Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or any of their characters, settings, etc.

"There is the solitude of suffering, when you go through darkness that is lonely, intense, and terrible. Words become powerless to express your pain; what others hear from your words is so distant and different from what you are actually suffering." –John O' Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

Just after midnight, I was pulled into the dream again. Well, "the dream" is a bit of a misnomer. It wasn't the same every night. And it wasn't really a dream. At least, not in the normal sense of the word. Us demigods had an unusual experience when we slept. Some saw their enemies or monsters, I saw the son of Hades and his ghostly accomplice.

Nico was in a graveyard again, as he was about ninety percent of the time I saw him. He was on his knees above a hole in the ground lined with toys from McDonald's. He was summoning someone again. Likely Minos or maybe his sister, who never seemed to respond to his calls.

Which, frankly, sucked. I mean, if Ari were calling me, I'd certainly be there for him. Not that, I amended, Ari was really my brother, but he was closer to family than Percy was, so I guess that counted for something.

Suddenly, Nico began chanting in Greek, finally calling his nightly visitor to the gravesite. I groaned when I recognized the name he was calling. Minos. The guy was a douche. I mean, he acted nonchalant, like he didn't care what came of Nico's search, but something was off. Maybe it was just the way I reacted to ghosts, but I never had a problem when Nico summoned anyone else. Minos just seemed like he was looking to get something out of it. I knew the myths about him. Nothing good could come from any involvement with the late tyrant. Nico, however, was desperate to get his sister back and he wouldn't let logic stop him.

Then, the shadows surrounding the grave got darker and thicker as the ghost appeared in my vision. "My Lord," the ghost drawled as he bowed at Nico's feet.

"Rise," the son of Hades said sharply. "Do you have any news for me?"

"None other than what I have already given. For your sister's soul, you must sacrifice another," Minos explained.

"A soul for a soul," Nico said, rolling his eyes as if he'd heard it a thousand times before, which, from my dreams, I knew to be true. "I know. But I can't just murder-"

"Not murder, master. Justice. You must give your father a valued soul in order to bring your sister back to life."

Something in Nico's eyes hardened- determination. Oh, boy, I groaned mentally. You idiot.

"Then I'll offer him a soul. An important one," he said firmly. "But I will not kill anyone."

Minos's eyes widened. "What-"

"Thank you for your help," Nico dismissed.

He waved his hand and sent Minos back away. I watched as the ghost dissolved until there was nothing left. Nico, you moron, I thought worriedly. What are you doing?

As soon as Minos left, Nico stepped into the shadows of the already-dark graveyard. He closed his eyes and the night came towards him as if called by some unnatural force- that, I suppose, would've been the shadow travel. Great, I thought, and suddenly I was in a dark room- even darker, somehow, than the graveyard. A man was sitting on the throne, surrounded by ghostly servants. Crap, I grumbled mentally. Hades.

Of all the times I'd dreamed of Nico, I could count the instances I'd seen Hades on one hand. Nico wasn't close to his father. Of course, my own father had only spoken to me once, so I guess that was better than my relationship with mine. Not that I wanted Poseidon anywhere near me, but the principle was the same.

Hades looked up, his piercing black gaze landed on his son and his eyes narrowed. He waved his hand and the ghosts disappeared. "Nico," he said sharply. "What are you doing here?" Nico stepped forward and bowed.

"My Lord," he said softly but clearly. "I wish to offer an exchange- my soul for Bianca's."

I inhaled sharply. Idiotes. What was he thinking?

This is so not what I meant when I said 'take care of yourself.' I should've left you at camp, you moron.

Thankfully, Hades didn't seem like he appreciated that idea too much either. He fixed Nico with a glare so cold that it could have come from me. "You wish to give up your soul for your sister's?"

"Yes," Nico reiterated, standing up to look his father in the eye.

"No," Hades said simply.

"No?" Nico asked incredulously. "But-"

"No," the death god repeated harshly. "I will not take your soul in exchange for hers. Is that all?" He said decisively.

"But, Father-" Nico stuttered, shocked. "I thought- I mean, a soul for a soul, that's the deal, right? Then why-"

"I do not need to explain myself to you," Hades interrupted severely. "Now go. Do not make such an offer again."

I breathed a sigh of relief when Nico shadow traveled back to the mortal realm, but was surprised when I was left behind in the throne room.

"Max, was it?" Hades asked, his gazed fixed upon me in a chilling manner. "What are you doing here, sea spawn?"

I flinched. "Don't call me that!" I snapped. "You know I hate any relation to my father."

"You didn't answer my question," he responded coldly. Despite his attitude, Hades was actually one of the few gods I respected. He was brutally honest in his cruelty and never claimed to be anything he wasn't. Additionally, when I'd met him over a year ago, he'd vouched for me in front of his brothers. Zeus had wanted me dead and Hades had voted for a different route, allowing me to live free- at least partially. Sure, the guy was a jerk, but at least he didn't pretend to be something else, like my father so often did.

