A.N. sorry! Really! We're having like a monsoon season here, and the powers been going of. Then I had to go to work at like 7 this morning so I didn't have time to type it, but now I have! Yays! So I hope you enjoy this one! It will answer (I think) most of your jumbled thoughts… oh, and for the most part, Percy and Nico aren't that far apart in age in my story. Cuz if Nico were fifteen, Percy would be twenty, and he couldn't be in it, so for the sake of my story, they are only like one-two years apart.

By the by! K, so those of you who have looked at my profile know that I love Bill (true blood) if anyone out there is aloud to watch it and does, then I just want you to know something…I just wanna cry for Bill every freakin episode! I just watched a super sad one and felt the need…sorry…

Disclaimer: Hey hey hey! Wait…you said no? so I don't own Percy Jackson? Psh…whatever man!

The Joker Beats All in War

War. The card game kind. That I know of, there are two ways to play. The classic way is to lay down the cards, whoever is the highest takes the loot, yes? Everyone knows that. Simple rules, simple betting. You bet for your card to win, even though you don't know what it is. But we also don't know what our opponents have.

All the other card games don't work like that. You know what cards you have, you know what you are betting for. Why is it that we change the rules for War? Is it because it's a guessing game? That nobody knows what they are dealt, so they just have to wing it?

Maybe it wasn't just for the battles that this game was named after.

--

Nico woke before Viscaria. He still had his arm around her, tight. That was when he noticed.

Oh my gods, I'm touching Viscaria.

Oh my gods, I'm in the same bed as Viscaria.

What am I supposed to do? Stay here? But it's suddenly way to hot to just stay right here.

Um…maybe I'll just 'accidentally' wake her up-

Oh no. She's moving her leg. Oh jeez, it's touching my leg now. It's so hot in here!

Oh jeez. What part of her isn't touching me?

He had to get up, now. His face was about to boil from all the newly required heat, and soon it was consuming his body. He had to get off this bed. Now.

He started to move, but Viscaria snuggled closer. Oh hell. Now his toes were getting hot. Get off the bed, dammit! Wake up, Viscaria, before I burst us both into flames!

He lifted his leg, about to move around her, but that put him in an even more awkward position.

Viscaria shifted again.

Dammit.

Nico was then saved by the obnoxious pounding on the door. He even sighed in relief, although he knew that what ever was on the other side didn't deserve nor want is thanks.

Viscaria jumped out of bed, totally unaware of Nico's previous position.

"What!?" she snapped at the door. Ya, Viscaria isn't a morning person.

The door flew open. Armor walked into the room, no head. Well, of what Nico could see.

"Come!" it barked. Nico wasn't stupid. Viscaria was about to protest, but Nico put his hand on her lips. He pulled back quickly, still not recovered from the bed incident.

"Sh. No need for us to get in trouble. We should just do what he says." I don't need any more bruises on you, Nico finished silently.

She rolled her eyes. They followed the man in armor.

It was still to dark in the halls to see, although Nico noticed as his cell door closed that the rooms were being lit by something. No windows, doors, or lamps. But they were still lit. Strange.

Armor pushed them through many twists and turns, finally stopping at, not a very large set of oak doors like most horror movies and books. Instead, it was actually just a glass door. You could see through it even. Viscaria reached out to touch it, but her hand was slapped back, hard.

They walked into the room, Viscaria rubbing her now bruised wrist. Nico sighed.

"Ah. Our new comers. Come, make yourself comfy." They heard a voice say. It was a very soothing and seductive voice, one that makes you want to do whatever it says, even if that means jumping off a cliff. They instantly sat.

"Welcome to my prison!" A teenager appeared. The room was shaped kinda funny. It was round and had many ancient and rubbled-out columns surrounding it. At the front there was, yes, a stage. And on that stage appeared the figure of a man. They couldn't see any colors, just shadows. "Yes, my wonderful prison! And can you guess who runs it?" he asked like they would get a prize if they answered it right.

"Um…" Nico started.

"Yes! Exactly! It is run by monsters! And I am the head monster!"

Nico and Viscaria sat in silence as the figure just laughed and laughed…

Adonis hoped it worked. He didn't think he would have anything left if this didn't work.

God, he's beginning to sound like a girl.

He kissed the gold for luck and threw it in the rainbow, just as Viscaria had taught him.

When it asked him who he wanted to speak with, he said, "Percy or Annabeth, Camp Half-blood."

He heard a sound that was closely resembled to an annoyed sigh, and soon the rainbow went all shuffly, and he was soon looking at Percy and Annabeth. They were eating, and Percy blew chunks when he noticed Adonis.

"Adonis! What are you doing?" Percy asked. Annabeth scowled at him while wiping ABC food off her face.

"I need your help. Something has happened to Nico and Viscaria."

"What!?" Annabeth yelped. "What happened? Are they alright?"

"Um, I don't know. That's kinda why I'm here." Adonis muttered.

"Do you have any idea as to what could've happened to them?" he heard a voice, but it wasn't either of theirs.

