The Beginning Of An Absolute Nightmare
Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades, was sleeping.
Or at least, he had been.
Someone - or something had woken him up.
Huh?
He looked blearily at the window, where the faintest whispers of daylight had begun to break over the horizon, which only made his situation weirder.
Nico wasn’t in the habit of waking up early.
Keeping a firm grip on his skull ring, he cast a wary look about his dark cabin. Had he heard something intrude? He racked his brain to remember. Monsters couldn’t usually get inside Camp Half-Blood, but Nico had long learned that nothing was ever quite certain in his life. He stood still as a statue for a few moments, straining his ears, but couldn’t hear anything.
Finally, taking a chance, Nico clapped his hands and Greek fire suddenly roared to life inside of his cabin’s lamps, bathing the place in an eerie green glow. He got up and searched around, looking everywhere - under the bed, around the corners, in the top bunks - but there was nothing.
His cabin was completely empty of all living things save for himself.
Nico frowned.
Maybe he really had just accidentally woken up?
It was unlikely, as he was sure he’d gone to bed, like, three hours ago, but still possible.
His sleeping schedule wasn’t the best, after all.
Nico rubbed his eyes tiredly and sighed. There was no point in looking for something that wasn’t there, he reasoned. He headed back to his velvety bed and dropped into it, squeezing his eyes shut and willing Hypnos to take him without the added nuisance of demigod dreams, or worse, his memories.
Thankfully, it seemed that the god took pity on him for once, as Nico’s eyes instantly drifted shut, his consciousness slipping into darkness…
…Only to gasp and wake a few seconds later, pale hands grabbing his head tightly.
What the...?! He grunted and sat up, panting.
There was a piercing pain resonating through his skull. His head felt like it had been cleaved in two, like someone had grabbed a hammer and smashed his skull into millions of tiny shards that sank deep into his body. He knew he was going to end up screaming if this continued - and to be perfectly honest, he really didn't want to wake anyone up at this hour just to check on him.
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to breathe through it, but gods of Olympus, it hurt!
The bed was shaking with him.
Nico felt a harsh tug on his gut and gasped, obsidian eyes flying wide open, as he felt something…writhing - almost like a spirit, but totally, completely wrong - escape the Underworld and fuse with a body. Arcane symbols danced before his eyes, glowing ominously. He saw the briefest image of a big pot and a boy with a scar on his head, a dead horse and a weird looking old dude, before the scenes cut out and he was back at the Hades Cabin.
His pain crescendoed, and Nico let out a small whimper, collapsing back onto his bed as everything abruptly stopped.
He lay there motionless for a moment, stunned by what had just happened to him.
Cautiously, he touched his face.
His hand came away bloody.
He had a nosebleed.
Cursing, Nico sat up again, scrabbling around for a tissue. He pressed it against his bleeding nose. He could still feel the aftermath of the ritual that the escaped spirit had performed, sending pangs of agony straight to his head every few minutes.
Nico wanted to go scream at his father, Hades and demand him what the hell had just happened, but any attempt at shadow-travel these days would sap his energy so much that he'd become a shadow himself, and, truth to be told, he didn't fancy doing that any time soon.
Either the god would have to come to him, which Nico found rather unlikely, or Nico would have to take a different method of transport to the Underworld, like Mrs. O’Leary — if he managed to find her.
He groaned and stood up, wobbling and cursing under his breath as another pang of pain washed over him.
Someone hammered frantically on his door.
Nico flinched, his hand jerking to his sword, whipping around in surprise. His fingers instinctually drew the Stygian Iron blade, slicing it through the air before he even realized what he was doing.
“Nico!” Someone called from the other side of the door.
Frank Zhang, son of Mars.
Nico recognized the voice, and forced himself to relax.
"Oh, get a grip, you're at camp now," he muttered to himself, shaking his head and stuffing his sword back into its sheath with slightly trembling hands.
He kept forgetting that there weren’t any monsters for him to fight constantly here.
(Well…most of the time).
He strode over to the door and wrenched it open.
Frank was probably going to ask him something, something urgent, but at the sight of Nico’s dishevelled state, his eyes turned worried, brown eyes sweeping over the younger boy.
“Are you alright, Nico?” He asked. “You look…well, you look like death.”
“I haven’t had the best night,” Nico retorted, just as another pang passed through him at his words, stronger than the ones before, causing him to gasp and clutch his head, crumpling to the ground.
