Return what was found, return what was lost

by themagnificentwarlock

Fine, fine, fine. Just when he thought he was going to be. Had he not suffered enough? The prophecy spoke of shadows, of a hunter willingly slain, of a guardian's remains. Bianca's death- it should have stopped there. Now... He had to go back.

Three shall go west and find the guard's remains,

He knew was this was about- he'd dreamt it, many nights ago, alone in his cabin with his heart pounding and his skin clammy as the nightmare flashed through his mind over and over over over until he screamed.

A memory of death and a hunter willingly slain,

The smell of blood and death, metallic and black and pungent, a hurried promise to sea-green eyes as the chaos of an unfair fight whirled around them. "If anything happens, give that to Nico. Tell him… tell him I'm sorry."

"Bianca, no!"

The shadow, the forge and the mist will find,

Cold seeped into his clothes, his bones, ghosts whispered into his ears, pulled him into the shadows he waded through. Then there was blue sky, clouds, sun, the grass under his hands and feet, the ground under his cheek as he lost consciousness.

Near the sun and a thief of sound mind,

"Nico? Nico?"

"Get a medic!"

Return what was found, return what was lost,

His own soft, strangled voice. "I'm fine."

Fine, fine, fine. Just when he thought he was going to be.

And one will suffer whatever the cost.

Had he not suffered enough? The prophecy spoke of shadows, of a hunter willingly slain, of a guardian's remains. Bianca's death- it should have stopped there. Now- he had to go back.

The bile rose in his throat and he thought he would pass out.

"Seriously, Chiron, I'm fine," Nico di Angelo opened his dark eyes, and regarded the centaur with the calmest expression he could muster.

"Are you sure, son of Hades?" Chiron pointedly eyed the chair he was sitting on, and travelled towards the pale, thin hand that gripped the armrest, "You almost passed out."

"I don't need a medic. Just give me a minute." The centaur looked like he wanted to protest, but Nico was no longer a camper he could tell what to do. Going through Tartarus single-handedly and as a demigod was something that owed up respect from even the oldest of teachers.

Deep breaths, deep breaths, that was what Will Solace had taught him. Bring the oxygen back to the brain, and let everything relax. Breath in, count to seven, hold it for eight, breath out for another five.

"Where did Rachel go?"

Chiron went silent. "She went to get a medic."

He swore. "Schist."

"Language, Nico," the centaur told him off, trotting on the spot nervously. It took a lot for Chiron to get nervous, but he probably felt the dark mood that had surrounded Nico. He knew from experience that centaurs- especially one to have trained heroes throughout the ages- were generally more sensitive to ones mood.

"Could you repeat the prophecy?"

Chiron cleared his throat.

"Three shall go west and find the guard's remains,

A memory of death and a huntress willingly slain,

The shadow, the forge and the mist will find,

Near the sun and a thief of sound mind,

Return what was found, return what was lost,

And one will suffer whatever the cost."

The silence that fell over the room was louder than Nico could have expected, and he was the first to break it, chest as heavy as lead.

"Three shall go west, guardian's remains, hunter willingly slain. This is about Hephaestus's junkyard, right? About Bianca?" He visibly swallowed.

"I believe so, my boy." Chiron's face was grave. "You've heard the stories of what happened, I assume?"

Nico decided not to mention the dream he'd had while his sister had been on her quest. "I have. Return what was found, return what was lost. What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not sure, but… Nico, what has happened, has happened. I don't think that line means bringing back Bianca."

"I hadn't even thought of that." It was the truth- Nico had accepted long ago that his sister was dead. That had never been the problem. Anyways, he had Hazel now. Bianca had chosen to be reborn.

Nico continued musing over the lines as he fiddled with polished wood on the armrest. "The shadow, the forge and the mist will find. I'm assuming that means me, a son or daughter of Hephaestus and… Hecate? The three to go on this quest."

Chiron stopped walking slow circles around the room and crossed his arms, looking down at the dark, beaten down figure of Nico di Angelo as he slumped over in the chair and buried his hands in his hair. Frustration and anger radiated out of him.

"I assume that is what it means, Nico. Who would you like to request?"

"I'd like to talk to them first, actually."

