Hatchlings

A/N:And I'm back! Miss me? I'm so sorry I haven't updated since now, but with exams, writer's block and my other story, Lost Prince of Caledor, I haven't really had time to write this story. In this chapter, mostly just bonding and growing up for the dragons and their riders. For all who are wondering about the time zones, Eragon's world is twice as fast as PJO. So if four months have passed by the end of this chapter in Eragon's world, only two will have passed in PJO. Please enjoy this chapter! Also on the note of time, it's been almost a century since Eragon has landed here, they haven't expanded because they don't need to. Don't question my motives, all will be made clear.

Disclaimer.

Nico: go on Pinecone face, say it please.

Thalia: Dead, Death Breath. Totally. Dead.

Imrik: Urgh you two are awful. Caledor54 doesn't own PJO or IC or WFB for that matter.

Me: But I do own you.

Imrik: Hey!

It had been about two months since Nico had woken up on the forest floor, high in the hills. Though he was worried about his life back home and how people would deal with, not necessarily his disappearance, but Thalia's and Imrik's. The only people who might care were Chiron and his dad and even then, Chiron would be occupied with the other two as well and his farther couldn't help bring him back. The only upside is that the three brothers couldn't blame each other as a child from each of them had gone missing. Nico just hoped his farther, or at least Lady Athena, saw this too.

These thoughts spun in his brain, making him feel sad and a little unwanted.

"Don't think that way, Nico! As long as we are together, you'll never be alone."

Nico smiled at the voice of his dragon, Eurynomos, as they flew over Dragonspire. Both Eurynomos and Thalia's dragon, Tanzia, had grown quickly and were now big enough to ride. Thalia had been very scared about the whole flying thing. So scared, in fact, that they had to be careful to avoid the lightning strikes that had been raining down around her as she stood, white as a sheet, on top of one of the larger hills. Somehow, Tanzia had calmed her and convinced her to take to the air. Now, although she will not willingly take to the skies, she seems to enjoy flying around with Tanzia.

They had been taking lessons in aerial combat from the moment their dragons could fly. Thalia was awesome. When she put her fears aside, she glided effortlessly through the air, her spear giving her extra length against Eragon's sword. Her shield, Aegis, gave her an edge against all opponents. They only ones who seemed immune to it were the dragons. They saw only the metal of the shield, not the terrorising face of the gorgon Medusa. Eragon got round that trick using magic to see as Saphira saw, negating the effect of the shield. After teaching the words to Imrik and himself, Nico had been able to fight Thalia fairly in the air, though she still had one big advantage over all of them.

Lightning.

She could call it down whenever she was in a pinch, sending searing bolts of electricity through her opponents. Nico wasn't one to give up though. Whenever she called down a thunder cloud, he would use the shadows it cast and manipulate them into a shield against the bright blue bolts of burning heat. Eragon watched them, gave them pointers on their technique and showed them new moves.

Saphira wasn't dormant in the training of the new Riders either. When the demigods practiced on the ground with their weapons, or learned new words of the Ancient Language, she would take the three dragons out into the mountains. Eragon had told them to keep in constant contact with their dragons and as a result, Nico had developed such a bond with Eurynomos, or Euryn as he called him for short, that he felt that if they were parted, he would go mad from the loss. That is, after finding the person who had caused it to happen and sending them to meet his dad the hard way.

He brought his mind back to the present as they soared over the waterfall and landed with a thump next to the training ground. "Thanks, Euryn. I know you'll never leave me. I just wish Bianca could meet you." Nico sighed at the thought on his sister. It had been two years since her death and he still mourned her, although he kept it to himself. If Imrik was anything like Percy, when he found out he would take the 'protective older brother' stance with him. Although he sort of enjoyed having someone who he could rely on, he couldn't deal with the obsessive mothering that Percy put him through. He did not want the same from Imrik.

Euryn echoed his feelings but snorted a bit when Nico thought of Percy's compulsive mothering. Nico fake glared at his dragon before chuckling and walking into the training ground.

A few elves were practising their techniques but other than that, the ground was clear, Imrik and Thalia having gone off hunting again. He drew his sword and began to flow through the moves Eragon had taught him. He jumped from one position to the next, never breaking the constant rhythm he had developed. He was getting better with the sword. He could beat Thalia when they duelled with swords though he couldn't hope to compete against Eragon or the elves, or even Imrik.

He finished his training as his thoughts turned again to his friend. How had he not noticed that his friend was an elf? He felt a little ashamed of himself when Imrik had revealed his identity, but had quickly got over it when he heard about what was happening to Imrik's people. He felt so sorry for the older boy he almost felt the need to comfort him. He resisted the idea because he knew that his comforting skills were about as good as Percy's bow skills. Naught.

Another thing that interested Nico. How did Imrik manage to be good at archery? Everyone knew that a son of Poseidon couldn't shoot a bow, and yet Imrik could rival the Apollo kids and was even better than Thalia. Whenever she killed the animals they hunted, they were always killed in the same manner, a strong shot to the heart. Imrik, on the other hand, placed his shots more carefully, hitting his mark each time, his arrows always hitting the animal in the eye. This was a very painless way for the creature to die, the arrow cutting deep into the brain and killing it almost instantly.