Frank caught him just before he fell, but Nico quickly slipped out of the other boy’s arms.
“I’m fine,” he said immediately, narrowing his eyes at Frank and daring him to say otherwise. “Why are you here?”
The son of Mars looked at him skeptically, and Nico knew he probably didn’t look fine, but Frank seemed to let the matter go for the moment. “We’re taking you to the infirmary later,” he warned, and didn’t even let Nico argue before continuing, “also, Hazel needs your help.” He hesitated, before speaking in a hushed voice. “She said she could feel something coming out of the Underworld, and then she just collapsed!”
Nico felt the blood drain out of his already too pale face.
“Take me to her,” he ordered, grabbing his jacket off the coat hanger that lay off just behind the door. He swung it on as they walked, stumbling every now and then as the pangs assaulted his head.
Frank looked at him worriedly as he fell for the fifth time, hissing angrily in frustration as his feet failed to respond. “Should I take you to the infirmary?” He asked. “I don’t think Hazel’s as badly affected as you…She could wait a while?” He didn’t sound very happy about it, but his eyes were full of worry.
Worrying so much wasn’t good for anyone, Nico thought irritably, shaking his head.
“I’ll be fine,” he said, a tad snappishly, before sighing at the look of the other boy’s face. “The signal’s becoming weaker now, I’ll be fine in a few minutes.”
And he wasn’t lying.
(For once).
The pangs were getting a little more bearable, so by the time they arrived at the Big House, where Frank and Hazel were staying for the time being, Nico was able to walk by himself.
Frank led him through the Big House to where his and Hazel’s rooms were, where Nico was relieved to find that the boy wasn’t sleeping in the same room as his sister.
He might’ve grown a lot out of his old-fashioned habits from the 1940s, but he didn’t think he could handle seeing that level of intimacy with anyone of the opposite gender quite yet.
His eyes went wide as soon as he entered the room.
“Hazel!”
He ran over and shook the unconscious daughter of Pluto, who was muttering in her sleep. Nico squashed the panic that threatened to rise within him, placing his cold hand on his sister’s blazing forehead. He nearly jerked his hand back, hissing out a curse. Turning to Frank, he quickly said, “She's burning up. Go get some cold water.” The boy nodded and ran away, leaving Nico alone.
Hazel’s muttering began to increase in volume, and something in Nico's gut compelled him to lean in and listen.
She seemed to be talking about a conversation she was hearing in her sleep.
“I have awoken, Peter,” she said in a high voice, sounding completely different to her normal self. The voice was cruel, and cold, and Nico felt himself tense at its tone, hand unconsciously reaching for his sword.
It was clear that this voice was not something human.
Hazel let out a low hiss, cold and full of contempt. “The Chosen One's days are numbered.”
Well, that didn’t sound good, Nico thought, eyes flicking side to side uneasily. Was Hazel possessed or something? Should he get some help?
If this turned out to be another eidolon situation –
Hazel’s voice switched to a squeaky, almost rat-like tone as she said, “My lord, will you not reveal yourself? The Ministry would surely cower at your feet—”
“Silence, Wormtail!” The high voice was back. “Do not tell me what to do! Remember your place. I am the Dark Lord, and you are but a mere servant. You will speak to me with respect!”
Nico felt like he’d heard something like this before, but the memory was vague, as if he’d heard the words in a long-forgotten dream.
…Strange.
He contemplated shaking his sister to wake her up, but he had a sneaking suspicion that this ‘Dark Lord’ was the one who’d given them such a headache. He needed to know more.
Unfortunately, the ‘Dark Lord’ seemed to have realized that someone was listening in on them.
Villains had excellent timing. Just when they were getting to the good part, they realized that they were being spied on.
Nico rolled his eyes in irritation.
“There is another presence here,” the man or possibly creature hissed.
Yeah, no kidding, Nico snarked.
But the thing’s next words made him tense in fright.
“Avada—!”
Fueled by instinct, Nico grabbed Hazel’s hand, lightning-fast, and threw his consciousness into her mind, snatching her up and out of the dream before the so-called ‘Dark Lord’ could harm her.
For some reason, he knew that if he didn’t intervene, Hazel was going to die.
Again.
There was no way he would risk his only sister’s safety just to know more about some stupid ‘Dark Lord’.
Hazel gasped, her golden eyes flickering open weakly. “N-Nico?” She murmured, casting a look around the room. She furrowed her brow, trying to sit up. “W-What are you doing here?” Nico gently took her shoulders and set her down again.
