Chapter 7: The Bond of Friendship

The cold wind whipped around them, and Nico could hear the thunder rumbling in the distance, even as the moon shone above them. It was only a matter of time before it would be hidden by the storm clouds. But with a clearly tense Jason Grace present, it was a wonder it wasn't a hurricane. Whatever the cause, Nico was grateful for the Hogwarts cloak. He looked at the four Roman demigods in front of him. If their build was anything to go by, then Jason was in front, Frank on his right and a little behind him while Marcus took up the position on his left and a little behind as well and lastly Mariana took the rear.

"Hello, Jason. And good evening to the three of you as well, Frank Zhang, Marcus Johnson and Mariana Delvin. What brings four of the Legions best so far from home and in battle formation?"

Evidently the Roman demigods did not like being called out so early on their identities. Jason glanced to both his sides, making sure that any of the two other boys didn't make an advance prematurely. He had no idea how Nico knew where to find them so quickly, but it saved them for having to go to the castle and search for him. Then again, it was possible the son of Pluto had rigged the place with traps. Making sure his voice was collected, Jason addressed the younger boy.

"Good evening Ambassador. You must forgive us for already going into battle formation; it is many years of training kicking in. But given the circumstances, I found it best. If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing in Scotland? It is pretty far away from Camp Jupiter. And what is this place anyway?"

Nico tensed slightly when Jason mentioned that given the circumstances he found it best to come in battle formation. To him it sounded like they suspected him. Glancing at the others, he replied evenly. "The castle behind us is a school. As for what I'm doing here… I fail to see how it concerns you. I didn't know of this place existence before arriving here by accident. And that was only a few weeks ago."

Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say, because all of the Roman demigods tensed up even more. Most of all Frank and Marcus looked like springs ready to uncoil, and Nico subconsciously prepared to counterattack. Jason spoke in a curt voice.

"We need to talk, Nico di Angelo. Somewhere more enclosed. This place is too open."

Nico narrowed his eyes. He did not like where this was going. "Don't you trust me?"

The smaller frame of Marcus answered. "That is exactly what we are saying, ambassador. We have our orders. And frankly this place is too open for an ambush and that bridge is too easy to rig by traps. And you can forget everything about the forest and that castle."

The son of Hades' eyes narrowed to slits. He did not like being talked to that way, especially not by an upstart, no matter how powerful. "Watch your tongue, Marcus Johnson." Then he smirked. "But I can't deny the logic behind your reasoning; Reyna and Octavian taught you well. In that case, meet me on the Quidditch Pitch, the arena, in one minute. I will be waiting for you."

With that he turned around to face one of the stones and walked straight into its dark surface, instantly disappearing. Jason scowled. He had seen what resembled an arena on their way here, but to get there in one minute was not possible on foot. But they needed to keep Nico in one place, lest they risk him disappearing again. For if he did, they were not likely to find him. Besides, if he was true to his word and waited for them there, it was good for his case once they got him back to New Rome. And if they couldn't get there by foot, they would just have to fly.

"Frank… you take Marcus. Mariana, with me."

The largest of them nodded before transforming into a dragon that grabbed the youngest in the group while Jason picked up the bridal-style before they took off. None of them noticed the pale face peeking around the door opening to the bridge. The person hesitated for moment, before running towards the Quidditch pitch.

00000

Jason and his friends landed safely on the green turf, illuminated by torches and braziers, wondering what the six hoops were for. This was clearly the court for some type of sport, but what game that could possibly warrant hoops to be so high above ground, Jason had no idea. And while the stadium with its bleachers and stands was quite impressive, they had far more concerning matters to deal with.

One of said matters was looking at them in obvious amusement, the hood pushed down. "So, you made it. You said you wanted to talk with me, Jason, but first, I have a question for you: How did you track me? We are far away from the States after all."

Jason pushed down his hood as well, relieved to be out of the biting cold wind. He gave Nico a look, before whistling. A few minutes was spent in silence, then a bird shrieked overhead. Looking up, the son of Hades watched a big bird descending before landing on Jason's shoulder. The son of Jupiter petted it a few times before it flew off again.

"Giant eagles have a very keen sense of smell. Mind you, that one is still just a youngling, but it can still sniff out a demigod better than most monsters."

Marcus pushed down his hood, revealing unruly black hair and brown eyes. "Also, Octavian did some auguries to learn about your whereabouts. You see, he has been suspicious of you for some time now."

Nico narrowed his gaze at the younger boy, if only for the fraction of a second. Marcus was thirteen, but he was quite tall for his age and muscular from all his work in the forges and combat training. Mariana lowered her hood as well, revealing her braided light-brown hair in a long ponytail and her warm green-blue eyes.

