CHAPTER SUMMARY
Hermione's suspicious of Cho. Nico, Lou Ellen, and Thalia search for the Artifacts of Thanatos. Percy, Will, Blaise, and Hestia are captured by Persephone.
BEGINNING NOTES
Chapter Rating: General Audiences
Content Warning: Cursing, Graphic Depictions of Violence
Word Count: 4364
And all the characters are owned by J.K. Rowling, or Rick Riordan.
Credits at the end.
____________________NICO____________________
The Lotus terrified Nico.
There were moments when he felt blissful, at peace. He knew it was the Lotus's doing, but he couldn't help it. This was a part of his past, one of the few good parts of his past. That was the thing about addictions. No matter how bad the consequences, a part of you always remembers the high fondly. He should know--his self-harm wasn't all that different than turning to drugs or drink. Same dependence, and almost impossible to stop.
But when those good moments passed, fear settled in again. What if Hestia's blessing didn't work, and he walked outside to find the world in ruins, and another seventy years had gone by? What if he lost his parents again, his sister again, his brother? Or, what if he gave into the hotel and stayed forever? He'd never make Alabaster's death mean something, nor tell his father how sorry he was. He'd never see Will or any of his friends ever again, but he wouldn't even care.
He stood in that elevator where "Andrew Devin" wished him farewell, and rode to the fiftieth floor. Lou and Thalia followed him to room 5020. Nico rested his hand on the doorknob, filled with trepidation.
You can do this.
He took a deep breath and opened the door.
The room was the size of his villa's library back home. It had two king-sized beds separated by a nightstand still piled high with Nico's comic books. A large door to Nico's left led to his/her bathrooms and closets. To his right was a plasma TV filled with console video games, a lounge area, and a fridge and pantry filled with snacks. Another door led to the balcony and hot tub.
Just for a second, when Nico's eyes grazed the bookshelf filled to the brim with Bianca's mystery novels, he saw his sister in a 1940's dress thumbing through the Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes. Bianca looked up at him and laughed; the pleasant noise echoed through the room.
Nico closed his eyes tight and rubbed his temples. When he opened his eyes, his sister was gone.
Nico dashed into the closet before Lou or Thalia could ask any questions. His shoulder wound was too healed to reopen without his sword (which he'd accidentally left in the main room), so Nico dug his nails into his arm as he cried. He didn't bleed, but he did bruise, which was enough to dull the pain. Guilt washed over him. That was the third time he'd given in after months without cutting. What was happening to him?
He threw on a new black shirt and black jeans, put his aviator's jacket and sword belt back on, and rejoined Lou and Thalia. "Let's go," he said, more confident than he felt.
Nico made sure to grab his sword on his way out.
"Where are we going?" Thalia asked as Nico led them down the hallway.
"Basement," Nico said, "we weren't allowed down there, which means that's probably the Lotus Eaters' base of operations. If I were Persephone, I'd put it in the heart of the hotel with those monsters to protect it."
"That's going to be dangerous," Lou warned.
"When is anything not dangerous for us?" Thalia asked.
Nico led them to an old, rickety staircase marked "Do Not Enter." Thalia picked the lock easily, and the door swung open. "Are you ready to climb down fifty flights of stairs?" Nico asked them.
"Fuck my life," Thalia groaned.
Twenty minutes later, they reached the door marked "basement." Thalia reached to pick the lock again, but, when her fingers touched the doorknob, she spasmed like she'd been electrocuted and crumbled to the ground, a grin on her face.
Lou gasped. "Thalia?!"
Nico cursed. "It's no use. I should've realized they'd protect it."
Lou examined her body. "She's still alive, just comatose."
Nico breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't ready to lose another friend. "Stay with her. I'll go in."
Lou shook her head. "No way. It's too dangerous."
"We can't lose another child of Hecate," Nico snapped. "The Artifacts are right through that door, I can feel it. And how long do we have before Athena and Mars pick a side? I know you were talking to Rachel."