“Rest for a minute,” he told her. “You’ve had quite the eventful morning. What do you remember, Hazel?”
Her frown deepened.
“I…I had a headache,” she murmured, reaching up a hand to prod her curly locks as if wondering where it had gone. “Something was…wrong with the Underworld…” Her eyes were cloudy, and she shook her head once, trying to clear it. Her voice was a little stronger this time. “I think a soul escaped. But it felt…weird, somehow. Like it was dead, but alive at the same time. I passed out…and I heard—”
“Some dark lord talking about murdering his servant,” Nico interrupted, nodding. “OK, you’re good.” He helped Hazel up, giving her a once-over, just to be sure.
He relayed the conversation he’d heard back to his sister, and she furrowed her brows, contemplative. “A dark lord?” She muttered. “And this Ministry…" She pressed her hands to her forehead, trembling slightly. "I - I feel like I’ve heard about this before…”
Nico looked up. “I felt the same,” he admitted. “But I can’t remember—”
Frank knocked on the door, and Nico stopped talking abruptly, looking away towards the window.
It wasn’t like he had anything against Frank. The newfound discovery just felt too personal for him to share at the moment.
“Hazel,” The other boy sighed in relief, entering with a bright grin. He didn’t seem to feel the awkward silence in the air. “I thought…Oh, thank the gods.”
“I’m fine now, Frank. Sorry for scaring you. I just need a glass of water.” Hazel smiled kindly at her boyfriend. To Nico’s relief, she didn’t comment on his sudden avoidance of their previous subject, but the look she gave him made him believe that they’d be talking about it later. Frank waved off Hazel’s apology, handing her a paper cup of cold water, which she gulped down gratefully. They shared smiles.
Nico stood up. The atmosphere was making him feel like he was intruding.
After all, Frank and Hazel were close to each other in a way that Nico could never be.
They deserved some alone time together.
“I’m going to go visit Father,” he announced, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “He’s got some explaining to do.”
Hazel sighed, but didn’t protest. “Be careful.”
Nico’s lips twitched, and he dipped his head, dark eyes glimmering sarcastically. “When am I not?”
He waved them goodbye, before skulking out of the Big House, hoping he could find a strong shadow to call Mrs. O’Leary through, and that he didn’t encounter a certain Son of Apollo on the way—
“Nico!”
Nico cursed the Fates in his mind.
Will Solace came bounding over from the pavilion, his golden hair sparkling in the early morning sunlight. He was beaming. “Hey, man, I didn’t expect you to be up this early!”
Nico scowled. Usually, he was…tolerant of Will’s cheery attitude, but it was far too early in the morning for anyone to be as happy as the boy in front of him was.
What he really needed was a strong coffee. Preferably with some McDonald's, because as much as he wanted to deny it, he was starving.
“I didn’t, either,” Nico finally grumbled.
Will frowned, taking in the younger boy’s haggard state. He had dark circles under his slightly dilated eyes, and his skin was paler than normal, as if he’d just experienced something horrifying and was still in shock.
“...Is everything OK?” He asked slowly, raising a blond eyebrow.
“No.” Nico wasn’t in the mood to lie. Besides, Will would know if he did, anyway.
Stupid sons of Apolloand their lie-detecting abilities.
He sighed, grudgingly revealing more information before Will decided to pester him further. “Something escaped from the Underworld last night. Hazel and I…” He looked away, clenching his fists angrily. The headache still hadn’t completely left, and it frustrated him even more than he already was. “We had a pretty bad reaction to it. I need to go visit Father and get him to explain.”
Will folded his arms. “I hope you’re not shadow-traveling yourself there,” he said with a warning in his tone.
Nico shook his head. “No, I’m hitching a ride on Mrs. O’Leary.” He paused, before shooting Will a half-hearted glare. “And I’m aware of what would happen if I tried to shadow-travel, Solace. You don’t need to keep reminding me.”
Will sighed. “I’m your doctor, Nico.” His blue eyes were sincere. “All I want is for you to get better.” His tone was so caring, so – so sincere that Nico swallowed back the ugly emotions that threatened to rise up in his chest.
When was the last time someone had spoken to him so nicely?
He was always the ‘big bad’ son of Hades, the scary kid with the power to resurrect the dead. Forever an outcast, an outlier. Doomed to watch in the shadows as everyone else laughed and rejoiced.
