I started feeling different....somehow. I'm not really sure how to explain it.
My head started to clear. And my body started to feel lighter.
Don't fight me boy!
I cringed in pain as Voids voice filled my head. Making my entire body pulse and feel like my good had turned to cement.
You are mine! Don't forget that!
Sweat started to form on the back of my neck.
"I know," I finally managed.
Good boy.
My body started the pulse even harder.
I won't punish you to much this time but I won't always be so generous if this happens again.
The feeling slowly went away and my body became light again.
This wasn't my doing. I didn't know if I could let alone how to fight Void. Even if I wanted to.
The door opened.
At the moment I was being held in the basement of the Big House. I was tied to a pole, with my hands behind my back.
I looked up as Thalia made her way over to me.
She sat down and just looked at me.
I didn't say anything to her. The game was up so there was no reason to fake anything anymore.
"Why won't you look at me?"
I hadn't noticed but I was looking at everything except her eyes.
"I don't know what you mean."
She grabbed my shirt and pulled me towards her.
"I want to know right now."
I swear her fingers sparked and her eyes thundered.
I was speechless in the face of her anger.
"What - who are you? What is going on here? And what do you have to do with Percy's disappearance?"
I finally looked away.
"Even if I told you I wouldn't know where to start."
"Then-"
"Plus you wouldn't believe me."
She shoved me back and stood over me.
"I've lost a brother and found him years later traveling with a hot daughter of Aphrodite chick and a nut who can shoot fire out of his hands. I died, became a tree, and came back to life thanks to some magical goat skin. My best friend and her boyfriend fell into Tartarus survived and got out just in time to help save the world."
She leaned down and got so close to my face that our noses were centimeters from touching.
"So try me and I'll tell you if I believe it or not."
My mind had frozen at Tartarus. Her best friend was obviously Annabeth, and everyone knew Percy was her boyfriend.
"Wait I've never heard of this. When did Percy and Annabeth fall into Tartarus?"
Obviously they got out, but that still worried me.
Thalia was shocked she back away her eyes wide. She sat down and proceeded to glare at me.
"That's not something I thought concerned you."
I suddenly realized what I had said. I bit my lip.
"It's just- I owe them both a lot. This camp is proof enough."
"Why is that?"
I was scared to go any farther. What would happen if they found out who I really was.
"Okay a story for a story. I'll tell you about Tartarus, though I don't think I'm the right person to be asking, and you tell me about the night Percy disappeared."
I looked up at her.
"You know about the Conversion Quest right?"
I nodded. The Conversion Quest is the name given to the quest taken up by The Seven of Greek and Roman. That name was normally shortened to The Seven.
"While in Rome Annabeth set out on a side quest given by her mother. She was following the Mark of Athena. After a lot of fighting and basic chaos Annabeth was pulled into Tartarus by Arachnid. Percy being the idiot that he is refused to let go of her hand, so he fell with her. Neither of them have really talked about what happened down there but Nico, who got lost in Tartarus long before them did say that they were both lucky to come back even a little sane."
That didn't make me feel all that better. I started thinking about what Percy probably went through with Void. That made me feel even worse.
"So I know that wasn't the best explanation but can you at least give me some insight into what is going on."
I looked up at her pleading voice. Those furious eyes looked ready to shatter.
"I wasn't the one to kill Percy," I decided to start there.
"Then who did?"
I looked aw ay from her.
"At least I was the one that held the weapon."
She looked at me closer.
"I look really different from then."
"What's?"
"By the gods I'm doing a wack job of explaining this."
I gritted my teeth.
"Okay, so you came back alive right? You did die right?"
Thalia bit her lip.
"I was on the very verge of death when my father turned me into a tree."
I smiled sadly.
"I wish I was so lucky."
She eyed me. Then her eyes went wide.
"Don't tell me! You died at some point!"
I nodded.
"I died during the battle of Manhattan."
She looked horrified.
I shook my head.
"Don't give me that look. I wasn't on your side until the very end. I was -"
She put her hand on my shoulder.
"It doesn't matter whose side you were on. Have you ever been shown the bead from that year?"
I shook my head.
Thalia reached in her shirt.
"The hunters who fought also got that bead. We couldn't get everyone, but every demigod that died in that battle got their name edged into the bead."
She showed me the bead. The names wrapped around the Empire State Building were far to many.
"Didn't I tell you I wasn't on your side."
"Didn't I tell you. Every demigod who died, at least everyone we could identify was named."
My eyes widened.
I looked closer at the bead. I saw names I recognized and names I didn't. Then I saw my name. Up towards the top of the point.
I looked away.
"Sorry my names not on there. Though I see a few of my comrades from the time."
"You lied."
She chuckled.
She put the bead away.
"So how did you end up like this?"
She gave me a small barely forced smile. The closed thing I'd gotten to a genuine smile in the last two years.
My face started to heat up and my vision became blurry. I gasped as I realized.
I shut my eyes and tried to force back the tears.
"I never thought I'd see Nicolas cry."
"I'm not crying!"
"That's Nicolas speaking," Thalia was getting angry again.
"What are you talking about I am Nicolas."
"No your not, there's no Nicolas on my bead."
"I told you my name's not on that bead."
"And there you go lying again."
I finally opened my eyes. A tear finally able to escape.
"Now I want the truth. Who are you?"