CHAPTER SUMMARY
Percy, Will, Blaise, and Hestia make their attempt to save Nico.
BEGINNING NOTES
Chapter Rating: General Audiences
Content Warning: None
Word Count: 3321
This is (probably) the last one for today.
And all the characters are owned by J.K. Rowling, or Rick Riordan.
Credits at the end.
____________________PERCY____________________
The moment Percy woke from his dream, he woke Will, Blaise, and Hestia. It was too important to leave for the morning, especially now that sundown would bring the trial. Percy knew that whatever ending would come, it would come today. And they needed Nico to stop the mayhem.
"We'll have to go to Thanatos and get the Artifacts," Will decided. It was the first time he'd spoken since Nico died.
"But Hecate said he'd be power-hungry," Blaise reminded them. "And remember what Persephone told Nico. They're addicting. He might not want to give them up, and with the Artifacts, he'd be unstoppable."
"We need to find someone who can wield the Artifacts the way Nico could, otherwise we don't stand a chance against Thanatos," Hestia agreed. "Macaria, maybe?"
"No way we're going back to the Palace with Hades on the warpath," Will said. "And she's so weak anyway; wielding such a powerful godly weapon could make her fade completely."
"Could we contact Rachel?" Blaise asked. "There might be another prophecy."
Another prophecy...
And that's when Percy realized what they had to do.
"Guys, there is another prophecy. When Nico met Hades last year, when he started the quest, Hades said he wouldn't wait two more years for Harry Potter to kill Riddle. And who else would be willing to help us? It has to be him."
No one wanted to work with Harry again after what he'd done to Nico, Percy most of all. But there was a silent understanding: Harry might be their only hope. One by one, everyone nodded in agreement. And the somber atmosphere got a little less heavy. They had a plan now.
"How do we find him?" Will asked.
Percy swallowed hard, nearly flinching at an old, painful memory. "How much food do we have left?"
At Percy's instruction, the four of them dug a twenty-foot pit in the middle of their campsite. They poured orange juice, cookies, granola bars, sandwiches, anything they had left into the pit. Then, Percy began to chant what he remembered in Ancient Greek, only replacing Bianca's name with Harry's. He may have been fourteen when Nico did this the first time, but the memory was scarred into his brain.
It felt just as unnatural the second time as it had the first.
Sulfurous mist seeped out of the ground. Black shadows appeared around the edge of the pit; spirits unable to eat or drink from the pit. But, then, a spirit with an electric green hue, the color of Hecate, knelt before them to drink. After a few moments, he rose.
Harry Potter.
Percy stopped chanting, and the mist and black shadows faded. "Harry," Percy said stiffly. He was still beyond furious at the follower of Hecate for what he did to Nico. He just couldn't help it.
"Jackson," Harry said. "What are you doing here?"
Hestia stepped forward. "The war among the gods that we tried to stop, it's-- it's happening now. We came to the Underworld to find the Artifacts of Thanatos again. It's the only way to make the gods listen to us and stop before they destroy the world."
Harry went pale. In his ghostly form, it made him look almost as see-through as Macaria. "Where's Nico?"
"Dead," Will said. "No, worse than dead. His soul is fading. Unless we can save him, he won't come to the Underworld, he won't be reborn, he'll just... vanish."
"That's why we summoned you," Blaise concluded. "We think you were destined to unite the Artifacts if Nico hadn't. Which means you'd be able to wield them like Nico could. We know where they are, but won't be able to get them without your help."
Harry swallowed hard. "I-- I don't know. I'm only a wizard, a dead wizard. What if using them in their real form fades me ?"
Percy grit his teeth. "After what you did to Nico, you owe him this."
"I died for him!" Harry shouted. "Isn't that enough?"
"Oh, boo-hoo, you're spending eternity in Elysium with your parents," Percy retorted. "Hades wanted to throw you in Punishment. Nico was the one who intervened. He practically strong-armed Hazel into arguing on your behalf, even after everything you did to him! Without Nico, we've got no chance in stopping this war. Your world is in anarchy right now. The gods are ready to start armageddon. If you really want to make up for the mistakes you made, you'll do this. Now."
Harry looked like he wanted to curse Percy. But, slowly, that anger faded into guilt. "Sirius told me I should do something to fix my mistakes," Harry said. "I thought dying was enough, but... but maybe this is why I died. You said there are Fates, right? Well, maybe this is fate." Harry glided forward. "Promise me one thing, Jackson."
