Chapter 1:
My back collided with the solid ground and I just lay there for a while, panting with my eyes closed. Cracking my eye lids open, I saw that I was sitting next to a plain black river in the middle of what looked like a black and red desert. I stood up before brushing my knees to get all the dirt and dust off of them just when I heard a screeching sound.
Looking up I saw three bat ladies circling above me. Furies. I had read about them before. You see, I'm different then any normal boy. I'm the son of the primordial goddess, Nyx. My dad had told me of my mother and made me read and learn all about the Greek myths and legends as soon as I was old enough. Soon after though, I started to encounter monsters, so my dad bought me a pistol and on the day he was going to make me some celestial bronze bullets, a small package appeared on our dining room table. It was a gift from Nyx, she had given me a small tub full of celestial bronze bullets. Oh, and the tub was enchanted to automatically re-fill itself. Oh yeah, my names Zane by the way, Zane Attis-Orphne.
Anyway, the three furies stopped circling and came down to perch in front of me.
"My, what do we have here, a little lost one?" The middle fury cackled. "Well, ladies, looks liked dinner... is ssssserved." She hissed before all three of them lunged at me. One latched their jaw onto my left leg whilst the others swooped and dived as they scratched me. They're laughter filled my ears as I fell to my knees, exhausted from blood loss. Suddenly, a loud and commanding voice sounded across the land.
"Alecto, get you claws and your little goons off of him this instance!"
From were I lay, sprawled on the ground, all I had to do was shift my head and I could see the figure striding towards me and the three monsters. He was handsome, really handsome. With sleek black hair, pure black eyes and pale olive coloured skin, he looked like an evil menace albeit a handsome one.
Alright, confession time. I might be the tiniest, little bit, smidge bit... gay. Who the fuck am I kidding? I'm totally gay and have been for as long as I can remember.
Anyway, back to the story! As soon as his voice gave the commands and furies back off of me and flew to the figure. The landed gracefully in front of him and then quickly bowed over has fair and low as they could.
"Apologisssse, my lord, we didn't mean to offend you in any ssssuch way!" The middle one – Alecto – hissed in a hurry, her voice full of respect and...fear?
"Of course not, Alecto. Now if you wouldn't mind going back to the palace, please?" The figure pointed to a large black palace/castle type thing in the distance.
"Yessss, my lord, but may I remind you of the meeting you have with your father tonight?"
"I remember, thank you, Alecto. You can leave now." He gave her a cold glare that made me wince until her and her goonies eventually flew off.
The figure stared and watched them as they left before turning and striding to me. Once he was next to me, he knelt down, making it easier for me to inspect him. He truly was beautiful. A strong jaw, creamy skin, rosy lips and dark eyes that seemed to radiate death and coldness. He stuck his hand in his pocket before pulling out a small square of something golden but soft looking.
"Ambrosia, food of the gods, it will help heal you. You are a demigod, right?" He spoke softly to me but he couldn't help the cold, dangerous edge to his voice. I nodded numbly, my eyes still glued to his face. Slowly, he reached out the hand that held the ambrosia and put to my lips. I opened my mouth and let him feed me the soft, heavenly food. All the time my eyes never left his face and, I noticed, his eye never left my face. Suddenly, he puts his arms under my arm pits and dragged me to a small boulder, leaning me back against it. He took his leather jacket off and then took his grey hoodie off. After putting his leather, he knelt back down and drapped his hoodie over me. I felt my eyes begin to drop and my breathing slow.
"What's your name, demigod?" He asked quietly.
"Z-Zane, you?" I stuttered out before yawning.
He chuckled lightly before replying, "Nico." He smiled once last time before standing up and walking off. I wanted to call out to him but I had already slipped into unconsciousness.
"Hey, hey, kid. Wake up!" I woke up to someone snapping their fingers in my face.
For a moment, I thought that Nico might have come back but then I realised that this guy had black hair but he has sea green eyes that looked way to bright and happy for my liking.
"Are you okay?" Another person spoke from my left and I turned to see a girl with blonde hair and startling grey eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." I said before quickly rushing to my feet, my hand clutching Nico's grey hoodie. "Um, who are you guys?"
"I'm Percy and this my girlfriend Annabeth Chase." Percy pointed to himself then to Annabeth before turning and pointing out the rest of his gang. "The girl with electric blue eyes is Thalia." Thalia nodded to me. "They guy with curly brown hair and brown eyes is Michael." Michael smiled at me. "The girl with sandy coloured hair and blue eyes is Sandy,Thalia girlfriend." Sandy smiled and I shook my head to Percy's question. "The guy that looks like an elf is Leo." Leo waved excitedly. "The scary looking girl is Leo's girlfriend, Reyna." Reyna nodded politely. "The guy with blonde hair and blue eyes is Jason and the girl with kaleidoscope eyes next to him is his girlfriend, Piper." Jason and Piper smiled a bit. "The guy with the goatee is Grover and the green girl is his girlfriend, Juniper." They both smiled and waved. "The girl with curly brown hair is Hazel and the butch guy next to her is her boyfriend, Frank." Again, smiling and waving. "And you are?" Percy smiled at me, indicating me to answer is question.
