Chapter Three: The Ceremony and the Perfect Council

I was surprised that I actually enjoyed the school. I was still no closer to finding the two half-bloods if they even were here. During equestrian Professor Lenobia explained that horses and cats were close to Nyx. I had a cat of my own, but I don't think the people here would like him. The horses just reminded me of Percy.

On the walk back to the dorm I decided I wanted answers. "Okay so this ceremony, explain please." Damian nodded and opened the door to our dorm and sat down on his bed.

"Okay, the ceremony that we are headed to now be a school ceremony in which on every full moon we ask Nyx for guidance and thank her for another month." I nodded and asked him about the fifth member thing. "Well, Zoey wasn't always the high priestess. She is only our age, but she is special. She has an infinity for the five elements Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. Now that she is the high priestess she isn't part of the Perfect Council anymore. Stevie Rae is still part of it only because she is a red vamp." I nodded and asked why he was bringing me. "Because Zoey thinks that you might poses the infinity for Spirit." If that was true it wouldn't surprise me.

Damian led me to the temple with the statue. Once inside a ceremony had begun. Damian was standing closely next to me. I could feel his warmth even through the second skin of my leather jacket. During the ceremony I could feel a strange darkness in the air. It was almost as if Thanatos was hovering invisible above our heads. When Zoey cast the air element I felt a rush of wind whip past Damian. I looked over at him and his hair was flying around. I would never admit this to the campers back at the two camps but I hoped I would never go back. When Zoey casted the element earth Damian whispered that that was Stevie Rae. She had short curly blonde hair and had a red mark on her forehead.

When Zoey went to the middle and casted Spirit I felt like all my past anguish had been lifted and sent away. It was like I was flying, I hadn't felt like this since the last time I saw my sister before Percy came. Even that little thought didn't damper my mood, I wondered if the kids back at camp would believe that I, Nico di Angelo was smiling and was happy. When I looked over at Damian he was smiling at me. When Zoey sent the elements away it was like my blanket of dread and sadness went with it. Maybe she was right, maybe I did have an infinity for Spirit. For a Hades kid it didn't seem unlikely.

After that was over Damian took me back to the school and into a room I didn't recognize. I saw that Erin and Shaunee were in there. I helped them set some stuff up, I noticed Damian wouldn't go over to the tech equipment that was in the corner. I figured he had a good reason, but I would ask him about it later. When Stevie Rae came in Damian handed her a green candle. She then walked over to me where I was messing with the tech equipment, I was not a freaking child of Hephaestus. "Hey you must be the new fledgling Nico di Angelo." She had an Oklahoma accent that reminded me of a daughter of Demeter back at camp.

"Yeah, that's me. Can you help me with this tech, I'm not very patient." She laughed and helped me with it.

"So Z tells me you might have an infinity for Spirit." I guessed that Z was Zoey. I nodded and didn't even understand how to tell if I had it. "Did you feel like, oh well I only have a description from Z but, like you were flying or like every bad booger monster in your life just being zapped away?" I paused and thought about it.

"Yeah, but I have more than uh Booger Monsters in my past." Stevie Rae nodded and I could feel the past residue of darkness on her. Damian was running around and giving the twins their candles a blue and red, water and fire. Then Damian ran over to me and handed me a purple candle and a lighter.

"Here you go, uh, you did pay close attention to the ceremony right?" I nodded and he smiled at me and dragged Stevie Rae to a spot and the twins to a spot. "Here you go Nico right in the middle." Damian had grabbed my hand and pulled me into the middle of the circle. I felt my face get hot.

Once in the middle Damian let go of my hand and went and stood in the empty spot where I would go first. I didn't even notice that someone had joined us, well two someone's. I went around and cast the circle like Zoey did and when I was done and closed the circle I heard two people clapping and whipped my head in the sound's direction. Zoey was standing there with a blonde guy who had two red arrows pointed at his red mark. I felt a strange vibe coming off of the blonde guy. Was he a child of Apollo?

"Sorry to intrude but I wanted to look in on the Perfect Council and their new member." I guess I was the new member now. "Oh, Nico this is Stark." I nodded at Stark and he just gave me a look that said he was in charge which made me pissed off. The ground shook a little and Stark jumped up and grabbed ahold of Zoey. I felt the skeletons start to pop out, I tried to calm myself down. It worked slowly but it eventually stopped and the skeletons disappeared.

"What the fuck was that?" Stark yelled at me pointing his bow loaded with an arrow at me. I backed up and tried to keep my cool. "Answer me, what the fuck was that?"

"Don't make me mad, and it won't happen again." I snapped left the room. I hadn't been there for even a day and already I was hated.