"Hours," Lou whispered. "Bellona already chose Hecate. Athena's best friend Nike chose Hades."
"Exactly," Nico said. "We need you, you're the only one who can tell us what's going on on Olympus. I can do this."
Lou grabbed him and wrapped him in a hug. "You'll have to kill all the Lotus Eaters. It'll destroy the spell and save Thalia and everyone else trapped in the hotel."
"Okay." Nico pulled away and faced the doorknob. His shadow grabbed the shadow of the doorknob and twisted it, and the door swung open. "Wish me luck."
The basement was made of white walls and white tile, like a science laboratory in a community college. Hot, muggy, pink fog floated around the room, making Nico's eyes heavy. Without Hestia's blessing, he'd be on the ground like Thalia, never to wake again.
Even with the fog, his senses were on overdrive. The Artifacts were so close. If only he could--
"What do we have here? " a voice whispered in his mind. "An intruder? "
"Show yourself!"
The voice laughed. "As you wish, Nico di Angelo." A silhouette in a gas mask appeared before him. Nico drew his sword. He stepped towards the silhouette, ready to strike when the pink fog forced its way up his nose. Nico coughed, trying to get whatever it was out of his lungs, but it was no use. His head shot up like Thalia's, and he felt his eyes roll into the back of his head.
____________________RON____________________
Malfoy ushered the rest of them away from the Bloody Baron in silence. "What now?" Malfoy asked her.
"We go to Loch Arthur," Annabeth replied. "You've been a huge help, Draco, thank you."
Malfoy looked at the ground. "Will-- will that count for something? That I'm helping, will, erm, will my parents be... I dunno, safe?"
Annabeth touched his arm in a comforting sort of way. "Malfoy, it takes a lot to get thrown in the Fields of Punishment. They paid for their crimes already; the only one who's going to suffer eternally is Riddle himself." Malfoy didn't seem to believe her. "I'll tell you what--when our quest is over, I'll ask Hazel to find out, as a thank you for helping us."
"Everything's fallen to shit outside of Hogwarts. I'll help when I can."
That's when they heard footsteps approaching.
"The other Slytherins can't know I brought outsiders in here," Malfoy said quickly. "This way!" The four of them ran through the corridor until they reached a statue of a dragon on a stone pedestal. "Verbum secretum," Malfoy whispered. The dragon and pedestal sunk into the ground, revealing a tunnel half-filled with water. "You'll have to swim," he told them. "Don't worry, there's air all the way. But it's pitch black, and there are rocks all around. Be careful."
"We will," Hermione promised.
Malfoy glanced behind him. The footsteps were getting closer. "Ron, send an owl to McGonagall, tell him to get the refugees to Hogwarts. McGonagall won't turn them away. I'll organize everything myself if I have to."
"Malfoy--" Ron began, but he didn't let him finish.
"Half the country is fighting in Percy Weasley's name. If his brother tells them to come here, they'll come. Please, Weasley--I don't want anyone else's parents to die."
Ron was torn. How could they organize such a thing when two-thirds of the Wizarding World was in chaos, without radio, without newspapers. They all had their hands full keeping Hades and Hecate's forces at bay, how could they organize a country-wide refugee camp on top of it all? Would such a thing matter if Hades finally broke their defenses and slaughtered every last witch and wizard?
"We'll tell them," Cho declared before Ron could open his mouth. She sounded like a whole different person than a few minutes ago when she was frozen at the sight of the Bloody Baron.
"Go!" Malfoy urged. Annabeth dove into the freezing water; the rest of them were close behind. The dragon rose once again, blocking out all light. It was pitch black; Hermione couldn't see her hand in front of her face.
"Lumos," Hermione, Ron, and Cho cast in unison.
