DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT ONE CHARACTER AND THE PLOT OF THIS STORY

WARNING: SPOILERS

Leo

This was it, the day they would arrive at camp half-blood. It had been almost a week since he and Calypso got out of Ogygia, but they were finally getting there. He couldn't wait to see the look on his friends' faces when they found out he was alive. Leo had tried to contact them through IM, but, for some reason, it never seemed to work. It was barely after sunrise when he spotted the coast of Long Island. He gently woke up his girlfriend, gods it was weird to think about, and prepared Festus for landing. Just as they were about to land, Leo noticed a group of people coming from the woods. They landed and he was immediately attacked by a crying daughter of Aphrodite.

"Geez Piper! I've only been gone a week!"

"You idiot, we thought you were dead! Where have you been? Why didn't you contact us?"

"Piper, give the guy some time to breath!"

"Jason, man, it's good to see you!"

"Good to see you too. Although I do want to know what happened to you..."

Just as Leo was about to answer, the rest of the Seven reached the beach and were hugging Leo, and, noticing Calypso, introducing themselves to the person they hoped would become their friend. Leo watched as his girlfriend talked to Percy in whispers before hugging him, apparently agreeing that what happened was not Percy's fault. All was well. Leo was back with his friends, Calypso was out of her prison, the only person missing was Nico, but then again, that guy could be anywhere; what could possibly go wrong? The group had just entered the Big House to tell Chiron the good news when Rachel, who had been talking to the centaur, doubled over as green smoke started coming out of her mouth. Great, Leo thought, another one. Will it ever stop? He had barely thought that when Rachel spoke in a voice that was very different from her own,

"It's time, you can't delay it,
The daughter of music shall prove herself,
Aided by the Seven and her two brothers.
They shall go through the rift,
To a place unknown to all
And shall stop the other world
From destruction from within
But beware the silver haired one,
For with him comes burning and pain."

Well, shit.

Meanwhile at Camp Jupiter,

"Nico!" Nico turned around just in time to see the one calling his name before she slammed into him. She hugged him like her life depended on it, and really, he didn't mind the contact. It was quite an unusual sight; the creepy, dark son of Hades, being hugged to death by a girl, in the middle of Camp Jupiter. The unusual part, however, was that he hugged her back, even tighter, if that was even possible, and smiled, a real smile, like he was finally home. In a way, he was; he had gotten so used to having her around the past few years, that the months apart had been terrible for both of them. She finally pulled back and looked at him, straight in the eye, something most people seemed to avoid doing. "Nico Di Angelo, you are not leaving without me again! What happened? I mean, we came here, and then you said you had something to do for your dad and next thing I know, people are talking about how you saved the world! What really happened? Why don't I get special treatment? Why didn't you come earlier?"

"Lyra, calm down! I wanted to tell you in person, and I couldn't come earlier because your brother had me stay at Camp Half-Blood until I recovered from carrying a 40 feet tall statue halfway across the globe."

"Wait, I thought Reyna brought the Athena Parthenos back."

"She did. She's the Roman who stopped the two camps from attacking one another. I was just doing the transportation."

"You shadow traveled with a giant statue and another person all the way from Rome?!"

"Two people actually"

Lyra was silent for a moment before hitting him on the head.

"What was that for?"

"Oh, nothing, just making sure you have a brain. WHAT THE HADES WERE YOU THINKING? YOU COULD'VE DISAPPEARED!"

"I know. Will told me. He also said he misses you and that you would have been really useful at Half-Blood."

"Gods, I miss him too. I know and I would've gone if SOMEONE hadn't told Terminus to keep me inside the camp no matter what." She gave him a glare that could rival his famous Death Glare.

"I just wanted to keep you safe" He mumbled, Lyra barely understanding what he was saying. Her expression softened.

"Nico… Look, I know you were trying to protect me, but you can't keep doing that forever. I'm turning 13 soon, I can't just sit around while everyone else is fighting monsters, doing stupid selfless acts and saving the world. I appreciate all you've done for me but really, you can't hide me forever."

"I know. I just… Every time I even consider letting you fight, I remember the night I met you…"

Two years ago San Francisco, around midnight

Nico Di Angelo always liked nighttime. Not because of the parties or the opportunities for mischief, but because he blended in with the darkness, because all was quiet, and mostly because it was easier to shadow travel. As he walked through San Francisco for about the tenth time that month, he heard something unusual. It was a kind of terrified whimper. Then all of a sudden, a scream of terror reached his ears. Usually, Nico would've walked away, pretended not to have heard anything, after all, that was how he was expected to be, cold, heartless, and scary. Perhaps it was the need to release pressure, or maybe he just felt particularly chivalrous in that moment, whatever it was, something made him go to the rescue of the person in need. He followed the screams to an alleyway that somehow seemed darker that the rest of the city, if that was even possible. He was met with the sight of a 10 foot tall Cyclops towering over the small figure of a girl who looked about ten and was clearly wounded. Her arm was bleeding and her leg looked broken. Her clothes were ripped at her sides and covered in blood. It was clear she was in pain from the way she was hugging her stomach. Taking advantage of the fact none of the two had noticed him, he quickly disposed of the monster and turned to the girl. Now that he was closer, he was able to register her appearance. She had long light brown hair speckled with gold that cascaded in waves along her back, and when she looked at him, he was met with the brightest emerald eyes he had ever seen. She was beautiful, even with the blood covering half her hair and the scratches on her face and hands. "Who are you?" She was trying to sound brave and intimidating, but Nico heard the fear in her voice; a kind of fear that only comes from being attacked repeatedly. "You're hurt. You need to stop that bleeding." He said that as gently as he could, but when he tried to get closer, the girl just dragged herself away. "Look, I promise, I am not here to hurt you. I killed that Cyclops remember? Besides, you really need to do something about that bleeding and you can't walk." He said that thinking it would make her agree, but he was proven wrong when she spoke again. "Who are you?" gods, that girl was stubborn!

