1. Feeling Safe Yet?
He's been here for a very long time. I arrived at camp, probably, about three years ago and he was here. In fact, he had been in the Big House the first time I had walked into it. He would disappear for long periods of time, and then suddenly re-appear, always keeping to the shadows, but I always noticed him.
We only shared a glance once, about two years ago. After that, he never spared me another one. That is, until a few weeks ago. It was weird, seeing as he never even looked in my direction before. Now, I caught him looking at me. Several times, in fact.
I tried smiling a few times, hell, I even waved once, but he either looked away or kept staring. Sometimes he wasn't even looking at me, but something next to me or behind me when there was nothing there.
One night, while I was at the campfire singing songs with my siblings, I saw him again, hiding at the edge of the forest. That's it.
"I'll be right back," I said as I stood up.
"Yeah sure," Jimmy said, and continued playing his flute. I walked over to him, the whole time he never broke eye contact.
"Hey," I said, trying to sound casual. He said nothing.
"Um… would you like to join us at the campfire?" He quickly looked behind me and back.
"No." I fidgeted.
"You sure? We have s'mores" I said, trying to hopefully win him over with food. He didn't even twitch.
"No thanks." I scratched my head.
"Well, okay. See you around, Nico." I turned back, feeling so stupid when suddenly I was tackled to the ground. I shrieked, but a hand on my mouth cut it short. I smacked the ground and when I looked up, I saw Nico. He was straddling me, with his wicked sword pointed outward. I smacked at his hands and squirmed until he finally sheathed his sword and stood up.
"What is your problem?!" I spat, shaking off the dirt off my jean shorts.
"I was trying to save your life," he growled. I scoffed.
"Dude, we're in the middle of Camp Half Blood! Who would try and kill me here?" I said, raising my hands. He took a step forward and raised his fingers like he was scolding a child.
"First, yes, you can absolutely be killed here because I had a friend who was kindly mauled by a summoned hellhound. Feel safe yet? Second, I have no idea who tried to kill you."
"Then why the hell did you attack me?!"
"Because if I hadn't tackled you, the damn spirit would've killed you!" I opened my mouth to argue, but then I narrowed my eyes.
"Child of Hades thing?" He rolled his eyes.
"Yes. Look, you've had some spirit following you for the past two weeks," he said, like it was completely normal. Now I was understanding what people found so creepy about him.
"And you just decided to tell me this now?"
"Look, spirits following the living isn't necessarily uncommon. They usually know the person, so I didn't think the spirit following was going to do anything until now when it almost sucked the life out of you."
I cringed, crinkling my nose. That was not a pleasant sight.
"Well, what do you want me to do?"
"Right now, we can't really do anything until we found out who's been following you and who wants you dead. So, for now, just stick around me. I'm the only one here who can protect you, mostly because I'm the only person who can see the damn thing."
"Comforting." Totally not imagining meeting Nico like this, I turned back to the campfire. A hand clamped around my arm, stopping me from taking my next step.
"I am not going to that campfire," Nico said. I rolled my eyes.
"For gods' sakes, why not?" I said, as he let go. The fire reflected in his eyes like little balls of flashing light as he stared at the campfire, still bustling with the children of Apollo and a few other demigods that enjoyed the music and s'mores.
"I don't do too well around groups of people," he said.
"Well, they're nice. No doubt they'll let you watch the same way they let the Ares kid watch," I said.
"Let me rephrase then, people don't do well around me."
"Oh come on," I said, taking another longing glance in the direction of my siblings. "Where else am I going to go?"
"Stay in the Hades cabin." I took a step back.
"Um, we're not supposed to stay in other cabins, especially when one is a girl and the other is a boy!"
"These are special circumstances," he said seriously. I sighed.
"At least let me tell Jimmy I won't be in today," I grumbled, as I walked back to the campfire. Jimmy was still playing his flute, his blonde hair flickering in the fire. I tapped his shoulder. He stopped and looked at me. I leaned and whispered, so no one else would find out about my staying in Nico's cabin. I loved my siblings, but they sometimes spread rumors like forest fires. If they knew my life was in supposed danger, they'd have my back, but I could only guess Nico didn't want anyone to know.
"I feel sick, Jim. Chiron said I could spend the night in the Big House." He looked at me in surprise.
