Chapter 1: Nico

The girl was running. Fast. As I ran through the streets after her I caught glimpses of her long black hair in its elegant plait, but no more. I had no idea how she could go so long without stopping. Already, my lungs were burning from the exertion and my breaths came in gasps. At last I stopped, panting. I was sure I had lost her. Perhaps for good. I had been tracking the half-blood for days now, but it felt so much longer. Sometimes I wondered why she didn't just turn around and kill me with that wicked bow of hers. But somehow, she hadn't. So the chase went on. It was dusk and I'd have to find a place to crash for the night. The coming of sleep would leave me plenty of time to be alone with my thoughts; which wasn't necessarily a good thing.

I knew she had to be a half-blood. There was no other explanation for her prowess or abilities. Plus, Grover had been snooping around and picked up an aura that was so powerful, he almost blacked out. I had high hopes that she might be the one from the prophecy. But of course, she could never find out about that. If she did, Chiron would skin me alive. Anyway, I wasn't even supposed to know about that. However, being a son of Hades, I have my ways.

Wiping the sweat from my face, I stood upright again. I could always shadow travel a few miles up the way, but that would be pointless. I knew where she had gone. But she also knew that I couldn't follow her. Monsters found her there, so dangerous, it was a wonder that she still lived at all. I couldn't figure her out. If I just knew her name. I vented my frustration by kicking my black sneaker against the wall of a building so hard it hurt.

Just then I heard a canine snarl behind me and I swore violently. I whipped around and drew my Stygian Iron sword from the sheath at my belt. It glinted wickedly in the half light, but the enormous hellhound who faced me was not impressed by it. It snarled and crouched, red eyes fixed on me. I wondered briefly why it hadn't killed me already, but I didn't immediately charge it. I stared fixedly at it, almost curiously. Then it blinked and I was jolted of my trance. My eyes hardened and I took a step forward, brandishing my sword at the creature.

I heard a wild yell on my left and before I could so much as move, something heavy crashed into me. I fell to the ground. My sword skidded away as my heat cracked the ground. Dazed, I tried to sit up, but I was pushed roughly to the ground again. My vision cleared and I recognized my attacker. It was the girl. The one I had been following. Shocked, I could only stare as she retrieved my sword. Handling it as if it was living fire, she placed it within my reach and turned to the monster.

Remarkably, it didn't devour her. What I saw was so astonishing that I must have gaped like an idiot as I climbed gingerly to my feet. She was talking softly to it. Right next to it, whispering in its ear. It must have understood perfectly however. For it raised itself to its massive paws and bowed. I must have been hallucinating at this point, I'm sure of it. Without so much as a backward glance, the hellhound bounded into the shadows and was gone.

With the hellhound gone, the strange girl turned her attention back to me. By this time I was on my feet. Aside from a lump on the back of my head, I felt fine. My sword was in my hand, but despite that, I didn't think myself very intimidating. Nevertheless, she took a few steps back and fear kindled in her dark blue eyes. Noting the quiver and bow slung across he back, I thought that perhaps that she could be a daughter of Apollo. Or maybe Artemis had broken her maiden vow. She eyes me warily, her gaze shifting from side to side. Pity stirred in my heart for her. How long had she been alone?

I extended a friendly hand. "Hey," I said calmly. "I'm Nico di Angelo, son of Hades. How did you get that hellhound to do that?"

She eyed me suspiciously. A strand of her black hair had escaped her braid to fall into her face, and she brushed it out of her eyes. Tentatively, she took my hand as if it were an explosive. "My name's Kenzie," she muttered.

She had to be about my own age, fourteen. She had a sprinkling of freckles across her nose and hair so black it was almost blue. Her dark blue eyes studied mine with intelligence mixed in with a touch of hostility. Her skin was deathly white, and if I hadn't known better, I would have taken her for being part vampire. Her hands were warm however and her eyes sparkled in her thin face. Looking into those eyes I felt my heart thud once. Twice. Suddenly I realized that I was still holding her hand. Awkwardly I dropped in and stuck my hands in the pockets of my black leather jacket.

"You alone in the world?" I asked her carefully. New half-bloods tended to be on the wild side and angered or took offence easily. I would know.

She looked away and I saw her swallow hard before answering. "Yeah," she whispered. "Ever since I was six."

"That's a long time," I told her, impressed. My mind was working a hundred miles an hour though. How could she survive that long with barely a scar to show for it?

She nodded distractedly, not quite looking at me.

"So Kenzie," I said, trying for cool. "How would you take it if I told you that you were a demigod?" I expected her to throw a punch at me, or at least freak out. However, seeing that I had just watched her calm down a giant hellhound, I wasn't too surprised when she did neither.

Kenzie crossed her arms across her chest and said flatly, "I'd tell you that I know. And I'd warn you to get the Hades out of here."

Shocked, but trying hard not to show it, I raised my eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She looked around, and then said quietly. "I attract things. Dark creatures that kill people like you because that's what they were created to do, because they know no better. You ought to leave now."

I smiled slowly at her. "I live for danger, girly. Don't worry about me." I paused, choosing my next words carefully. "Listen, I know a place where you'd be safe. Would you like me to take you there?"

To my shock, she flinched back as if I had brandished a whip at her. "No," she said, too quickly I thought. "I'm not safe."

"Sure you are," I told her, my voice coaxing. "Come on, it isn't far. Don't you trust me?"

Those deep blue eyes searched mine for a long moment, then she dropped her head. "I do."

"Good," I said, pleasantly surprised. I smiled encouragingly at her offered Kenzie my hand and she took it. "This may make you very tired," I warned her. Before she could protest however, I shadow traveled us to Camp Half-Blood.