They made their way through the meandering tunnel. When Ron's lips were blue with cold and lungs hurt from gasping the dusty, freezing air, beams of light shone through a crack in the rocks. Annabeth grabbed either side and pulled herself through the small hole as though she was doing a chin-up. With her help (the rest of them didn't have the upper body strength of a trained demigod) they found themselves standing in the backyard of the Shrieking Shack.
"Bloody hell," Ron heaved between chattering teeth.
"Dry us with magic, then we'll go inside, make a fire and decide what to do next," Annabeth told them. She didn't seem bothered at all by the cold. Ron guessed Camp Half-Blood had trained her for severe weather conditions like this.
It didn't take long to find firewood. With so many buildings in ruins, wooden planks were a dime a dozen. The Shrieking Shack didn't have a fireplace, so they made a campfire in the center of the room. Annabeth passed around some snacks, and, soon, Ron's strength returned.
"I don't suppose you could apparate us to Loch Arthur?" Hermione asked Cho.
She shook her head. "I've never been there before. You have to visualize the place you're going to to apparate. I don't know what it looks like."
"We'll have to walk, then," Hermione said miserably.
Annabeth shook her head. "Not in this weather. Walking so many miles in the freezing December cold isn't a good idea."
"Then what?" Ron asked.
No one, not even Annabeth, had any idea what to do.
Ron woke to Hermione standing over him. "We need to talk," she whispered. "Annabeth's waiting outside. Come on."
She looked so serious that Ron didn't dare argue. The two of them silently made their way outside.
"Well?" Annabeth asked Hermione.
"I don't trust Cho," Hermione said. "Something's not right with her. She knows too much about the gods to've learned about them this morning at King's Cross. And I know she's hiding something."
Annabeth pursed her lips. "I think you're right, Hermione. But there's nothing we can do; the prophecy is clear--she's the final member of our quest. We all have to keep an eye on her, and make sure that whatever it is, it doesn't interfere with the quest. Once all this is over, I can get whatever it is out of her. We were good friends when I went to Hogwarts. She'll listen to me."
"Let's all try to get some sleep," Ron said. "If we're all exhausted tomorrow, Cho will know something's up."
No one seemed to like that plan, but Annabeth was right. The Fates said Cho would replace Percy, and no one could go against the Fates.
____________________NICO____________________
"Fuck finals, fuck finals, fuck them, fuck them, fuck them," Nico muttered under his breath as he poured milk into some cornflakes. "Fuck snow, fuck finals, fuck everything."
Of course a blizzard had to hit New York the final day before winter break, rendering schools closed and bumping his English Composition final to January 3rd. Instead of catching up with Percy, Will, Alabaster, Annabeth, and everyone else coming over for the holidays, he'd be in his room. Having a school-induced breakdown.
"Did your cereal try to attack you?" Dad asked, chuckling as he watched Nico stab his breakfast with a tablespoon.
"Snow day today. I'm gonna spend the whole break studying for English Comp--and by studying I mean throwing my notes at the wall and debating if a withdrawal-fail is better than an F."
Dad chuckled again and ruffled Nico's hair as he crossed to the coffee pot and poured two cups. "Your mom and I can help you, you know." He mixed some milk and sugar in one and passed it to Nico. "She just so happens to be a writer. And, I was a pretty good English teacher way back when."
Dad sat opposite Nico at the table and took a long slurp, eyeing Nico with a humorous glint.
Nico rolled his eyes. "It's not something I can really study for," Nico explained, "It's just reading some passage Miss Borieo digs up and writing about the 'rhetorical devices' in it. Even if I manage to memorize all the different types... you know I won't be able to write a decent essay in ninety minutes! I just wanted to get this over with and get ready for the party tonight. Is that too much to ask?!"
"Here--" Dad checked his watch. "Percy should be home from Camp Half-blood with your friends around three, give or take traffic, and the California and England flights should be in by one unless something got delayed. So... I'd bank on four o'clock as the final deadline for the party. It's almost ten. Make sure you're dressed in a half-hour, okay? I'll help you with the final."
"It's no use, I'm gonna fail."