"Nico, Nico Di Angelo."

"You don't look like an angel."

"What?"

"Di Angelo means "Of Angel" but you don't look like an angel, quite the opposite actually." Nico gave her his famous Death Glare which for some reason only made her laugh.

"You just proved my point. I'm Lyra Shimmer."

"Well, Lyra Shimmer, will you let me fix you up now or do you want to bleed to death on this dirty floor?"

She didn't say anything but didn't flinch when Nico went to take care of her arm. He looked around and found her bag that contained several T-shirts and, for some reason, a guitar. He took one of the T-shirts and showed it to her. "Do you need this?" When she shook her head, he tore it to make bandages and stop the bleeding. While he was working, Lyra began singing to herself, she was clearly in pain, but just as he finished wrapping the bandages, something happened. A glow that blinded him came from above her head and when it subsided, a lyre shone above her head, and she turned around just in time to see it before it disappeared. It took her about a minute to recover and start asking questions "Was that a lyre? Where did it come from? What does it mean? Does it happen often? WHERE ARE WE GOING? PUT ME DOWN!"

Nico chuckled lightly before answering her questions while walking. "Well first, I'll guess you never knew your real father." At her look of shock he continued, "You know how in ancient Greece and in the Roman Empire people believed in gods? Well those gods exist, and your father is one of them."

"But, that can't be right. I mean, the Greeks and Romans used those myths to explain nature, but science proved them wrong no?"

"I know it sounds ridiculous, but you saw that Cyclops, and you saw whatever other monsters attacked you before that. It's real, all of it, the good parts and the bad."

"That's right, Di Angelo"

Nico turned around to see who had spoken, only to see the handsome face of Apollo looking, not at him, but at the little girl in his arms. Nico put her down gently and bowed. "Rise son of Hades. Thank you for taking her."

"Since when do you care?"

"Angel, who's that?" The little girl was so quiet, Nico barely heard her. He gave her another death glare, which made her giggle, before looking at the god in front of him expectantly, waiting for him to answer.

"Lyra, I'm your father. I am sorry for not visiting, but really I had to. I watched over you for the past ten years, even if you didn't see me; I was there every step of the way. And I'm proud of you. I really am. Your talents are extraordinary; of all my children, you're the only one with that much talent."

"Who are you? What god?"

"I think you already know that. In any case, don't judge people before getting to know them, no matter what others might tell you about that person. Remember that." He smiled and started glowing. Nico quickly told Lyra to look away as Apollo revealed his true form and disappeared. When he was gone, she reached into her bag and pulled out her guitar, and for the first time, Nico noticed the engraving on it: APOLLO. "Come on, we have to get you somewhere safe" he said as he picked her up again and continued his journey to Camp Jupiter.

A minute later, Lyra had placed her guitar back in her bag and asked him, "So you're the son of the god of death?"

"Well, the underworld really, but yes, I am."

"That is so cool!"

"Believe me, it's not."

Just then, without warning, she hugged him. Nico stopped walking, shocked, and she whispered, "Thank you"

"You're welcome" he said as he resumed walking. They spent the rest of the walk to Camp Jupiter in silence. They spent about a week there, enough time for Lyra to recover, and when it was time for Nico to leave, she went along. Not fitting in at either camp, she accompanied him everywhere he went, except the Underworld.

A few minutes later,

"That is pretty much what happened." Nico had just finished telling the person who was like a sister to him what had happened during the quest, when an IM appeared with the face of none other than Will Solace. "Will! Thank you so much for taking care of that idiot."

"No problem sis, but guys you better come back. We just got another prophecy."

"Shit. That doesn't sound good. We'll be there as fast as I can."

"You got it Death Boy. See you." Will smiled as he ended the call. Nico had an unusual look on his face and Lyra looked at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Angel, as she had taken to calling him, was more of a big brother to her than anyone else. He had always been there for her, and she had been there for him, even when he pushed everyone away, he eventually got used to the fact that nothing could convince her to leave him when he was in pain, being physically or emotionally. Really, all Lyra wanted was for him to be happy, and if that happiness came from being around her brother Will, then so be it. She didn't tell him that though, didn't even let him know she knew. He would tell her when he was ready, just like he always did. She took his hand, and together, they shadow traveled to Camp Half-Blood.

A/N: WOOHOO! First chapter of first story ever! I don't know if it's any good, you'll have to tell me. I'll try to update as soon as possible but no promises. In any case REVIEW!

XOXO