I yelled over the noise of the Stag, who had turned sharply towards the light and was letting out angry snorting breaths through it's nostrils, scraping the ground with it's foot.
"She's harnessing the perfect fire!" Lexi - who had just appeared beside me - said with a gasp. "I read about it in 'Secrets of the flame'!"
A second later, the light around Adalind was too bright to look at, and I turned away, looking at the camp behind me which was lit with a bright luminescence that was darkened only by the shadows cast by the watching campers.
When the light died, I looked back at Adalind and gasped in delight.
She was flying.
Soaring through the air, her wings fully repaired, she did a loop-the-loop before landing in front of me, giving me a look which plainly said, 'ok, I might need some help after all.'
Grinning, I jumped onto Adalind's back and we took off, flying through the air towards the stag. Jumping to my feet, I ran across Adalind's body, down the end of her tail and launched myself into the air, extending my wings to catch the wind so that I flew towards the stag's head. Drawing my swords , I began to fight.
The battle was brief. Me and Adalind were an unbeatable team and with Adalind's flight the stag didn't stand a chance. With a final blow, I cut off the great beast's head, and it crumbled into sulphurous yellow powder and was scattered to the wind.
Cheers and whoops from behind me indicated that the campers had not failed to keep up with the battle, but I didn't feel like celebrating. Not until I knew Calypso was going to be alright.
I landed hastily, told Adalind where I was going and dashed off to the infirmary, where Will was already tending to Calypso.
Lexi was there, talking to Calypso and clutching her clammy hand. I could see Calypso's glamour slipping, the green skin and red hair of Havannah becoming more and more distinct as her eyes turned a bright orange.
Looking at Lexi and Havannah, it was like looking at sisters. And yet, Lexi had a unique kind of glowing beauty that Havannah didn't...
Wait, stop! Why was I thinking about that?
I shook my head in an attempt to clear it and sat down next to Lexi, gazing at Havannah's face.
"Hi, Percy." She said, her voice raspy and weak. "I'm sorry I never told you about being Arishe."
"It's alright." I answered with a sad smile.
Just then, Leo came bursting through the doors. He stared around and stopped dead at the sight of Calypso now in her real form.
"We'll leave you two alone." Lexi said, standing up and exiting the room, wiping her eyes. I was about to follow when Havannah weakly gripped my wrist.
"Hey, make it up with her. I hope you know how much she loves you." she said, smiling.
She released my wrist and I walked slowly out of the room, leaving Leo and Calypso alone.
****
After about twenty minutes of awkwardly standing with Lexi under a tree and not saying anything, there was a sudden cry of grief from the infirmary. Spinning around, I saw Leo run out of the doors, crying into his hand as he sprinted away.
We ran into the room and saw Calypso, ashen grey and unmoving, on the bed. Will looked up, and seeing our expression, shook his head.
Lexi buried her face in her hands, sobbing quietly. I just stared, not knowing how to react to the feeling of loss that was now too horribly familiar.
As I watched, I saw something extra-ordinary start to happen. Calypso's body lit with a soft golden glow.
I nudged Lexi and pointed at the body. "What's happening?"
"What happens whenever an Arishe dies. She's giving her life force to the person she has chosen."
The glow became stronger, and her body slowly changed into soft glowing balls of light that moved around the room.
"Now they're going to find the person Havannah has chosen." Lexi muttered sadly next to me.
But then, Lexi gasped. The balls of light were heading straight for her.
"No no no no no no..." she muttered and ran away from the light, out of the infirmary and towards the wood. But before she could get there, the lights hit her back and she was enveloped in what looked like a golden bubble, rising off the ground and spinning slowly, her hair whipping around her in an invisible current.
The bubble began to shrink, getting smaller and smaller until Lexi's head and feet were out of it. It continued shrinking until it disappeared into Lexi's chest.
She starting falling towards the ground but I darted forward and caught her. Her eyes flickered open and she jumped away from me.
"Oh no!" She said, burying her face in her hands.
"What's wrong?" I asked swiftly, wondering if Lexi had been hurt.
"She chose me, Perce. She chose me."
"Why is that bad?"
"Because she's a princess, Percy! The life force of a princess is so precious, and she chose me! I'm not worthy enough!"
"Are you serious?" I asked in disbelief. "You're a princess, Lex! No-one's more worthy than you."
She looked at me in surprise. "What are you saying?"
Without thinking, without even considering any reason, I pulled Lexi towards me and kissed her.
She kissed me back, and we stood there for what could of been days, or weeks, or years. It was breathtaking, like everything I'd ever wanted had just been given to me on a silver plate. I wrapped my wings around us as she put her arms around my neck. I could've stayed there forever, but -
"Ahem Ahem."
We broke apart. Nico and Luke were standing there, grinning their heads off.
"Are you two going to keep sucking faces all day or is Nico going to reveal his identity?
*
Hi peoples!
LERCY IS CANOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!
I was going to do it way way later but on the spur of the moment I was like poop, who cares!
F*CK THE PLAN!
That felt awesome.
A tiny tiny cliffhanger there, what will the reaction be to Nico's identity?
Calypso gave her life force to Lexi!
I'M SO EXCITED! Thank you as always for reading and staying with this book!!
Cheers,
Catgirl xxx
ps: This is the longest update I have ever written, I hope you guys are satisfied :)