(And what Cupid had said to him, what Jason had heard –)
(He wasn’t strong. He wasn’t powerful. He was a freak).
“Appreciate your concern,” was all he said before hurrying away, trying his best to make it look like he wasn’t running.
He had to leave, or else he’d have ended up bawling like a baby.
Personally, he blamed the headache for making him so emotionally vulnerable. He wouldn’t have been like this if he hadn’t woken up so damn early.
He made his way into the woods, their cool, dark shade shielding him from the already-building early June heat. He ducked underneath thin, pointy branches before entering a clearing, and deciding that the shadows there were dark enough.
He pressed his hand onto the ground, closing his eyes. His body felt like it had suddenly been doused in cold water, and Nico knew that whatever he said next would be said in the shadow realm, and not the real world. “Mrs. O’Leary,” he called, his tone a command, “Come to me!” His voice reverberated strangely around him, as if he was talking through a vacuum.
There was a loud WOOF! In answer, and Nico retreated himself from the shadow realm just in time to see a giant hellhound emerge in front of him, slobbering and barking excitedly. He felt his lips curve into a grin. “Hey, girl,” he said, scratching her head. Mrs. O’Leary barked and gave him a big, slobbery lick, dousing him in hellhound saliva. Her long, dark tail, the size of the ping-pong table in the Big House, wagged side to side, nearly toppling a few trees in the clearing.
Nico clambered onto her back, using a nearby tree for support. “I need you to take me to Hades’s palace. Can you do that for me, girl?” Mrs. O’Leary barked once, and Nico had only a moment to grab on tight as she charged full speed at a large shadow, before they were ripping through the shadow realm at a speed that could probably peel a mortal’s face off.
They emerged into the Underworld after a minute, landing, conveniently, at the feet of Hades’s throne.
Nico slid himself off her large body, dusting the fur off his clothes. "Thanks."
"WOOF!" The hellhound barked happily.
Nico threw a treat that he had tucked into his back pocket, and sent her on her way.
Without further ado, the boy looked up at Hades, arching an eyebrow. He wasn’t in the mood for formalities.
“I’m sure you know why I’m here, Father.”
Hades nodded, serious. “I’m assuming it’s because of the unauthorized resurrection that took place an hour ago?”
Nico folded his arms, irritated that his father had known, yet done nothing about it. “Yeah. What was that? Why were Hazel and I so affected?”
Hades pursed his lips. “That,” he said, “as you eloquently put it, my son, is called an unauthorized resurrection.” He paused. “Technically, all resurrections are unauthorized, but sometimes there are a few exceptions…Like with your friend Leo Valdez.”
Nico’s eyes widened. “He’s alive?” He breathed. Hope threatened to bloom in his heart, and he imagined the faces of the others when he told them the news. Hades hesitated. “Well, he’s not in the Underworld, at the very least,” he amended.
Nico swallowed down his excitement, tucking the information away to tell his friends later.
He also swallowed the uncomfortable feelings that came with realizing that he’d actually referred to the others as his friends.
“You’ve heard about those magic mortals, haven’t you?” Hades asked, and Nico snapped out of his thoughts. He nodded. “They’re the ones that can become those ghosts,” he recalled. “You ranted to me about how much paperwork they keep giving you.”
Hades scowled. “I did not rant,” he grumbled. “Gods do not rant.”
Nico visibly suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, making the God of the Underworld shoot him a dirty look.
“But yes, you are correct,” he continued. “It gladdens me to see that you do actually listen to me when I speak of such things.” Nico tapped his foot, ADHD beginning to kick in again. He wished his father would just get to the point.
What did the magic mortals have to do with the unauthorized resurrection?
It wasn’t like they had a ritual that—
Nico’s eyes widened.
“Oh,” he said, staring at his hands as if he couldn’t believe he’d been so dense to not understand before. He blamed the headache. “Oh.”
Hades nodded grimly. “I see you have connected the dots. It was one of those fools who dared to escape me.” Nico could feel his father’s anger reverberate through his realm’s ancient stones. It was clear that the unauthorized resurrection had affected him as well; Nico could see faint lines of discomfort around Hades’ obsidian eyes.
But Nico was angry, too.
It had been only a few weeks – weeks! – after the end of the Second Gigantomachy.
Nico had exhausted himself to the point of near death trying to bring the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood, and he was certain that he would not be able to shadow travel for at least a few months.
One of his main defenses was disabled, and Nico wasn’t sure how well he could complete a quest armed only with his sword.