"Humor me, then."
Nico let out a long, fake, sarcastic sigh. "Fiiiiiine. Ten-thirty it is."
Nico finished the last of his cornflakes as Dad read the newspaper. Something was bugging him. Something wasn't right.
He squinted at the newspaper. Dad lowered it and looked over the top with confusion. "Is something wrong, Nico?"
"December 18th," Nico whispered. Something was bugging him... what was it?
"Nico?" Nico turned. Bianca was there, wrapped in a towel. "I'm out of the shower. You can go in now."
Nico snorted. "You've been in there almost two hours. And you're not even dressed."
"Dad!" Bianca cried indignantly.
"I'm sorry, Bianca, but it's true," Dad commented, his eyes back on his paper. "Nico, get dressed and gather your things. Ten-thirty, remember?"
Nico shoulder-checked Bianca on his way into his room. When he got there, his computer lit up.
FaceTime Call: Matt O'Harris
"Shit," Nico said. He completely forgot about their weekly catch-up. He quickly pressed the green button, and Matt's face lit up the screen. "Can't talk long, Matt. Also I'm going off-screen to change." Nico took off his pajama shirt. "What's up?"
"School's out. Which is good, 'cause tomorrow I go home, and I'm not even packed."
Nico snorted. "You really leave everything to the last minute, don't you?"
"Oh, like you can talk."
Nico laughed. But, again, something felt off. He looked down and saw an ornate necklace that had been hiding under his shirt. Where had...
"To remind you and protect you, brother."
Macaria.
"Matt..." he realized. "Matt, I don't know you."
"What are you talking about, Nico?" Matt asked. "We've been best friends since we were ten-years-old. You roomed with me at Westover Hall. Of course we know each other."
"No..." Nico whispered. "This isn't right. I haven't talked to you in years. And it's already past Christmas. And Bianca... Bianca died a long time ago. This isn't real." Nico looked around him at his and Percy's bedroom. "This isn't real. Zeus destroyed the apartment. This isn't real."
Someone threw the door open. Paul stood there, his eyes a vibrant pink. Beside him stood Bianca with the same pink eyes. " Get him! " Paul hissed with a voice that wasn't his own.
Nico grabbed his computer and threw it at the window. The window shattered, and he jumped onto the fire escape. The stairs were too slow, so he grabbed onto the railing and slid down the banister. Paul and Bianca thundered down the steps behind him, hissing "Get him! Get him!"
Nico jumped the rest of the way onto the asphalt and ducked into the nearest alleyway.
How do I get out of here?
Percy appeared at the end of the alleyway, his eyes just as vibrant pink. " Go home, my brother, " he hissed.
Nico drew his sword, but he was close to tears. "Don't make me fight you."
Percy drew Riptide. With a scream, he charged at Nico. Nico tried to dodge, but Percy was too fast. He slashed Nico's stomach, not deep enough to kill, but enough for a mixture of pleasure and pain to distract him. Percy thrust again and skewered Nico straight through the heart. Nico coughed up blood as darkness began to close in...
Lou Ellen appeared in the alleyway. She threw something through the air. Percy tried to grab it, but it was too high. With his dying breath, Nico caught it.
The Staff of Thanatos, with the Orb fastened right on top.
His wound closed immediately. He stood, back in the basement of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. "And now, you die!" Nico shouted. He raised the Staff in the air. Shadows melted from the walls and grabbed every silhouette in the distance. A thousand voices screamed in unison. There was a crash, and sirens began to blare. Water from the fire sprinkler system went off, dousing the room. The pink fog cleared. The white hallway was barren.
Nico laughed in relief. But his laugh turned into a gasp. Suddenly, he couldn't breathe. Instead of ringing in his ears, he heard the sound of the River Lethe; inaudible whispers from his past grew louder and louder until it was overpowering. He dropped the Staff and fell to the ground. "Nico!" Lou screamed.
