Disclaimer: I do not own PJO

Hey guys! New chapter, way longer. Oh yeah, can you guys review? I tend to adore them. Remember, there is no romance here. I repeat, no romance.

Chapter 1

Cleve Hautson's ever-changing eyes nearly popped out of his head. A dragon? A fleece of gold? What was this place? In the distance, he saw strawberry fields, youngsters playing in the sun, and...goat creatures? Guarding this haven was a copper-colored dragon, curled up around a tree, with a golden hide of a sheep dangling on a flimsy looking branch.

Cleve was curious, and the more he waited, the more fidgety he got. Was he seeing things? He cradled his head. He'd just gotten surgery again for his golden locks. Nowadays, he was more cautious about his looks, always wondering when his first streak of gray would appear. Yes...it must be the implant. The hair implant must've somehow triggered the hallucinations.

Then he couldn't take it any more. He raced toward the border, not caring about the dragon roaring at him. He had to find out what this was all about. He had to.

Travis Stoll was the first to spot Cleve. In his eyes, he saw a gorgeous looking teen about his age (man, was he jealous!) dashing away from the guardian of Camp Half-Blood, a wild look in his eyes. The teen's eyes seemed to have hosted many colors in their lifetime. But right now, they were so sky blue; they seemed artificial—unlike the hunter Thalia's eyes.

"Hey!" Travis called frantically. "Intruder! Hot teen coming through!"

All the people of Camp Half-Blood turned their gaze toward Cleve Hautson. There were many different reactions, but they all had the same goal: capture the trespasser.

And in the end, they succeeded. Cleve was now gagged and trussed up like chicken. Everyone was ogling at him, wondering what he was. Some said he was a monster, while others disagreed. How could he be a monster? Monsters couldn't be smart enough to breach their security. Others claimed he was a demigod, a son of Aphrodite, of course. Even the Athena children couldn't figure out what Cleve was.

What they didn't know, was that Cleve was just a clear-sighted mortal.

That's when Percy went to get Nico.

Nico strolled briskly through the procession of demigods. They'd scattered into two lines, leaving a clear space for Nico to walk into. It may have seemed honorable, but Nico knew the truth. They feared him. He was a son of Hades, the god of the dead. His ears could pick up whispering and from the corners of his eyes, he could catch them gawking at him like he was some kind of animal.

He was just a thirteen year old boy. Nothing special.

When he reached the very end, all he saw was a teenager about the same age as Percy, tied up, his eyes darting back and forth for an escape.

"Can you tell what he is?" asked Percy.

"Isn't it obvious? It's a teenage boy," said Nico. He couldn't sense anything dangerous about this guy.

"No." Percy shook his head. "I meant, like, if he's a monster."

Nico shrugged. "I'll try then."

He placed his hand on Cleve's head. Cleve desperately wanted to protest against the pale hand on his golden tresses, but when he saw the determined fire in the younger boy's eyes, he stopped. This kid was touchy, judging by the three foot sword strapped on his back.

Nico concentrated on focusing his energy through the adolescent's head. Push, he thought. Push the energy through his body.

Nico closed his eyes and ran a check through Cleve's body. Nothing. He wasn't even a demigod. He was a mortal.

His body snapped back and his eyes fluttered open. All the demigods were gaping at him again. That's when Nico realized his body was crackling with pure black force, and Cleve's body was exactly the opposite, pulsing with white.

Nico caught his breath. "No. I didn't find anything. He's just a mortal."

A wave of murmurs brushed the crowd again.

"Then if he's a mortal, how did he come here?" Annabeth declared.

"He's clear-sighted." It really was simple. How could they not figure out that this juvenile was just a clear-sighted mortal?

Annabeth frowned; obviously miffed by the fact someone had seen it before her. Especially someone younger than her. "We still aren't sure. Someone should keep watch on him."

Nico knew Percy would make a sacrifice like that. He snuck a peek at Percy, whose expression was verging toward the border of misery. I'll help him, thought Nico. I'll do it.

"I'll do it." Everyone blinked in surprise. Nico wasn't exactly known for his cooperation.

Percy smiled. As he passed, he whispered to Nico, "Thanks for saving my date with Annabeth."

When all of them were gone, Nico groaned. He'd done this...for a date?

Cleve crept a sideways glance at the boy sitting next to him, whose knees were scrunched up to his chest. The boy looked okay, he guessed. Not as handsome compared to himself, of course. Cleve considered himself the most hottest person on the planet. No, not the planet. The entire universe!