"Name it."
"You'll tell Sirius, Ron, Hermione, and Cho that I'm sorry I never got to say goodbye."
Percy nodded. "Deal."
Now that Harry was dead, he could navigate the Underworld pretty well. Not Nico well, but good enough that he was able to lead them to Thanatos. They ended up where it all began, between the Doors of Orpheus and the River Styx, staring at an office building made entirely of black mist. Familiar sulfurous gas surrounded the building. Hooded grim reapers flowed in and out of the door constantly, disappearing the moment they stepped outside.
"Thanatos," Percy said. He forced his voice not to tremble, and said what he thought Nico would've said. "I saved you from Gaea's chains. You owe me. I'm collecting on that debt. Speak to me, now."
Another hooded figure stepped out of the door, but this one looked a little more solid and a little taller than the others. He lowered his hood, and there was Thanatos, exactly as beautiful as Percy remembered. Will gasped. Blaise and Hestia started to shake.
"Yes," Thanatos said to the followers of Hecate. "It is hard for a mortal to see a god for the first time. Be thankful you do not stand in the presence of a greater god, or you would be in far worse pain. Ask your friend Cho Chang."
"Cho?" Harry asked. "She's-- she can't be--"
"Dead?" Thanatos asked. "Today, no. But not to long ago, yes. She served my Lord Hades for a time, though I believe she's broken her oath. Fortunately for her, Lord Hades no longer cares. She's served her purpose. With Athena on his side, he will recover the Philosopher's Stone from her as soon as the trial commences. Or so he thinks."
Harry, Blaise, and Hestia looked terribly shocked. But Percy didn't have time to think about what Cho had done. "If you know that, you know that Nico's dead," Percy said.
"Yes," Thanatos agreed, "I do indeed. Quite a blow. I remember him as a child, before the Second Titan War. I'm afraid to say that I grew fond of the boy. So much pain. So much death."
"Then you'll help us save him?" Will asked hopefully. "We need your Artifacts to save his soul before it fades completely."
Thanatos's eyes darkened. "My Artifacts, you say? After all the trouble they have caused, why would I bring them back into this world?"
"Aren't you afraid they'll corrupt you again?" Percy asked. "They won't be nearly as powerful in Harry's or Nico's hands. We can keep them at Camp Half-Blood, away from anyone who can use them. Safe."
"I... have put measures in place."
"Have you?" came a melodic voice from behind them. Everyone turned. Percy's eyes widened in shock. There stood none other than Persephone, with Nico lying limp in her arms. "Oh, Thanatos, do you never learn?"
Thanatos knelt. "My Queen."
Persephone rolled her eyes. "Give them the Artifacts. Tomorrow the Underworld goes to war, and the last thing I need is a grievous Hades so close to such a horrible, powerful weapon."
"You're... helping us?" Percy asked, shocked beyond measure. "I thought you hated Nico. I thought you wanted this to happen!"
Persephone turned to Percy with stormy eyes. "I wanted to prevent this war. If I knew that the Mnemosyne would lead to this, I never would've done such a thing. This boy is a hero for the ages, and has helped me many times. I will never forget how he saved my life. I want nothing more than for him to be happy, safe, and sound. But I had to trick him in order to save the world."
"Why should we believe you?!" Will shouted. "You did this to him! You want to stop the war; you're on Hades' side!"
"Things had gone too far. I have no love for Hecate nor her children, but, as I've said, nothing is worth the end of Western Civilization. Now give them the Artifacts, Thanatos. If you have a sliver of willpower left in you, you will listen to your queen."
Thanatos raised his scythe. "I will not give the Artifacts to anyone. They've wrought too much destruction already."
Persephone sighed. "Percy, please hold your brother for me?" Will accepted Nico into his arms. She drew her sword and pointed it at Thanatos. "You will obey me."
In response, Thanatos slashed her with his scythe. It scraped her sword arm, drawing golden ichor, the blood of the gods, but she wasn't bothered by it at all. She yelled and thrust her sword. The Key of the Underworld within it started to glow. Above them, the rocky sky opened up to reveal the sun, so bright that Percy had to squint. "Let the spirits above descend below!" she shouted in Ancient Greek. A fierce wind ripped through the air. Thousands of monstrous spirits descended through the hole in the sky. Almost a million monsters surrounded Thanatos.