Now, even in swordsmanship, Imrik trained with the elves or Eragon. The elves were much stronger than him and if they caught him, he would lose. The problem was catching him. He spun and danced and ducked with such fluency that Nico could barely follow the movements. It was amazing to watch him slip passed strokes and jump clean over cuts, using is spear as often as his sword, sending the elves down hard with strikes to the chest and legs with the butt of his spear or the hilt of his sword.

Nico shook his head, breaking his revelry for some more important thoughts. Food. It was time for lunch.

Making his way back to the Riders' quarters with Eurynomos, Nico felt content and whole for the first time since Bianca's death. He had been left with a hole in his heart after she had left on that quest. Briefly it had been filled with his purpose for Minos, but that had ended when he had banished him. Then, during the battle of Manhattan, he had been filled with the desire to help Percy and the other demi-gods, convincing his farther to ride to the rescue. The praise from his farther and the gods has almost made him feel content.

Almost.

But after the euphoria had died down, Nico had been left feeling empty and without a purpose. Even helping Hazel and discovering the Roman camp hadn't boosted his moral much, though he didn't show it around Hazel or the Romans. He wondered if he should tell Thalia and Imrik about Camp Jupiter. He was in a world where the gods couldn't tell him not to... no, they would kill him if Imrik and Thalia came back and instantly headed off to New Rome to rescue Percy. No he would just have to hope that Percy would be ok there and that they would never meet each other there. That might end in a meeting with Farther sooner than Nico would like...

He shook himself as he entered his room. He stripped down and had a shower, washing the sweat and grime of training from his body. He inspected his pale skin. Scars crossed his chest and arms, a lattice-work of reminders burned into his skin. He would never be accepted, except by a few people who had pierced his tough exterior, like the blades that had cut him so many times.

"Maybe I should name my scars after my friends. What do you think? That little belly cut can be Thalia, the one over my left bicep can be Percy and the one over my heart ... my heart..." He trailed off, unable to think of his sister.

"She will always be with you Nico. She will never leave you in your heart." Said Euryn kindly, soothing Nico's heart pain.

"Thanks Euryn. Where would I be without you?" Nico asked as he got dried and dressed.

"In the Underworld or playing capture-the-flag." Replied the dragon matter-of-factly. Nico sniggered and made his way down to dinner.

He found Thalia and Imrik already there, eating what looked like steak and chips with salad on the side. Nico made his way over and sat across from the other two, grabbing his plate from where Imrik had set it.

"Reagal went hunting so there is some meat for you if you are quick, Eurynomos." Said Imrik when Nico had seated himself. "It's still warm I think." He said to Nico, pointing at the food. Nico took a bite and found it was still warm. He began to eat. The meal was as excellent as ever, but his previous gloomy thoughts infused his stomach and stopped him from eating as much as usual. Thalia looked up and gave him a quizzical look.

"What's up Death Boy? You seem a little down." She asked with a slightly smirk. Nico stuck his tongue out before answering.

"It's nothing." He said, lying smoothly. Thalia shrugged but Imrik narrowed his eyes at the son of Hades.

"Say that again, in the Ancient Language." He said, his sea-green eyes, so much like Percy's, boring into Nico's dark brown ones. Nico sighed.

"Fine. I was thinking about how, back home, you two will be missed, worried about and searched for by everyone at camp, whereas me? It'll just be, 'Oh Nico's not here. Ah well, never mind.' I'm fed up of being an outcast!" he yelled, jumping up, his chair clattering to the floor. "You two don't know what it's like! To be mistreated and shunned because of your dad. Sure, everyone was happy when we turned up to save Olympus, but after that? Who remembers me? Who remembers Hades? Who is grateful?" He glared at Imrik and Thalia, who were both on their feet with shocked expressions.

SMACK!

Nico stumbled backwards in pain as Imrik leapt the table between them and slapped him across the face, driving him to the floor with the force of the blow. Nico was about to explode at Imrik before the elf grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up to face him. Nico saw a fury in Imrik's eyes that he had only seen the equal of once, when Hades had found him looking for his mother.

"Pull. Yourself. Together." Imrik whispered malevolently. "At least you have a home, a place you belong. I'm just as much of an orphan as you Nico. And now, I'm in another world with elves that will shun me as much as humans do you, maybe even more. At least you have gods in common. My people, from what I know, have a totally different set of gods! Who do I worship? Tell me Nico! My father? My uncles? Or my ancestral gods? Tell me Nico. Tell Me!" at this Imrik threw Nico on the floor. Eragon, the elves and the dragons came running into the room, stopping dead when they saw the whole room was shaking from Imrik's anger.