"Karen, have you forgotten we're children of Apollo?" he said, his smile louder than laughter. I smacked his shoulder.
"And I hurt my ankle," I added.
"Look, if you wanted to spend a secret night with a guy, all you had to do was tell me. I understand, I've had a few flings with girls myself," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
"First off, ew… Second, no, it's not a guy. Just… don't expect my bed to be full tonight," I said. He nodded, then winked playfully. Rolling my eyes, I turned back to see that Nico had stayed where he was. When I was five feet from him, he turned and started walking to the big assortment of cabins.
I jogged up to him and then walked at his space.
"So, how do you propose we figure out my secret murderer?" I asked.
"I have no idea," he said. I scoffed.
"So, I'm just stuck with you until a light bulb turns on over your head?"
"You make it sound like a curse. I figured the way you've looked at me since you arrived at camp would make this a dream come true." I felt like I'd been slapped in the face. Once the shock subsided, my face felt hot and I hoped he wouldn't see my red cheeks in the darkness.
"You should be so lucky," I said, trying to hang on to my dignity. Sure, maybe I fantasized meeting the son of Hades many times before, but it's not like I ever expected it to happen. I didn't say anything else, until we arrived at his cabin. Besides the Aphrodite cabin, I'd never entered another one besides my own before. I wasn't even sure what to expect of the Hades cabin. It was built after the Second Titan War. That was about as much as I knew about it. It wasn't as big as the other Big Three cabins were, but it was still bigger than most. It was a big square, with two long columns on either side holding up a frieze carved with the different levels of the Underworld; Elysium, Asphodel, Fields of Punishment, and many others, also including the judges that decided what a soul was worth. There were only two windows, both opaque, on either side of two silver double doors.
"Fancy," I murmured, as we walked up the few wide steps it had and onto the porch.
"It's the very definition of homey," he said, as he yanked one of the silver doors open. Cold air blew out, giving my chills. It felt like I was walking into a void I'd never come back from. As we walked in, Nico flipped a switch and dim, yellow lights turned on. It was a huge foyer with a shiny black marble floor and dark purple walls. On the right wall, one long dark purple couch lay with small dressers on either side of it. On the wall directly in front of me, there was a huge rectangular frame that was made of silver with jewels, emeralds and rubies mostly, decorating it. But what was inside in the portrait made me uneasy. It was all black, with unrecognizable faces pushing against it sometimes and then moving around in a grey swirl.
"I'm guessing you were sarcastic when you said homey," I said, trying to pull my eyes away from the moving portrait.
"Gee, you think?" Nico mumbled. He pointed at the left wall.
"The first door is the dormitory, not many beds since, as you know, Big Three children shouldn't even exist," Nico said, sounding way too bitter as he said that last part. He pointed at the next door, that was probably ten feet down the wall. "Bathroom, only one, unfortunately. And that's all the Cabin of Hades has to offer," he said, finishing his sentence with a grimace. I realized, though, there was one more door at the end of the wall.
"But what's that one?" I asked, pointing at it.
"That one is none of your business," he said. I bit my lip. Staying here will just be lovely.
"Now," he said, walking towards the dormitory, "pick any bed that is not mine and make yourself comfortable." He opened the silver door and flipped another switch. The dim yellow light revealed only three beds, their headboards against the opposite wall. I figured the one on the very right was his since it was ruffled up. And knowing how much he loves company, I chose the bed on the farthest left.
I kicked my shoes off and slipped under the covers, not pleased I'm sleeping in my jean shorts and red tank top, but he certainly didn't offer to let me get stuff from my own cabin. As I curled up in bed, because there was nothing else I could do, he also got in bed. The light switched off, plunging me into darkness.
"Hey Nico? What if that demon spirit thingy comes during the night?" I asked, my voice sounding like a foghorn in the almost empty bedroom.
"Got it covered," he said. I was about to ask him what when the ground started to shake. It was a very soft rumbling. I sat up to see a dim white glow that revealed the black floor breaking up. The glow grew brighter as a skeleton, missing a hand and his jaw unhinged on one side, rose from the ground. The floor sealed back together seamlessly, leaving the glowing skeleton.
"Ole Skelly here will keep us company for the night."