"Zane Attis-Orphne, son of Nyx." As soon as my mothers name slipped out, Annabeth's mouth fell open.
"Nyx? As in, the primordial goddess, Nyx?"
"Um, yeah." I rubbed the back of my neck.
"Percy, he's a really powerful demigod or, well, he should be." Annabeth looked at her boyfriend but he didn't seem fazed. He just told me who all of their godly parents are. "And fianally, Michael is a son of Hermes and Sandy is a daughter of Apollo." He finished and began to walk me back to their camp.
"How are we going to get out of here?" I asked.
"Well, we've got some pearls that can get us out." He sat on a log that sat next to a fire. "Wait, haven't got enough pearls."
"What? Oh yeah, we picked up to extra people!" Annabeth sat down.
"Shit, what are we gonna do?" Percy asked her.
"Nico!"
As soon as she said his name I blushed madly and looked away. Truth be told, since he saved me I couldn't stop thinking about the dark menace and I guess I may of developed a bit of crush on him. Okay, its a fucking huge crush!
"Yeah, he have me this." Percy took out a tiny, black pebble that gleamed in the firelight. He pressed a small, almost invisible button in the centre before smiling at everyone else. "That should have sent a message to his skull ring. Now, we wait for him to get here." 7
Silence settled between the group as the fire crackled and even though I was warm, I didn't want to take Nico's hoodie off.
"Lets play confessions!" Thalia suddenly yelled making everyone jump.
"Fine but you have to make a confession first since it was your idea." Annabeth huffed.
"Alright, alright." Thalia thought for a moment. " I first realised I was a lesbian a few days after joining the hunt. There! Now I choose... Michael!"
"Um, I, uh, have a crush on a girl form the Hephestus cabin..." Leo looked like he was going to explode but Piper quickly calmed him down. "I choose... Zane." Everyone looked at me.
"I-I don't know what to say."
"Say like a crush or something like that." Hazel smiled warmly at me.
"Uh, well, you know they guy we're waiting for, Nico?" Everyone nodded. "Well, before you guuys found me the three furies were attacking me and just when, I think, Alecto was going to kill me, Nico showed up and told them to leave me alone and go away." I started to fiddle with my thumbs nervously. "Then, Nico gave some ambrosia and covered me with his hoodie." I indicated to the grey hoodie in my hands. "Ever since then, I guess I kind of have a crush on him because he, well, saved my life and I really can't stop thinking about him. Oh, and I'm a little bit gay." I finished and everyone was looking at me, so I began to blush madly. "Although, I'm pretty sure he's straight, so..." They all began to laugh.
"Trust me, mate," Percy laughed. "Nico is not straight."
"He's not?" I asked hopefully.
"No! He's bi, meaning he like women and men. I think you got a chance." Thalia smiled slyly at me.
Suddenly, the fire went out and a huge shadow appeared on a large boulder next to us. Out came Nico.
"You called, Perc?"
"Yeah, man. Look theirs only enough pearls for 13 of us and we picked up one extra demigod." Percy gave Nico a man-hug. "I believe, you already know him, Zane." Nico turned his head and looked me dead in the eyes causing me to blush, again.
"Yeah, I know him and let me guess you want me to shadow travel him to camp?"
Percy nodded and Nico agreed to the request. Percy and his gang each put a pearl underfoot.
"See you back a camp, Death Breath." Percy smiled before everyone crushed their pearls. For a second nothing happened but then they disappeared in a swirl of blue and green.
Then Nico turned to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. I wondered what he was doing but then everything went black. A few seconds passed before we landed on a beach. However, my foot landed on something slimy – probably seaweed – and I slipped. Falling forwards, me and Nico fell to the floor with my lying on top of Nico. For a second things were silent and I blushed.
"Uh, s-sorry." I mumbled. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I say Nico blushing too but my eye must have been play tricks on me. I mean, why would he blush? I have a reason to blush, but him?
"It's fine, really." He answered and I scrambled to my feet before tugging me up.
Except I must have tugged a bit to hard because when Nico stood up he stumbled into me and I only just managed to stop myself from falling over again. His face hovered inches from mine, his eyes level with mine. We both blush and chuckled nervously before stepping back.
Suddenly, Percy and the gang appeared, swimming to shore. They all noticed they way me and Nico stood and acted but none said anything, although Thalia gave me that sly grin again.
We all began to walk in silence, although where we were, I have no idea. I was just following Nico – uh, I mean, I was just following the gang.
Then we appeared at our destination, a beautiful but noisy camp with kids slashing at dumbies with swords and daggers. Others, climbed a rock wall that spewed lava"
"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood!" Percy announced rather proudly.
There you go! This is only the begin! Why was the gang in the Underworld? What powers will Zane possess? And what will happen between Zane and our dearest Nico?