"Alright. When you would like to leave?"

He looked up. "Sunrise tomorrow."

The rest were all technicalities- Chiron would Iris message Percy Jackson, asking him where Hephaestus's junkyard was situated, Argus would drive them the first few miles out of camp. They didn't talk about the last three lines, except for Chiron advising him what he advised to every camped on a quest- never read too much into a prophecy.

Yet Nico couldn't help himself.

Near the sun and a thief of sound mind,

A thief of sound mind. He could only associate that to some form of betrayal, something to be stolen. The sun… according to Percy, Hephaestus's junkyard had been barren, empty. Something to be stolen in the junkyard. Nico shuddered at what that could mean.

Return what was found, return what was lost,

How were they supposed to return something that he had lost? What had he even found there in the first place? Why couldn't a prophecy be simple? Do this, do that, get back alive. Easy.

And one will suffer whatever the cost.

That scared him the most. Even if he wasn't the one suffering…

Bang!

Nico jumped out of his chair as the door to the Big House swung open with a crash. Will Solace, chest heaving and face red from exertion stood in the doorway, bent over and holding his sides.

"Hey Chiron, "he huffed, "Hey Nico. Rachel said you needed a medic?"

Chiron frowned and avoided Nico's eyes as he glared at the centaur. "Ah, Will. No, it's quite alright, the situation has passed." He turned to the son of Hades. "Nico, if you could pass by the Hephaestus and Hecate cabins?"

"I'll inform you of my choices as soon as possible."

Chiron nodded as Nico left, barging past Will Solace with a small smile. The healer stared after him, and after a small dismissal by Chiron, followed him down the porch steps.

"What was that about? What choices?"

Leave it to Will to ask the questions. "I'm going on a quest."

The son of Apollo promptly stopped in his tracks and grabbed onto his arm, forcing him to turn around and look him in the eyes. Nico avoided them, staring down at the grass. Confrontation was one thing. Confrontation with Will was another. "You just came back."

"The war was a month ago, Will," he muttered, fiddling with the hilt of his sword.

"Yeah, but…" the blonde frowned," … you aren't even healed yet."

"I'm leaving tomorrow."

Will spluttered. "You have got to be kidding me. You can't be going. Let someone else go."

"The prophecy mentioned shadows."

He frowned, and Nico was starting to get annoyed. He was going on this quest, stupid healers be damned. "That could be anyone. Hazel."

"Pluto. She's more for the riches." Nico winced at the thought of his half-sister going on another quest. He would not allow Hazel to take his place. "Either way, there were some things in there that mean I have to go."

"Prophecies are vague. It can't have specifically mentioned you," the son of Apollo protested. Nico was getting more and more annoyed by the second. Why couldn't he just drop it? Will was his friend, but honestly, Nico had been through worse and survived.

"It didn't. It mentioned my sister."

Will gestured around wildly. "Hazel. Why would that mean that you have to-"

"Bianca, not Hazel. Bianca was…"

They'd talked about a lot, while Nico was in the infirmary after the war. A sort of bond had formed between the two- Will had been through more, seen more than he let on, and Nico could relate. They'd never spoken about Bianca, though. He didn't even know if Will remembered he had a sister. Despite everything, she was still such a sensitive subject that it made Nico's chest feel hollow every time he thought of her, and made him feel close to crying whenever she was barely mentioned.

He stopped crying long ago; back when Minos had been his guide and the maze had been his world, the ghosts the wandered through his subjects. When the walls closed in on his mind and the shadows had been his friend and enemy.

"Oh." Will's voice gave nothing away, and Nico continued walking (maybe he couldn't outrun things, but he could walk away from them). Will decided to follow him anyways.

"What else did the prophecy say?"

Sometimes he was like an insistent puppy, always wanting to know this and that. Maybe that had been what had made someone like him head of the Apollo cabin.

"The shadow, the forge and the mist will find."

"That's really not vague, is it?" he said.

"Don't be an idiot, Solace," Nico sighed, "The forge is someone from Hephaestus."

"Leo isn't back yet."

"I wasn't planning on bringing him back from the dead, you idiot. I'm asking Nyssa."

