Author Note- I'd like to thank all who reviewed! Feel free to let me know what you think of this story it is very heartening when you see someone take the time to comment.
Disclaimer- I don't own PJO or HP anyway back to the story.
The white paper inside was sharp and heavy the only kind my father wrote on I recognized his scrawling scrip immediately written in blood red ink.
Ghost King,
Your quest is simple, you will act a bodyguard to the boy named Harry Potter he is being pursued by the non-man Tom Riddle who i'm sure I have told you about. These people are of Hecate's creation she blessed a few mortals thousands of years ago and being mortal they did that they do best, adapted. Although the blessing is diluted do not be fooled, they are still a powerful race. Your position is to be classified to all but those who are involved in the Order of the Phoenix, wretched name if you ask me, no one else is to know you are a demigod. Your quest is to last a year and failure shall result in extreme punishment if not execution.
Do not dissapoint me.
Lord Hades, God of the Dead, King of the underworld.
Crumpling the letter I turned back toward the wizards, "Where are my things?" I asked glancing around for my bag. seeing it under the table I picked it up and began rifling through for the canteen that was stored there, hopefully this would help with the infection from what i now assumed were my fathers Shadows. The nectar hit my tongue and I tasted dark chocolate and Mcdonald's milkshake.
"Mr. di Angelo Perhaps you would like to properly introduce yourself to the rest of the order before they think we both gone mad. He smile mischief in his eyes I would have as little part of this was possible what I needed was a preferably long sleep.
"Nico di Angelo," I introduced myself with a small smirk, "Ghost King, son of Lord Hades of underworld, pleasure to meet you". Before the ruckus could begin I turned towards Dumbledore, "Is there somewhere I can sleep? I trust you can explain all of this?"
"Oh, of course my boy you must be exhausted, straight up the stairs first door, you can have Sirius's room until you are properly introduced to everyone. I tried not to stumble as I made my way out of the kitchen and up the stairs I barely made it to the bed before slumping falling asleep. I woke with sunlight streaming in through the dirty window, everything hurt as i sat painful and very slowly my stomach made a large growling noise. Food, yes that would be very welcome at this point in time. I glanced down someone had covered me with an old knitter blanket while i slept it was surprisingly warm however the promise of food and a hot shower were far too tempting. The room I was in was quite dusty but seemed to have a slightly lighter feel than the rest of the house. I caught a glimpse of myself in mirror and grimaces, the bandaged wrapped around me were half off, my clothes nearly destroyed, hair matted with blood, and a very promising black eye, add that to the tattoos, dark circles and pale skin and you had yourself one horror movie pull out. Perhaps a shower first then?
I grabbed my camp half blood pack and stumbled down the hall nearly running into a group of kids, they stared at me mute horror in their eyes as if i had recently risen from the dead, which, in a way I had. Abandoning my clothes on the tile floor I let heat from the water work out the tension in my muscles thinking very hard about what this next year was going to be like for me. Of course I had heard of Tom Riddle, both Hades and Thanatos never stopped going on about him, he was an insult to everything they stood for, prolonging his life through dark magic? No, they didn't like him at all, he had split his soul into pieces hiding then each away. I had offered to after these magical items for my father but was promptly reused, there was a prophecy surrounding them, and you simply don't interfere with prophecy. Still if I was here now as a bodyguard to that Harry kid maybe the prophecy was about him. Not to mention a year away from camp? From my father? All just for playing bodyguard to some kid, well this probably had to be the best quest of all time.
I dried my now clean body and hair inspecting the cuts on my hand and chest my hands were completely heal only this white scars while the on on my chest seems to be doing just fine, after half a square of ambrosia it was even better. Rifling through my bag I took stock two shirts, one tank one shredded tank, couple pairs of underwear two pairs of black jeans one ripped one, not black converse, black combat boots, one destroyed leather jacket, leather bracers, shrunken black chest-plate and helm, bag of golden drachmas 1.5 canteens of nectar, baggie of ambrosia, simple toiletries and first aid, one knife and finally one black celestial sword. I smile content I had lived for longer on less, but I would need to try and fix my jacket since it looked like i had gotten in a knife fight with Arachne. Tying my longish hair into a half ponytail and donning a black t-shirt and dark jeans I padded down the stairs barefoot my stomach telling me it desperately needed food.
Someone was running up the stairs just as I was coming down, "Oh! Nico, good you're awake i was just coming down, to get you, how are you feeling?" The red-haired woman, Molly greeted smiling in a way that made me slightly uncomfortable.
"Hungry," I said simply crossing my arms. Her eyes roamed me up and down lingering on the black eye and then the tattoos i could practically hear her motherly instincts tell her to fix the strange boy in front of her.