"Octavian has long wondered where you come from. Apparently you showed up with your sister and then vanished again. Also, I've seen you in the Senate. Every time we are about to go on a mission to New York, you show up with a problem that need our full attention. Funny thing is, no one has heard of the monster causing problems before you show up. You disappear for months, show up with a problem and then vanish again."

Nico rolled his eyes, ignoring the fact that Mariana made some points. The truth was that it was him who intentionally had created some of the problems Camp Jupiter had to deal with. Not all of them mind you, but he was behind that incident in Kentucky with a town suddenly becoming infested with hellhounds and the five-headed hydra.

"Sounds to me Octavian have been running his mouth again, spreading rumours about me. As for me being the first to come to Camp, reporting the problems before you, sorry Jason, catch wind of it: That might be explained by the fact that I can travel from the West Coast to the East Coast in the blink of an eye. Wait, why am I even having this discussion with you? You are not a centurion."

It was a low blow, but it was effective. But they weren't done with the discussion yet as Frank pushed forward.

"Then why didn't you get your ass back to Camp when Hazel was attacked?"

The Ghost King's head swirled to meet the larger boy's gaze. "What?"

Jason tensed, shooting his teammates some warning look, hand grabbing Ivlivs. Now was the time things could get dangerous. "Nico, a couple of weeks ago, Hazel was attacked on the Field of Mars. We don't know who or why, but we have reason to believe they might have been… been Greek. Frank himself identified one of the weapons as being of Greek design, matching the descriptions given in the old records of rivalry between Greeks and Romans. The Legion is in uproar and Octavian has gotten new fuel for his theory about Greek demigods. And while I'm not happy to admit it, much seems to point in the direction of him being right. Nico di Angelo, answer me this: Do Greek demigods exist?"

Nico's mind was reeling in shock. Hazel had been attacked? By Greek demigods? It was impossible! He had heard nothing in Camp Half-Blood that would even suggest that the campers knew about Camp Jupiter. Nico suspected Chiron knew about it, but considering the guy had been alive for the last three thousand years or so, that was not so strange. But had he told them about their existence? No, it didn't add up. If Chiron had told the campers about the Romans, they would be in an uproar and ready for battle. Admittedly, he had been away from Camp for a few weeks, but him disappearing for weeks, or sometimes even months, was not uncommon and Percy made sure to try to IM'ing him; the son of Poseidon had nearly blown Nico's cover or even almost gotten him killed when feeling the need to put him up to date on events in Camp. The son of Hades had started wondering if Percy just had bad timing or if he on purpose made sure to contact him on the most inopportune of times.

But now was not the time for such thoughts. Closing his eyes, the son of Hades let the shadows guide his senses to Camp Jupiter, searching for her life aura. He had honed this skill of his ever since Rachel became the Oracle. In theory, as long as he was very familiar with the person, he could always track a person through their life aura. Of course, depending on how tired he was and the distance, the harder it was. The downside was that if he was not careful enough, he could end up shadow-travelling to said person without intending to do so, tiring him greatly. Of course, the only person he had ever tried it on was Hazel. He probably could with Percy as well, but Nico had never really gotten to become familiar with the son of Poseidon's aura, so it would be much more difficult. Besides, it was not like Percy needed him to be able to show up in an instant. As the more powerful of the two, though he hoped soon to beat him, Percy could take care of himself.

Nico shook his head and refocused. He was getting side-tracked. He felt his some of his awareness and senses being pulled through the shadows at blinding speed, before coming to Oakland Hills. Knowing he was close, he focused a bit more and searched for Hazel's aura. When he found it, his control almost shattered.

She was in the hospital in New Rome. She was not dead yet, but her aura was very weak. It appeared to be stable for now, but every so often, it would flicker slightly. It could only mean one thing: She was in coma, but her condition could go both ways. Assured that she was still alive, Nico retracted his senses and awareness back to the present. Opening his eyes, he looked at the impatient faces of the demigods. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse.

"You… think Octavian is right… when he claims Greek demigods exist?"

Jason reached ever so slowly into his cloak, causing the son of Hades to tense. But when the blonde withdrew his hand again, the Ghost King felt his control starting to crack like mirror. In the praetor's hand was a torn orange t-shirt with the word 'Camp' on it.

"I don't know about you Nico, but this definitely supports his suspicions. So I'm asking you again: Do Greek demigods exist?"