"That's because I don't know the answer," I said, giving up my stubborn side in order to talk to the god honestly. "I've been dreaming about Nico for months, seeing what's going on. But I can't control it."

"No, you wouldn't be able to," he mused. "Not unless a child of Hecate or Hypnos assisted you." He looked at me again. "If you've been seeing my son, then you know what he plans to do."

"Yes," I said. "He wants to give himself up in return for his sister's life."

"Obviously," Hades remarked, "You can see why this is a problem."

"Yeah, I can imagine," I mumbled. "No one really wants a rampant, slightly depressed kid with nothing to lose who is willing to do anything to get his sister back running around."

"Exactly," Hades said sharply. "Unfortunately, I cannot interfere, as per the stupid rules my idiot brother has placed upon the god," he complained. "Everything was easier when we were allowed to interact with mortals. I mean, if someone ticked you off, you smote them, simple as that. Now, it's all 'No, don't interfere. Stay out of their lives.'"

I smirked. "Believe me, the gods interfering in my life about ten years ago would have been nice. I could use some smiting."

He regarded me. "Yes, I suppose you could. And they call me a monster." He glanced behind me and I looked over my shoulder to see my wings were out. I guess my usual windbreaker that typically hid them didn't show up in dreams.

"Tell me something, Max," he began, ushering me to sit in a chair he conjured. I sat down, figuring there was nothing he could do to me either way if I wasn't actually there. "How long have you been seeing Nico?"

"Several months," I answered, confused. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"What do you think of him?" He asked, ignoring my question.

"Well," I started, "I think he's a good kid. Loyal. But misguided and kind of depressed. I feel bad for him and yet I kind of think he's a moron for listening to some of the people he does."

"Yes," Hades mused. "I quite agree."

"Why does it matter?"

"Well, I've been quite frustrated with my son's… companions, as of late, as well as his decisions. I don't ever want him coming to me with the idea of killing himself to be with his sister again."

"I can understand that," I said. "But what are you telling me for?"

"I want you to watch over him," Hades said. "Find him and guide him in the right direction."

"What? Why?" I asked, surprised.

"Because I cannot and will not stand to see him like this anymore. I cannot interfere myself and I do not believe that anyone else will take care of him like I want them to. You are the only one who cares for him enough to want to help him for himself and not for selfish reasons. So, you see, you are my only choice." He looked at me in the eyes. "Do you accept?"

I thought about it. Hades wasn't wrong. Ever since I saw him hiding back at Camp Half-Blood over a year ago, I'd felt like Nico needed someone to take care of him. That feeling had gotten worse with the dreams, merging into a sense of responsibility. I certainly wanted to find him and shake him senseless after tonight's events.

But then I thought of my Flock. We'd just gotten back together a few months ago. It had torn me apart, being away from my family for those few weeks in Germany. After we'd reunited, we had been closer than ever. Not having a number one enemy on your back will do that to you, I guess. I'd been seeing more of Mom and Ella- I still didn't know if they were my actual family or not, seeing as how Jeb clearly isn't my father- and Fang and I hadn't argued in months.

Fang, I thought morosely. I didn't know what we'd become over the last year, but somehow our relationship had changed from just friends to… Well, sometimes there were hints of something more between us, like the night in the cave while we were away from the others. The last time we'd been apart… Well, it had been hell for both of us.

Could I really leave my Flock to chase down a guy I'd met once?

I opened my mouth to refuse, and then I thought of Nico, out there alone with no one but an evil ghost at his side. He'd just lost his sister and clearly wasn't dealing with it well.

I swallowed. The Flock would have to understand my decision.

"Yes."

Hades nodded, seemingly pleased. "Good luck." Then he disappeared and I woke up in my bed, gasping for air, Fang hovering over me, looking worried.

"Max, you moron, you weren't breathing," he growled.

"Fang," I said, dreading what was to come. "We need to talk."

Yeah, so I know I said February, but this was on my mind and I had to get it out. I may or may not update soon, but likely not, as I'm away on vacation and won't have much time, and then I have exams for two weeks. Maybe the end of January or February. Then again, I do tend to not really follow a schedule.

I hope you enjoyed the start of this chapter. Thank you so much for all the positive feedback I got on the last one. I laughed at every one of the reviewers who talked about how no one found out about Max's wings, because that was my intention. You'll see, guys. Max has a growing vault of secrets that's going to cause her some trouble coming up soon. I can't wait to write about it. (Angst is my favorite.)

Review!

Abby

Update: 1/2/14 I edited a few things that I noticed (like how once or twice I said "Midas" instead of "Minos" and I misspelled a few words.)