"And you trust that thing?" In the dim glow, I could see Nico's glare perfectly. "Yeah, sure, I trust it too," I mumbled, as I lay back in bed, turning towards the window to keep my eyes off the skeleton. I would not get a peaceful night's sleep with a skeleton in the same room.
The next morning, I was up just as the sun began to penetrate the dark purple curtains covering the window. I crawled out of bed and opened the window, letting the sunlight in. It tickled my skin and energized me just like it did every morning.
"Argh!" a muffled yelp sounded behind me. I turned to see Nico pull the sheets over his head.
"What's with the sun?" he grumbled from under the sheets.
"Hmm, I wonder if it has something to do with being a daughter of Apollo, the uh, Sun God."
"Yeah well, you're in the Underworld God's cabin, so could you do me the favor and close the damn curtains?" Sighing in frustration, I yanked them closed again. He crawled out of his bed, wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of black board shorts I hadn't even seen him change into. His hair was up in tufts and his feet bare.
"I kind of imagined you sleeping like a vampire, you know, wearing funeral clothes to bed." He looked up, his morning glare every bit the same as his annoyed glare.
"So you imagined me sleeping?" he said. He looked serious, but I could hear the teasing undertone. My skin suddenly felt hot again and I hoped he wouldn't see my red cheeks.
"You should be so lucky," I murmured, as I picked up my shoes and shuffled into the foyer. I heard his deep chuckle behind me, but I ignored it as I plopped onto the only couch in the cabin. Nico walked out, still in his bed clothes.
"Aren't you changing?" I asked, as I slipped my foot into my Vans.
"Uh, no. Why do you think no one ever sees me during the day? I stay inside. That's the vampire side of me," he said, as he slouched on the couch as well. Blowing out my mouth, I kicked my shoe off again and pulled my legs up.
"So… what do you do all day, then?" Suddenly, I got a flash of me and Nico making out on the couch that almost made me drool. I snapped out of it, feeling hot all over again. Just my luck to have a major crush on the creepy dude that probably hates me. He looked over at me, his sleepy brown eyes bore into mine.
"Nothing." I raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing? At all?" He pursed his lips.
"Nope." I moaned as I let my head fall into my hands. This was going to be so boring!
"Oh please, come on. You can't keep me locked up in here," I pleaded.
"Puppy dog eyes don't work on me, Karen," he said. I blinked and then felt stupid. Ever since Jimmy and I had been put together, I always used "puppy dog eyes" to make him do whatever I wanted. The perks of being the little sister… your big bro has trouble saying no as soon as you flutter your lashes.
"Erm, habit," I muttered. He chuckled.
"I have a sister who does that all the time. Unfortunately, she's gotten me a few times…" he said, shaking his head like he was reminiscing. It seemed odd to see him smile like that. I had never even seen his teeth for the three years he'd been milling about the camp, not to mention the people who'd known him longer said he never smiled ever since his older sister had died. Maybe he'd been dark for a long time, but even the people had to admit that there was something different about him now.
"Hazel?" I asked. He nodded. Hazel had visited fairly often, mostly to see Nico. She was a major hero among both camps, especially because Percy had spoken so much of her.
"Okay, this is fun. If I'm your captive, how about we play twenty questions? Oh! How about Truth or Dare?" I said, clapping my thighs.
"No way." I frowned.
"You're really boring," I said, crossing my arms.
"So I've been told."
"You know, I'm probably going to sneak out, right?" I said.
"Yep." I squinted at him. "Good luck trying to get out." Still squinting at him, I got up, my bare feet touching the cold marble floor and walked over to the door. I tugged the door, but it didn't even budge. I skipped into the dormitory and tugged the window, nothing. I stomped back out, not very threatening with the smack, smack of my feet. He smirked.
"Funny. Very funny," I said, putting my hands on my hips. "Come on!" He shook his head and put his hands behind his head. Narrowing my eyes, I walked over and stomped on his foot. He didn't even flinch. Why would he? I wasn't wearing any shoes to inflict any pain, at all.
"Good try, though," he said. He then leaned his elbows on his thighs. "Look, tonight, we're going to summon up that spirit and talk to it. Until then, just sit tight." I plopped on the couch again. This was going to be a very long day.
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