Prologue

Nico di Angelo is a very different child. Although you really can't call him a child anymore- he is 17 years old, after all. He has very few friends, and many hate or fear him. He supposes that's what you get for being a Son of Hades. The Fates don't seem to like him very much, as he considers himself to be the unluckiest of all demigods. Who else has been stuck in a time warp for 60 years, lost all their family (save for a dad who doesn't want him), and gains incredible powers he sometimes can't control?

No one. That's who.

When he was thirteen years old, he noticed that the shadows seemed to shift when he was angry. One day, the Ares campers decided to come pick on him. It was the usual; "Why don't you go hang with you're dead buddies in the Underworld, huh, Zombie Boy? Oh, that's right, your dad doesn't want you. Ha! You're weak! Useless!" He had long since gotten used to the teasing, but when one fool brought up the subject of his sister, he lost it. And the shadows actually lashed out, smashing the Ares kids against the wall, and slashing repeatedly at their skin. Nico looked on with something close to wonder as the jerks ran off screaming, "Monster! He's a monster!" leaving him leaning against the wall of his cabin pondering, "Am I a monster?"

You could certainly say that.

At age fourteen, he accidentally raised an army of shadows- horrible, misshapen creatures- that charged at the Lydian drakon threatening his so-called friends, and pulled the beast, thrashing wildly, eyes livid, under the earth, never to be seen again. He tried to explain to his horrified friends that it was an accident- a mistake, a slip, not on purpose, that he'd never do that to them, but they fled, never looking back once. at the one who had saved their lives. "Freak!" They screamed. "You- you monster! You're worse than that drakon! You're just like all those other things that you raised!"

So that was that. He was officially Nico, the Demon Child, Nico the Shadow-Raiser.

He became stronger and fiercer as he grew, until he could best Percy in a sword-fight and Annabeth, too. They were the best the camp had to offer. When he was fifteen, he challenged Thalia, Lieutenant of Artemis herself. "Hey,Thals!" He grinned. "You wanna fight me?" Thalia wrinkled her nose, pushing the sword he pointed at her aside with two fingers. Then she declared loudly for the entire camp to hear, "I shall not fight a senior." At which most of the camp began snickering, and Nico's face went red at the comment on his biological age.

But then he saw the fear in her eyes, the uncertainty, and knew that she was afraid of him, afraid that she would lose to a boy and so be shunned from the Hunters of Artemis. So, he decided to let it slide.

And he really didn't know when it started, but he found himself immensely enjoying toying with people's minds. He trained himself to be an excellent liar and actor, and if he wanted you to believe something, you would believe it, that much is certain.

And so he became more and more closed off to the world, focusing completely on taming the beast within him. In other words, he became more and more powerful each day.

So that's why when he ended up in some crazy old coot's office when he was trying to get to Percy's house for his birthday party, he knew someone was tampering with his shadow travel. And not just any person, either. It would have to be one of the gods.

Nico stepped out onto the streets of Los Angeles. Taking a quick look around to make sure no one was there, he stepped into the shadows of a dark alleyway, closing his eyes and allowing himself to become one with the shadows. He concentrated on his destination, willing himself there. He opened his eyes and smiled- he could already see the faint outline of his cousin's apartment, and then-

Violet and green eyes, and skin white as snow. "Whaat-"

He was suddenly hit with a wave of nausea, and he felt dizzy. Lightheaded.

And when he stepped out of the shadows, he took one look around at the round office with many strange looking instruments, and stated;

"This is definitely not Percy's place."

The said old coot in blue robes stood up and said, "No, it isn't." in a very pleasant manner.

"Then where..."

"Why, you're in my office. In England." The crazy old man said with a twinkle in his eye.

Whaat? England? Nico tried to process what he was hearing, but doing so gave him a major headache.

Then Nico promptly threw up all over the Persian rug.

"Hmm." the wacko in blue robes seemed to say something else afterwards, but Nico didn't hear it. Nico didn't hear anything because Nico had passed out.

A/N: GeorgianDevil brought it to my attention that the prologue really wasn't detailed at all. Although, GeorgianDevil, I will probably never live up to your expectations. So please don't try to help me be a better writer- I wasn't meant to be an excellent author.I am reaaaally bad at details, which is probably why my Language Arts grades usually aren't so high. So, I redid the prologue. Please review!

~DarkAngel