"Well dear we are about to have an order meeting, and supper will follow directly after, besides you still need to meet everyone." I followed her into the kitchen hands deep in my pockets and a scowl on my face It wasn't like her being friendly all of a sudden made up for the fact they tied me to a chair, deep breath Nico, its okay, no use holding a grudge. I thought to myself while still trying to calm myself were plenty of new people in the kitchen now than there was before and every last one of them was staring at me. I threw my hard up in a two finger salute and took an empty seat at the table leaning back on two legs.
"Nico, my boy nice of you to join us, we have a few things we wish to discuss with you, but I believe introductions are in order first, This is Molly and Arthur Weasley, he gesture to the two red-headed people in the room, Sirius Black, it is his house that we are staying in," at this the man, Padfoot offered his hand i looked at it for a minute before he took the hint and sat back down looking suspiciously like a kicked puppy. "This is Remus Lupin, Tonks, And Professor Minerva Mcgonagall," I looked at each of them Lupin looked as if he wanted to make same mistake that Black did but he refrained remaining sitting while beside him Tonks practically vibrated in her seat he hair changing from pink, to blue, to orange, that was new, I had to admit her and Iris, Goddess of the rainbow would get along splendidly. Minerva Mcgonagall looked to be one of the strict teachers that kept you in line but deep down care very much for her students, unfortunately for her I didn't like to be kept in line, and I liked concern even less. "And finally," Dumbledore continued on, this is Professor Severus Snape and Alastor Moody," Snape was the Fury-son and Moody Being the prime interrogator I gave them both a particularly harsh glares.
This was the Order? I certainly hoped this wasn't all there was we would be in serious trouble if that was the case."So, Nico, your father told us that you are very accomplished in several area would you care to tell us what those areas are? Maybe a demonstration after all we can't leave the hope for the wizarding world in the hands of a teen aged boy without being absolutely sure this is what is best." Lupin said in a calm voice upon closer inspection he looked downright sick almost as pale as me.
"Wanna know how old I am?" I snapped, "roughly 80-85 I'm not 100 percent sure as i had my memories wiped with the River Lethe and can't remember anything before I was ten. When I was twelve I fought in my first war, my second when i was fourteen, I nearly didn't come back from that one. I live in the underworld and control the dead and your worry i'm not good enough protection!" I slammed my hand down on the table making Mrs. Weasley flinch. "This is Umbrakinesis I flicked my hand and shadows dances around the room also pulling my sword to me which I caught, "Geokinesis," I slammed the sword into tile tip first and focused splitting the ground so there was a large chasm forming, "Necrokinesis", I said finally summoning three skeleton soldiers to myself through the rift i had caused, this of course caused screams of pure terror from around the people in the room I banished those i had summoned with a flick of my wrist and closed the gap in the floor. Albus simply grinned while I shook my head as if trying to free the burst of madness from my mind, I knew I had to be careful with that as not one of Hades' children escaped the grim fate of insanity.
"Yes, I do believe you will do just fine," Dumbledore smiled but underneath there was a grim set to his eyes, he knew my fate. "Yes, well the first day of the new semester begins tomorrow so I will be expecting you'll want a good night sleep Mr. di Angelo."
"Wait semester? What are you talking about?" I said sitting back down.
"Harry will be going back to school tomorrow and you quest is to protect him, yes? Therefore I assumed this meant you will be coming to Hogwarts as well", I glared at the man knowing he had a point, maybe this wouldn't be much of a vacation if I had to go to school. I scowled leaning back farther making the perfect image of a disgruntled teenager.
"Well i'm sure the poor boy is absolutely starving, and we are all anxious for your cooking Molly, why don't you get the other children as i'm sure they are famished as well." Dumbledore said a knowing smile on his face. Molly rushed out of the tension filled room returning moments later with the teenagers I had nearly mowed over earlier. There were several red-heads and one bushy haired girl but I ignored them focusing slowly on the thing absolutely radiating death, I felt a rock drop in my stomach and heard a loud buzzing in my ears. Before i could fully comprehend what I was doing I had walked over to the scrawny boy with glasses, as i got closer I felt more and more nauseated there was a trapped soul in the boy! How was that possible? I waved my hand over the scar on his forehead where most of the feeling was coming from and it seemed to retract a bit, almost like it was hiding from me. The boy flinched and I realized that me waving my death sense over his forehead was probably pretty painful, not to mention awkward. I stepped back relaxing out of demigod mode into smug teenager in .2 seconds.
"You must be Harry Potter, Nico di Angelo, pleasure." I grinned stepping back thoroughly enjoying the flabbergasted expressions I was getting, even from Dumbledore. This proved to be a very interesting mission indeed.