The son of Apollo frowned. "Why Nyssa? You hardly know her."

"I know she's dependable." That was true. Nico had seen how she had kept up her cabin while the curse plagued them, kept them from quitting after the thousandth malfunction. She had been there during the first days in the infirmary (two broken arms), and hadn't complained once. If he had to choose a child of Hephaestus, he'd choose Nyssa.

"And the mist? That's Hecate, right?" Styx, did he have to explain everything to the son of Apollo.

"Lou Ellen."

The healer stopped in his tracks for the second time and stared at him, sky-blue eyes wide. "You can't be taking Lou Ellen."

"I'm afraid I am, Solace. She's got a way with the mist. It's the same thing as Nyssa- if I had to choose a camper from that cabin, I'd rather take her." Plus, Lou Ellen didn't seem to be terrified of him, or hate his guts. That was always a plus point. Also, "She's got pig bombs."

"Pig bombs aren't going to save you, Nico."

"Pig. Bombs. Pig bombs, Solace," he insisted, trying to get the healer to smile. If he could just make him laugh- maybe then he'd finally let him go.

Will didn't look convinced. "I just don't like the idea of any of you going on a quest. This is the first one since the war- who knows what could happen!"

"Stop being such a mother hen. I'm not going to lead them to the Underworld." Although, if he had no choice… Nico dismissed the idea. They wouldn't have to go that far. He wouldn't let it.

Nico continued. "Would you rather I go alone then? It's impossible to fight prophecies- you should know that."

"At least take me with you. I'm a healer- what if someone gets hurt?"

Damn Will Solace. Damn him. All he wanted to do was get this quest over with. He didn't need him fussing. None of his other friends would've been this adamant on him not going- hesitant maybe, but just like himself, they would've known he'd been through worse. Unfortunately, Will Solace didn't.

"No one's going to get hurt. I'll shadow-travel if I have to."

"No. No no no," Will held up his hands like he was about to run away, "You are not doing that shadow thing again."

"It's a last resort, Solace. And the prophecy said Three shall go west. Not Three shall go west, followed by a really annoying son of Apollo who won't leave them alone."

"But-"

"No buts, Solace. I'm going on this quest, and if Lou Ellen and Nyssa want to follow me, they can."

"Nico, at lea-"

"No."

And then Nico stalked away, heading towards the Hecate cabin.

Will Solace didn't follow him, and he didn't look back.

The Hecate cabin, cabin number twenty, was silent. Nico let his hands trail over the smooth, obsidian stones; let his fingers softly touch the engravings. The Hecate cabin reminded him of some parts of Hades's palace. Green fire flickered from torches in the doorway.

When Nico crossed the threshold, he realized that the reason the cabin had probably been a silencing spell. It was mayhem. One of Lou Ellen's younger siblings shoved him out of the way as he darted out the door, hair aflame. Nico watched, fascinated, as the flame sizzled out the moment it left the vicinity of the cabin.

Briefly, he felt an ounce of sympathy for the poor boy, but then a voice arose from the bunk beds and workbenches. "Hey, di Angelo!"

"How'd you know it was me?"

A mop of short, black hair appeared as Lou Ellen swung her away around one of the beds. "Hecate cabin. Identification spells work a charm." She hung on with one arm and looked at him upside down.

Nico always felt like Lou Ellen was about to destroy the ever-loving underworld out of him. With big, bright green eyes- the color of poison- they seemed to look him up and down and up and down, flitting back and forth. Unflatteringly said, she reminded him of a bug. A very nice, slightly destructive bug, with eyes too big for her face.

"Lou. I have a very important question."

"If you want a pig bomb, outta those," she said, then noticed Nico's confusion. "Oh, come on. I know you love them."

"That's not what I was here about. How do you feel about going on a quest?"

Lou Ellen stared at him for a long moment. Then she slowly let go of the bed she was hanging off and straightened herself up. Dusting it off first as if it might contain dangerous magic, she held it towards Nico.

He shook it, feeling the cool skin tingle against his hand. Lou Ellen never seemed devoid of magic.

"On one condition."

Nico smiled, secretly afraid. "Name it."

"I get to keep whichever enemy I turn into a pig."

Oh, Hades.