He wanted—no, he needed rest.
All his progress in healing would be derailed by this stupid quest.
“Brilliant,” he said sarcastically. “I’m assuming I’m going to have to go kill this bastard myself, right?”
Thanatos, the God of Death, was standing on the left of Hades’s throne. It was he who answered.
“Yes,” he said, his honey-gold eyes piercing Nico with a scrutiny that made him glare. “But that is not all. The resurrected mortal has split his soul into seven parts, one of which is lodged inside a child. You must destroy each piece of the soul before killing the mortal, but I will advise you to leave the child for last. There is a prophecy that he must complete.”
Nico folded his arms, feeling his anger triple at the god’s nonchalant attitude.
“Well, that’s just great, isn’t it?!” He exploded, throwing his hands up. “A resurrected magic mortal split his stupid soul into seven stupid parts—one of which is inside a freaking kid—which means I can’t even kill him right now and get back to my life! Is there anything else you’d like to add?!”
His question was meant to be rhetorical, but Thanatos just nodded. “I think it would be best for you to attend the child’s school as well. I feel that there are several pieces of the resurrected mortal’s soul in that place. Glad you can understand.”
Looking at Hades, he remarked, “You weren’t kidding when you said the boy was smart.”
(And although the man would deny it till the end of time, Nico was sure Hades preened at the compliment).
However, he didn’t have time to bask in his father’s pride.
Nico was pissed.
“Hold on a minute,” he said, glaring. “I didn’t even agree to any of this! It’s not even been a month after the war! Why are you sending me on a quest right now?!”
At the reminder of the Second Gigantomachy, Hades grew solemn.
“My son, you have undoubtedly earned rest,” he said seriously. “I understand that you are still recovering from transporting that statue to Camp Half-Blood. Do not worry. We are simply informing you in advance. You will leave for Hogwarts in…” He paused, thinking over the dates, “how about three months?”
Nico blinked. “You’re not sending me right away?” He asked stupidly, shocked, before shaking his head rapidly, realizing his mistake. “I-I mean, thanks, I guess. But - But I’m bringing Will with me.”
The words tumbled out of his mouth, and he stopped suddenly, eyes widening.
He hadn’t meant to say that—
It’s just…he and Will had spent so much time together after the War. Nico would feel so alone without him, and he was done with being alone. Being alone sucked.
It totally wasn’t because Will was stupidly handsome and Nico needed something to distract him from getting too angry about the quest. And because he knew how devastated Will would look if Nico told him that he had to leave, his cerulean eyes wide and so damn sad, his blond hair ruffling in the wind as he begged Nico not to go…
Nico swallowed.
Nope, definitely not.
He did not have a soft spot for Will.
Will was annoying.
He wasn’t cute.
And he definitely wasn’t handsome.
Nico nodded determinedly. That’s right. He just didn’t want to be a bastard and leave Will after spending so much time with him. That would just be cruel.
“Son?”
Nico snapped out of his thoughts, staring up at his Father. “Yeah,” he murmured, before suddenly looking sheepish. “Uh, sorry, what was I saying?”
“You wanted to bring Will Solace with you on the quest,” Thanatos supplied before Hades could redirect the conversation somewhere else. The God of the Underworld shot the God of Death a death glare (yes, he was aware of the pun, screw him), before turning to Nico.
“Will Solace,” he said distastefully. “The son of Apollo? Of all the creatures for my son to be procreating with…”
Nico’s eyes widened and he blushed bright red.
“Father, no! It isn’t like that!” He argued—why was his voice so high-pitched?! He cleared his throat, the redness still quite visible on his pale cheeks. “It’s not like that,” he repeated firmly. “Will and I are just friends. He’s a good fighter and an even better medic. He would be useful to the quest; you know how often I get injured. That’s it.”
Hades arched an eyebrow. “Clearly,” he drawled, but thankfully did not elaborate more on the topic.
The three stood in awkward silence for a minute, before Nico coughed. “I can’t shadow travel,” he reminded Hades. “Mind sending me back to camp?”
Hades furrowed his brow.
“Didn’t you come here by yourself?” He asked. Nico shook his head, a little irritated that his father had forgotten. He had literally shown up on a giant slobbering hellhound right at Hades’ feet, after all. “Mrs O’Leary,” he said in lieu of an explanation, crossing his arms.
His father nodded and waved a hand, and Nico’s form swirled before disappearing into the shadows.