Nico felt the last of his iron control shatter. All of his hard work to keep the two camps secret for each other, gone to waste. And the most bitter thing of it all: his main reason for doing it was because he wanted to protect Hazel. He knew that if the two camps ever found out about each other, it would end in conflict. A war he had no intention of letting Hazel become part of. He lost Bianca in one war, so after he found Hazel, he swore to do whatever it took to protect her. But none of that mattered anymore and a small of him couldn't help but notice the bitter irony of it all; the one person he wished to protect the most ended up being the first one getting hurt, despite his best efforts. And now Jason waved that damn t-shirt before him. And going on the blood and small trails of gem dust on it, it could only mean that Hazel had indeed been attacked by someone from Camp Half-Blood.

The pieces of his self-control fell to the ground, leaving only darkness before his eyes. He didn't even notice the shadows react to his mounting mix of grief and anger as he spoke in a quiet voice. "Yes, Greek demigods do exist. Our base of operation is called Camp Half-Blood and can be found in the state of New York. The camp leader is called Percy Jackson and is a son of Poseidon."

Marcus went forward, his eyes cold. "So you admit it then? You are a Greek demigod!" He turned to Jason. "Praetor, with all due respect, the orders from the Senate are clear. We have to bring him to Camp Jupiter for questioning."

Jason looked at the youngest of the gathered, then at the others. He got affirmative nods. And while he didn't like it, he knew that with Nico's admission, he really had no other choice. "Nico di Angelo, by orders of the Senate, you are under arrest. We will bring you to Camp Jupiter where you will be subjugated to interrogation and later face trial on the accusation of treason."

Nico let out a bout of laughter, but it was without any humour. If Jason had to put a word on it, he would say it bordered on mad. "Ah yes. I figured that would be the case. But you see, I have no intention of going with you."

Marcus took another step forward and took out a lighter. "So you intend to fight the four of us?"

Once again, Nico laughed, but this time it was accompanied by a fake pleasant smile. "By the gods, no. Not unless you are foolish enough to attack me."

Marcus lit the lighter and used his pyrokinetic ability to manipulate the fire till it was the size of football. "In that case, allow me to take the opening shot. I hope you like fire ambassador, for it will be used during your interrogation."

Nico let out a snarl, his voice cold. "By all means, go ahead. You have no idea who you are dealing with kid. As for your interview…" here he trailed of as he pulled the cloak's sleeve and the sleeve of his shirt up. Then he moved his right hand over the elbow joint, and dispelling the thick layer of Mist he had woven to hide the scars. There, as close it ever came to healing, was the letters SPQR. "The last time a Roman burned me, was when Octavian tried giving me this tattoo without my consent. I'm not going to make the same mistake about a Roman wielding fire again. If you want to burn me, you will have to kill me first."

Marcus let out a growl. "To think that a spy like you have the tattoo that makes you one of us, even if it only half complete. Why even try to hide it?"

Once again Nico laughed, but this time it was a derisive sound. "Are you really that stupid, Marcus? Do you think I've only kept an eye on Camp Jupiter? No, I've kept an eye on Camp Half-Blood as well. I had to hide this so I wouldn't be asked questions."

The son of Vulcan did not like being called stupid. And one look at the others showed they too knew that the fight they had anticipated was about to start. Controlling his anger, he grit out "Ambassador, you said I have no idea who I'm dealing with. Enlighten me then: What is it going to say on your grave?"

Jason brought out his coin at the same time Mariana prepared her bow to fire. Frank had drawn his pilum and was ready to fight as well. Still, Jason saw it wise to preach caution. It might have been something he imagined, but at some point, he could have sworn the shadows seemed to grow thicker and earth beneath Nico had started to crack and smoke.

"Marcus, tune it down. We need him alive." He turned his attention towards Nico. "Last chance, Nico di Angelo. Come with us quietly, or we will use force."

Nico's hand grabbed his weapon within his robes. He was ready. "I told you already; I'm not going with you to Camp Jupiter. But I will answer Marcus' question; it is only fair you know who you are dealing with." He took a deep breath.

"To Camp Jupiter, I'm known as Nico di Angelo, son and ambassador of Pluto. To Camp Half-Blood, I'm known as the son of Hades, the Ghost King, Prince of Shadows, the Night Devil and the Silent Reaper." He looked at the youngest demigod, murder written in his face. "Now you know who you are fighting, Marcus. You said you wanted the first shot; go ahead. But you better hope you hit. And if you hit, you better make it count. For you won't get a second shot."