Thanatos turned and ran back inside the house, but Persephone was too quick for that. The monsters parted as she jumped inside to follow him. With one slash to his back, golden ichor poured from his black robe. He cried in agony and sank to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, Harry sprinted into the house. Moments later, he reappeared with the Robe slung over his shoulder and the Staff with the Orb fastened on top in his hand. "Stand down!" Harry shouted.
Thanatos collapsed to the ground. With a wave of her sword, the spirits Persephone had summoned returned to the surface world, the hole in the sky closing behind them. "He will wake," Persephone assured them. "Now that the Artifacts have reassigned their allegiance, he will no longer be under their influence. Be glad he hasn't had them for long. That was tame compared to the last time he wielded them."
"How do I revive Nico?" Harry asked.
"You can't," Persephone said. "His body is too weak; using the Artifacts on him will burn him to ashes."
"Then how do we save him?" Will asked. "There has to be a way."
Persephone smiled. "You know the answer already. If one river made him weak, another will make him strong."
Percy forced himself to think. He looked over Persephone's shoulder, to the churning water of the Styx. "No... you can't mean the Styx."
Persephone nodded. "It's the only way to save him."
"But his mother is dead!" Percy cried. "And my mom hasn't blessed him, if that even counts! How could he keep himself anchored when he's in this state?"
"Hestia's blessing that he would find his way home," Will realized. "Percy, we have to trust that that's enough."
With tears in his eyes, Percy carried Nico to the edge of the Styx. He had a horrible feeling that this was the last time he'd ever see his brother. "You can do it," Percy whispered. "Nico, I believe in you."
And he threw Nico di Angelo into the River Styx.
____________________NICO____________________
He was playing solitaire in his room at the Lotus Hotel and Casino when someone knocked on the door. "Coming!" Nico called. He stood from the ground and opened the door. There stood a girl about his age with beautiful brown eyes, black hair, and a warm smile. He recognized her, but he couldn't place it.
"Might I come in?" the girl asked.
"Uh, yeah," he said. "Who are you?"
"You know me already," the girl replied. "Think hard, Nico."
"Is that my name?" Nico asked. The woman nodded. Nico bit his lip, hard in thought. "Umm..." then, a name popped into his head. "Hestia."
"The goddess or the follower of Hecate?" Hestia asked.
"Goddess," Nico replied automatically, though he didn't know how he knew that.
"You're in quite the predicament, Nico," Hestia said. "It is taking all my power to keep you from fading completely. Right now, Persephone carries you to your friends, where you will meet your final fate. My power is fading. I cannot keep you safe much longer."
"What can I do?" Nico asked.
"Find your way home." Hestia waved her hand, and the T.V. sprang to life. "These past days have been so hard on you," she continued. "Caught between your old family and new, discovering your half-brother Hitler and father's misdeeds, quest after quest when all you want to do is run."
"I'm good at running," Nico said.
"But you can't run from who you are," Hestia replied. "You've tried, many times. And how often as it worked?"
"Never."
Hestia smiled. "You're wise for such a young man. Now, what will you choose to see? I can show you your family, old or new. I can show you your boyfriend, your friends, the state of the war."
"No," Nico said. "I want the answer I've been running from."
Hestia raised her eyebrows. "Which is?"
Nico swallowed hard. It was difficult to get the words out. "Paul said Hitler committed suicide. I was to see Papà--Hades. I want to see if he did anything to stop him."
The T.V. screen sprang to life. Nico saw Adolf Hitler in a forest, presumably somewhere in Germany. He was on his knees, praying in Ancient Greek. "Find me, Father."
Hades appeared before him. "I suppose you don't want your soldiers to understand you. Over the Mist, they would think you're crazier than you already are, speaking to gods."
Hitler clenched his jaw. "I am crazy? I've done nothing but fight in your name and expand your realm, and you've forsaken me!"
That familiar purple fire flared in Hades' eyes. "Expand my realm? You've turned the other gods against me! You've turned my wife against me! You've brainwashed my other sons in Japan! You've killed the woman I loved and forced me to abandon my children! Forsaken you?! You should be glad I merely abandoned you!" Hades laughed a dark laugh. "And now you challenge me. Well, I think I will help you, Adolf. I will help to keep you from damaging the world any longer."