Rachel's head snapped up. He looked at her with crazed eyes, unfocused, like she was staring through a kaleidoscope. Nico had to hold himself back from throwing up for the second time that day.
Rachel shouldn't look like that. She shouldn't look like May Castellan.
"The river consumes you!"
"Rachel, snap out of it!" Nico shouted. He tried to pull her away from him, but she wouldn't budge.
"Beware the river! Beware!"
"I never told you Elladora's warning," Alabaster said, his eyes on the advancing army. "I thought it was impossible, but now that you're going to the Lotus... she said, 'The Lethe consumes him.' "
With his last ounce of energy, Nico tried to fight the pull of the river's whispers. But they grew louder and louder until they were overpowering. Memories leaked from his mind like sand in a sieve. Then, it all went silent. Nico felt himself sink into the Earth, guided by a force too powerful to resist.
____________________PERCY____________________
They couldn't fight off the second wave of monsters. Not without Alabaster, Nico, Thalia, and Lou Ellen to help them. No matter how many monsters Percy turned to dust, it wasn't enough.
The Furies held Percy, Will, Blaise, and Hestia down. They struggled, but it was no use. The Furies were too strong.
Persephone smiled as she inspected her new prisoners. "A child of Apollo?" She lightly touched Will's cheek. "Apollo will pledge himself to us tonight; we don't want to turn him away. This one will be our guest. The rest we will present to Hades as prisoners."
Persephone melted into the ground. The rest of them flew back to Hades' Palace in the Furies' talons.
When they landed in front of the palace, Alecto squawked "Walk," and the Furies dragged them into the palace. They walked down a familiar hallway.
We're going to the throne room.
Of all the things Percy expected to find when he landed reached the throne room, this wasn't one of them.
The first thing he heard was Persephone's scream. "Please, my lord, forgive me!"
She looked nothing like she had only a moment ago. She was on her hands and knees in front of Hades, tears streaming down her face. They were both normal sized, but that didn't do much to ease Percy's nerves.
"You went behind my back!" Hades screamed. "Look at the mess you've caused! If you had given me the Artifacts when I asked for them--"
"Forgive me!" Persephone screamed. "If I had known--"
Hades screamed. The room shook so violently Percy knew skyscrapers would fall in Los Angeles above them. Persephone went silent.
That's when Nico melted from the shadows.
Nico crumpled when he hit the ground. Hades' eyes darkened. "Who let this traitor in my court?!" Hades shouted, furious. He turned away from Persephone. He summoned his staff and screamed again, purple fire burning in his eyes. "Is this your rescue attempt, traitor? Arrogant hero. I swore if I ever saw you again—"
"Nico! No!" Percy screamed. His little brother was about to die, and there was nothing he could do about it... he would be forced to watch Hades kill his own son...
"Papà..." Nico whispered. His voice was so small it was almost inaudible. His Italian accent was even stronger than it had been when he came out of the River Mnemosyne. He looked up at Hades with an infant's eyes. He ran into Hades' chest, wrapping his arms around him like a small child.
The anger melted off of Hades face. "Nico...?" The moment his eyes met Nico's, his body seized up. He flinched and grabbed his son desperately, terrified.
"Tell me what to do, " Hades asked him desperately in Ancient Greek. "What do you need, Nico?" Nico said nothing. Hades shook him. "Nico, Nico! What do you need? Tell me!" Hades put his hand to Nico's cheek. "It isn't time for you to grow up yet, Nico. Tell me what you need, and I'll give it to you."
"I'm hot, Papà..." Nico whimpered.
"I'll open a window."
"I'm tired, Papà."
"Then I'll take you home." Nico started to collapse. Hades shook him again, crying out, "I'll take you home! To Mamma and Bianca. Would you like that, Nico?"
"I want Papà."
"I'm here, Nico."
"I want Papà."
"I'm right here."
Nico looked up at him, smiling. "I'm home."