A girl appeared, very angry looking, brown hair and battle armor on. Adonis flinched and tried not to grimace.

"No. That's why I came here. To ask if anyone else would know." Adonis didn't want to sound like he was talking to a crazy person, all slow and enunciated. But Viscaria really hates this chick, so he didn't feel too bad about it.

"And who are you?" she snapped at him, putting her hands on her hips.

"Adonis." he replied sharply, mimicking her stance. He heard some snickers on the other side.

"Oh gods. Your Flower Girl's brother, aren't you? Man, she's annoying enough on her own, and now I find out she has a brother?"

"Why is she annoying? Did she grow you a bad flower? Maybe a weed?" he asked.

She glared. "You know, you guys really know how to piss me right off."

"You don't make it as hard as you'd like it to be." he said easily. She looked ready to strangle him, going as far as reaching her hand out. She glared one more time at him before turning and leaving.

"That was fun." Adonis grinned. Then he remembered the task at hand. "Would you guys help me find my sister?" he asked, no preamble. He needed the help, no pussy playing.

"Of course." Annabeth said. "You're getting kinda fuzzy, we'll IM you later if we get any news on where they are. If we don't get any leads by tomorrow morning, we'll just have to wing it."

He nodded his thanks, and he brushed the rainbow away. He sighed and sat at the edge of the fountain, twiddling with his cards.

If they didn't IM him back, he'd have to wing it on his own.

"Run by…monsters." Nico repeated.

He figure nodded. "Yes. Lovely, isn't it?" They thought it was rhetorical, but after waiting for a minute, Nico figured he'd better answer or they'd be sitting all day.

"Can I ask why you decided to have a prison be run by…monsters?" Still hard to get down. Maybe if he had some sugar.

The figure stepped into the light. He seemed normal to them, blonde hair, regal sharp features, and rich people clothes. Nico instantly hated him. His ears weren't quite normal, more elfish.

Then the teenager smiled, and Nico paled. He had millions of fibers of teeth. Not like whale's teeth where they were too small to be deadly, but were closely compact.

This young man's teeth were closely compacted, the tops were blackened to a deadly shade, and they were sharper than any knife he'd ever seen. And they outstretched his mouth so much, he was like a clown who could never stop laughing. Like the Joker. The Chelsea Grin with teeth.

"Yes, excellent question! I decided to have it be run by monsters, and I decided I would hold you gorgeous half bloods in it."

Viscaria opened her mouth to ask why, but he grinned at her, all teeth included, and she shut her mouth tight.

"Why half-bloods? They are easiest to capture. See, I originally thought 'Go Big or Go Home' but I thought too big. I thought I could take the Gods to this prison." he paused, waiting for a reaction that never came.

"Yes, shocking, I know. I can tell you are surprised by your gasps. Yes, I thought I'd take the Gods here. All they ever want is for us monsters to do their bidding, to do things so that either terrible things will or won't happen. It's a classic story, really. What I'm doing, of course. The pet gets tired of doing its masters bidding, so it bites the hand that feeds. Except the Gods never feed us, so it's not like we're breaking a natural code or anything." he smiled at them again. "We don't want to be bossed around anymore. And since we can't take the Gods themselves…"

He waited for them to fill in the blanks. All he got were blank stares.

"Oh come on! Throw a dog a bone, here!" he still waited.

"You decided to take their children." Viscaria finished for him reluctantly. His eyes flashed to Viscaria like he'd never seen her before.

"Yes, my gorgeous flower. I will take their children."

Nico held back his natural code of growling at him.

"May I ask your name, my flower?" he smiled slyly at her. Nico tensed and actually did growl, but kept it quiet. He took comfort in Viscaria's discomfort and the clear loathing in her eyes.

"Only if I may ask yours." she got out strained. Like she wanted to cuss and swipe and kill this man. Or maybe that was just Nico's thoughts.

"Of course. My name is Atrum Lupus, but you may call me just Atrum."

Viscaria nodded. "And you may call me Not Interested."

Nico figured that Atrum would laugh. Monsters always do. "Yes, well, I guess it's too bad I already found out your name, my flower."

She glared at him with a death wish in her eyes. The death wish was of course, for Atrum.

But he just did his Chelsea Grin again. He turned to Armor. "Take them to their new posts. See that they get to work immediately and efficiently." And Atrum was back to the shadows. That seemed to be where everyone lived here.

Thinking about shadows got Nico thinking about another thing. Or person.

"Viscaria."

She turned to him. "Yes?"

"I think I know a way out of here." he whispered to her. Armor was too armored to hear, anyway.

She grinned (a normal, heart warming one) and, much to his surprise, kissed him right there. "Oh, I knew you would come up with something!" she grabbed his hand, and they were led out the glass door.

Nico couldn't help but think that glass doors seemed to be more scarier than huge oak one's anyways.

REVIEW!!

p.s. yes yes! Atrum is very bad!

REVIEW!! Because Bianca will be in the next one!

Aces and Eights