Hitler scoffed. "You would curse me, your son?"
"Oh, I won't just curse you. I'll make an example of you. You will die alone, in fear, like the millions you've killed. Your allies will be destroyed by the jews you've chased from your country. Your country will disown you; the world will remember you forever as the worst human to ever disgrace Western Civilization."
"You'd kill me, Father? After all I've done for you?"
"Kill you? No. No, I want the world to say, 'Hitler wasn't all bad. After all... he did kill Hitler. I swear that you will be the first son of Hades to suffer in the Fields of Punishment for all eternity, and your punishment will be the harshest I've ever given." Hitler's eyes widened in fear. Hades laughed again. "Now run, my son. Run from Thanatos. Perhaps you will be the first one to be successful."
The screen turned to another scene. He saw Percy carry him to the mouth of the River Styx, trembling with fear. "You can do it," Percy whispered. "Nico, I believe in you."
Nico closed his eyes. If he was to survive, he had to remember what would keep him human.
***
Nico felt so weak from starvation that he could barely stand. He knew he would die here, at ten years old, alone, in this maze of terrible tunnels, just like Percy probably wanted him to. Percy, the hero... he wanted him dead. It was worse than anything. Anything except losing Bianca.
A faint, blue glow shone in the distance. Nico was too weak to even crawl, so he cried out, "Help! Help me!"
The blue light grew stronger. Suddenly, there was the face of a man, no, a ghost, looking at him curiously. "I am King Minos. Who are you?" the ghost asked.
"Nico di Angelo, son of Hades," he croaked. "Please, help me. Take me to my father. Please."
"Your father?" Minos questioned. "I remember when I judged your sister. Your father let her die, did he not? He abandoned you."
"I know," Nico said, tears in his eyes, "but I don't want to die."
"I will help you," Minos said. "I will fashion you a sword worthy of the son of Hades. I will train you. Together, we will bring your sister back to the surface world."
Nico felt hopeful for the first time in days. "We can save her?"
"A life for a life," Minos informed him. "And I know exactly who we can trade her for. I will lead you to the Doors of Orpheus. I will help you heal, and you will gather supplies and food to sustain yourself. Tomorrow, we travel to the Labyrinth."
***
Nico wanted his sister. He wanted Bianca so badly that it hurt him. Pain seared from every point in his body. He felt himself fade faster and faster, unable to think, move, or even breathe. Is this what dying felt like?
But he heard a tiny voice in his mind, telling him to persist. He couldn't remember his name, he couldn't remember anything but that voice. It was familiar...
His mind drifted to a different scene. There, in one of the bedrooms at the Big House, lay Sally Jackson and Paul Blofis, both wide awake, even in the dead of night. "He can't die, he just can't," Sally cried. Paul was too hysterical to say anything either, but he held Sally close.
"Do you-- do you remember when he and Alabaster summoned a thestral for the first time?" Paul asked, chuckling through his tears. "Teddy, they called him."
"They wanted to keep it in the apartment," Sally said, laughing too. "I told him it would make better friends with the pegasi and Mrs. O'Leary."
"And the first time he watched the Amazing Spiderman," Paul said. " 'that's my favorite superhero, I remember reading him when he came out...' "
"He'll come back to us," Sally convinced herself. "He has to. He has so much life in him. He has to."
Nico thought about Nonno and Mamma and Bianca back home, but realized they didn't matter anymore. He knew why he had those dreams now. That idyllic life he remembered never really existed. It was here, now, for the first time, where Nico truly had nothing to worry about. He could never bring himself to call them mom and dad, but he realized that that's truly what they were. Last year, he let his old family go. This year, he would stop running from their memory. He could be a demigod and still have a normal mortal life. A di Angelo and a Jackson. He didn't have to choose anymore. He could be both.
It wasn't until Nico stepped into the room that he realized he could move again. "Mom? Dad? I'm home."
Nico gasped. When he opened his eyes, he saw Harry Potter standing over him, Staff in hand, mumbling something inaudible. His skin was raw and red, and he felt more like death than when he actually died, but he felt happier than he had since the day he was adopted.
"I'm home," Nico whispered once again.
END NOTES
Credits:
Melody Rose - Author (melody0rose.tumblr.com)
Please comment so I know what you think! See you tomorrow!