Nico collapsed in Hades' arms. "No! NO!" Hades screamed. He put both hands on either side of Nico's face and stared into his eyes. He murmured in a language so ancient it wouldn't translate in Percy's mind. He didn't blink, he didn't move.
"My lord?" Persephone asked quietly. Hades clenched his teeth as he continued to chant. Persephone stood, alarmed. "Hades!" She cried, shocked. He continued to chant. "Hades! Please! No!" The room got uncomfortably warm. Hades began to shake, but he kept going, kept chanting.
But it couldn't go on forever. Hades gasped and blinked; all the color drained from Nico's skin. "Nico!" Percy screamed, fighting against Alecto's talons. He had to get to his brother... he couldn't be dead, he couldn't be dead!
"That was my son." Hades stared blankly at the boy in his arms. "That was my son. How was that my son?" His head snapped up. He glared at Alecto, the purple fire in his eyes at full force again. "You disobeyed my orders!" he screamed. "I told you to bathe him in the Lethe!"
"I did, my lord!" Alecto squacked. It was the first time Percy ever heard her afraid.
"That was my son!" Hades shouted again.
"I swear, my lord, I did as you asked! On the Styx, I swear!"
Hades screamed. He pointed his staff at the Furies, and the three of them burst into dust. Before Percy could run to Nico, thick vines wrapped around him, Will, Blaise, and Hestia, and pulled them to the ground.
"I tried to warn you, Father," came a timid voice. Macaria walked into the throne room. She gingerly reached under Nico's shirt and revealed the necklace she'd given him. "I marked him. Mother should've seen this when he visited her."
"He hid it from me," Persephone whispered. But it didn't matter, Hades didn't have attention for anything but his son.
Percy remembered Bob--Iapetus, a Titan who's memories and personality was washed away in the River Lethe. How had Percy never seen this before? How did Nico remember his past so well? How could he even remember his name if he was bathed in the Lethe?
"It didn't work," Will said. "He knew who he was, and his past, he knew Italian. He thought it was because he was a child of the Underworld, that the Lethe didn't work on him completely."
"No child of the Underworld has ever been bathed in the river alive," Persephone told them. "Its waters are powerful. If it could not take his mind..." she couldn't finish her sentence. Her voice faded to a horrified whisper "His soul was fighting, and I trapped in the River of Memory..."
"Bring him back," Percy begged Macaria. "You're the goddess of fading, you have to bring him back."
She shook her head. "The waters of the Lethe have consumed him. I cannot stop it."
"This is my fault," Hades realized. "I took the ichor from his blood. His demigod status kept the Lethe at bay. I made him human. I as good as reaped his soul." Hades lifted his son in his arms. "Let them go, Persephone."
"My lord--"
"Let them go!" The vines rescinded. Hades met Percy's eye. "The Lethe will consume him. He has hours at the most. He will fade, wiped from the Earth. His soul won't reach the Underworld or be reborn. Find a way to save him. Fail, and you will never see the sun again."
Percy didn't have it in himself to be angry. He walked up to Nico and took his hand. "I'll come back for you. I promise."
Undead warriors forced the three of them out of the room. "We'll save him," Hestia assured them.
"I'm not so sure," Will whispered. "Remember the prophecy: 'A parent's mistake leads to a deadly fight.' Tears fell from Will's eyes. "Nico's as good as dead."
END NOTES
Body Count: 7
This week's beta commentary:
STORY: Athena's best friend Nike
OLY: currently dying at the idea that the gods have friends XD but nike is a great choice
LISSY: This is actually from a really terrible play based on the Perseus myth I did at a community theatre when I was in middle school. Athena, Nike (the spirit of VICTORY!!!!!) and a "wise-cracking Hermes" (aka teenage angst Hermes) were following Perseus around.
Credits:
Melody Rose - Author (melody0rose.tumblr.com)
Oli - Beta Reader (http://paradoxicalpsychic.tumblr.com)
Please comment so I know what you think! See you tomorrow!