Nico had never been truly frightened by any non-god. Now he was. Imrik's body shook, as did the room. His eyes glowed dangerously, his skin shone with an aura of holy purity and power. He looked, in two words, angelically deadly. Then, suddenly, he blinked. His eyes lost focus and closed, rolling backwards into his skull. His legs buckled and he fell backwards towards the table. Thalia lunged across and caught his head before it crashed into the solid stone.

"Everyone, get lost. Shows over. I'm taking him to his room." She said quietly, pulling him into her arms and walking off towards the stairs. Nico could only stare in shock after her. What had he done? He turned and ran in the opposite direction, towards the door into the hall.

"Nico!" Eurynomos called out but he carried on running until he was out in the cool mid-afternoon air.

He ran for the waterfall, not caring who followed him. When he reached the comforting shadows under the cascading sheet of water. Nico tried to order his mind. He had let himself lose his temper, which was bad to begin with. Also, he had never considered that Imrik, who had appeared so happy, could be so sad inside. He was an orphan who didn't know anything about where he came from, what his people were like or if he should worship their gods. Nico couldn't even imagine trying to decide whether to worship one set of gods or the other. It would tear him apart. Slowly, he realised what he had to do. Eurynomos came later and the two fell asleep under the waterfall, Nico thinking of ways to apologise to Imrik in the morning.

(oOo)

Nico awoke to the sound of rushing water and heavy breathing next to him. He was cold, having slept on the floor of the cave behind the waterfall, and so got up quickly, crawling out from under Euryn's wing. He groaned as he recalled last night. Rubbing his head, he slowly made his way back up towards the Rider's quarters, running through about twenty different apologies in his mind, none of which sounded convincing. He was so preoccupied with his own thoughts, he didn't even notice he had arrived at the door to the room he and Imrik shared before he had slammed into it.

Cursing and rubbing his head, he opened the door quietly and slipped in. Imrik was sitting on his bed, his eyes shut and his hands clasped. He looked up at Nico when he entered and fixed him with a stare. Nico was lost for words. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before shaking his head and hanging it in shame. He stood there like that for minutes, hours, day? It could have been any of them.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and found Imrik looking down at him. The older boy smiled and grasped his shoulder a little harder. "Don't worry." He said, "We both screwed up. I understand, really I do. But people will miss you Nico, I don't see how they couldn't. You have a presence. Your funny, powerful and mysterious. Those are the sort of things people miss. So don't worry, OK?"

"Ok. And Imrik? I'm sorry too." The two embraced as brothers would then broke apart and simultaneously looked to Nico's bed, where a certain Hunter was crashed out.

"Fun." Said Imrik and Nico together and carefully, so they wouldn't wake her, carried her to the top floor of the building.

(POV change)

Thalia felt the soft breeze wash over her as she gently awoke from her sleep. She hummed in pleasure and rolled over, opening her eyes expecting to see the soft, white sheets of her bed. Last night was hazy in her memory but that didn't seem important. What she did see when she opened her eyes was Important.

The scream that followed could have woken the dead. As it was, most of the elves who were awake at the time – including Eragon – turned to its source. A short burst of laughing followed before Thalia's voice rang out loud and clear, "WHEN I CATCH YOU TWO, YOU WILL WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!" she shrieked. The laughing turned to yells of dismay and explosions rocked the morning air. Birds sang, trees swayed and Imrik and Nico were dodging lightning bolts and fire balls on the roof top, all the while laughing at Thalia's reaction.

When Thalia had calmed down (read ran out of energy), the two boys approacher her, smirks on their faces.

"Good sleep?" asked Imrik.

She glared at him.

"Must have been, for her not to notice getting carried up here." Said Nico.

Her glare switched targets.

Imrik was about to make another comment when one of the elves, Haldir, came onto the rooftop and bowed. "Shur'tugal, you are needed in Eragon's war room. Please follow me."

They followed the elf to the war room, which was a lot more appropriate than the Big House rec room. Maps covered the walls and in the centre was a table, carved to resemble a country that Thalia had never seen before. Eragon, Blödhgram and two other elves stood, surveying the map and pointing to the far east of it, where a forest dwindled into a vast plain. Beyond that, an ocean stretched and in that ocean, at the far edge of the map, sat an island.

Eragon looked up when they entered. "Good to see you are all still in one piece. I wish to consult you on something." He motioned to the forest on the continent. "Here lies the forest of Du Weldenvarden, home of the elves. I have just got a message from their queen, Queen Arya, that three new dragon Riders have arrived in Ellesméra, the elven capital, and are ready to come here for their training. In return, Arya and I have agreed that she will train you more in magic and in the ways of the elves. Also, her spellweavers are the best in the world. If they can't find a way for you all to return home, then we have very little hope of doing so. So what we ask of you is to sail to Alagaësia, with a few elves, send the new Riders over here, and learn more magic in Ellesméra. Does that sound agreeable?"

The three demigods looked at each other, then back at Eragon. "We accept." They said in unison.

A/N: Again sorry I've been so late with an update. Please remember to review, as they really are what motivates me to write. Peace out.

Caledor54