A girl from the Aphrodite cabin came. She's not so bad looking herself, thought Cleve. She was carrying two plates of food, one for the kid and one for Cleve. She set them down in front of the pair. The boy—Nico they called him—mumbled a "thanks" and half-heartedly dug into his food.

Well Cleve...he couldn't eat. Even after all those hours, they still hadn't liberated him from his shackles. His hands were starting to cramp and his lips were starting to chap from the gag. When—if—he got out of this mess, he would have to consult his surgeon for new implants again for his hair, lotion, and the best Chap Stick he could get his hands on.

Before the girl left, she winked at Cleve. Cleve made an inhuman noise from the back of his throat, but the girl didn't seem to detect it.

Cleve was starving. His stomach was rumbling under his six-pack, which he had half gotten from working out, and half gotten from months of painful surgery. He decided to bribe the boy. He'd heard the mob of crazy people mutter about him. Lots of rumors and talk about this chap. It wouldn't be too hard to use this information against him, right?

Cleve made a guttural sound again. This time, the kid turned his head to acknowledge Cleve.

"You need to eat, don't you?" The boy's lips gave a tight-lipped smile, which made him more or less resemble a vampire.

Cleve nodded his head wildly like dog, which made the boy's grin disappear. Nico pulled off the gag none too gently from Cleve's jaw. Cleve sighed gratefully.

"Hey." Cleve's voice was...hoarse! He needed water! If he had a chance to trade this kid for water, he'd do it in a split second. "Untie me! I need to eat!"

Nico fumbled with the ropes, which were cutting themselves into Cleve's wrists. Cleve wanted to tell the kid to "HURRY UP!", but that might ruin his chance of getting dinner.

Meanwhile, Nico was wondering if Cleve was thinking about escape. Well, that probably couldn't happen since Cleve's feet were roped too, unless he rolled away. Nico imagined Cleve rolling away from Camp Half-Blood. Not a pretty sight.

Maybe if Cleve played his cards right, he could get away from these mad people. Yes, that's what he would do. Manipulate the boy until he untied his feet.

Once again, Nico was eating slowly, thinking. All Cleve had to do was start conversation.

Act natural, thought Cleve.

"Hey kid."

Nico spun his head around to face Cleve.

"I know how to bring your sister back...Bianca, isn't it?" Cleve noticed the boy's eyes getting wider every second.

"How?" Finally, the kid was talking. It would be easier to control the boy if he was talking.

"You have to get..." Cleve thought about all the Greek mythology he knew. The camp was based on the Greeks, right?

"You have to get a pomegranate."

"...A pomegranate?"

"Yes, a pomegranate from the underworld, Persephone's garden for the best results. Feed it to your sister's spirit, and she will come back to life!" Of course, these were all lies, made up by Cleve Hautson himself.

Nico couldn't believe his ears. This guy was actually giving him information to bring Bianca back to life! He didn't notice that Cleve knew his sister's name. He didn't care that he barely knew him, and that he was a mortal. He was going to bring Bianca back from the dead!

"You see," Cleve rambled on. "The pomegranate chains every living soul to the Underworld, right?"

Nico nodded.

"So, feed it to a dead spirit, their chains will be unbound, and they will live! Exactly the opposite, eh?"

Nico smiled. "Thanks."

Then the boy ran away, without releasing Cleve.

That's when Cleve realized he'd forgotten to tell the kid to free him in exchange for the fake facts.

"Darn it."

Nico ran to the Hades Cabin. It was the best place to shadow travel to the Underworld in Camp Half-Blood. It had a connection to it like no other.

That teenager sure was helpful. And nice too. Nico decided to search up some Greek Mythology when he could get his hands on a computer. He'd never heard of that legend before.

Nico positioned himself in the center of the obsidian black cabin. He would teleport to Persephone's garden for the pomegranate and make his way to Elysium from there.

Just when all his concentration and strength had been stored up enough to shadow travel, the door opened. The light was near blinding, and all that energy he'd collected was released.

"Nico?" Percy's voice carried itself through the structure.

"Oh. Hey Percy... Why are you here?" Why did Percy have to burst in at the last moment?

"Just to thank you again…you know. For the date…with Annabeth..." Percy's voice trailed off.

Then Percy noticed the black power surrounding Nico, the sweat beading on his brow.

"Nico, where are you going?" Percy said, his tone skittering along the edge of panic.

"I'm sorry Percy. You'll understand later. I'll come back. I promise."

Nico melted in with the shadows and Percy was left alone in the dark, lonely cabin.