The turf of the Quidditch pitch exploded with action. Jason flipped his coin and caught a gladius at the same time Frank surged forward, Marcus let loose his fireball and Mariana fired her bow. Nico ducked under the arrow and returned fire. His blast of black fire collided with the one fired by the younger demigod and Frank had to jump out of the way of the two spheres of destruction. The balls of fire ricocheted and careened into the walls of the stands and bleachers, exploding upon contact. Nico swung at Marcus, drawing his weapon in one fluid motion.

It happened so fast that Jason barely saw it, but for the fraction of a second, Nico was holding a pen, the next moment he was holding a long staff that looked like it was made of black iron. The staff connected directly with the back of Marcus' head as the older boy sidestepped him and hit.

CLONG!

Nico frowned as he blocked Frank with his new incomplete weapon. It was a bo-staff, inspired greatly by the one wielded by Robin in the Teen Titans cartoon, but so far it was only its basis-form. It was made from a lightweight steel bo the room had provided when Nico had asked for something to base his work on. He had found this staff, which had the perfect properties and measures for what he intended to make. As it already fit, Nico had coated the staff in a very thin layer of melted Stygian Iron and then cooled it, making it near indestructible. As it being in pen form: Well, Nico figured he would have to hide it somehow so it was easy to bring around.

What was more important, when wielding this staff, it felt like it was an extension of his body in ways his sword never had. And he had learned bojutsu and other Asian martial arts from his trips to China and Japan. But even so, there was a long way to go before his weapon was complete. And then he would have to master it completely.

Grinding his teeth as Frank nearly overpowered him with his superior weight and muscle power, Nico kicked the larger boy away before turning to where he smacked Marcus. He expected the younger boy to be down on the ground, either unconscious from the blow or moaning in pain; he was neither. It was only because of years in the mythological world of gods, monsters and magic that his mouth and weapon didn't drop to the ground.

'I thought the sound was wrong,' Nico thought, 'but it would definitely explain why the guy returns from all his quests and can be the first one over the wall unscathed.'

Marcus Johnson was a sight to behold. He had grown several inches and his skin had turned gold, red and grey and seemed to be steaming slightly in the cold autumn air. He had discarded his cloak, revealing him to be wearing traditional Roman armour without any additional clothing for his upper body. But the armour had to be for something else than just protection, seeing how several wires ran from it to different contraptions all around Marcus' body, mainly his arms and down his legs. The boy was wearing some sort of grey pants and boots that appeared to be made of light iron and gold.

Nico had seen much, but he had only come across anything like what he was seeing four years ago. And the sound his weapon made when it made contact with the youngster suddenly made sense. "I finally see why the camp is whirring with rumours about you, Marcus, son of Vulcan. You are a living automaton. Or a watered down version of Iron Man."

The younger demigod smirked. "I will wipe that smile of your face soon enough. My strongest power is not Pyrokinesis, nor my mechanic genius. No, it's the ability to transform my skin and organs into an organic mix of gold and steel. Frank, stand back. He is mine."

He flicked his hands downwards and fifty centimetres blades made of Imperial Gold sprang from small boxes resting where one would wear a watch. Then he charged.

Nico expected the younger boy would be slowed down because of the additional weight. He was wrong. The kid was fast. He moved out of the way when the younger demigod took a swing with his left and he blocked the incoming right. Now that he was up close, he could feel the heat coming from the younger's metal skin.

'Just bloody fantastic,' Nico cursed as he continued to fight with Marcus. 'The kid skin is literally hard as iron and smoking hot. No wonder he has never been injured. With skin like that, it is impossible to touch him.' He swiped at the younger boy, risking a glance to locate the other Romans. Mariana had pulled back towards the Quidditch hoops, Jason in front of her. Frank was prowling on his right, waiting for an opening. 'This is going to be harder than… whoa!'

He brought up his staff to block another attack. The force behind the blow was so immense that it brought the two teens face to face. Biting back a curse, Nico pushed him a step and went into a combination of blows and swings, those that weren't feints connecting as they should. It only seemed to unbalance the kid. Growing frustrated, Nico raised the bo for an attack. Big mistake, for moment he did, was when Marcus saw his chance. He brought up his foot in a kick and it was only thanks to his reflexes that Nico managed to block the kick with his bo-staff. The kick connected with the staff, forcing Nico to dig his heels into the ground to stand his ground. But it wasn't over. Suddenly there was the sound of mechanical whirring and it was coming from the boot pressing the staff against his chest.

'Oh Styx.'

Nico was blasted through the air as whatever device Marcus had in those boots went off, and he landed painfully on his back several metres from the younger teenager. Groaning, the son of Hades got back on his feet. Letting out a growl, he looked at the smirking son of Vulcan who had the audacity to mock him.

"Funny you should call me a watered down version of Iron Man. It was that movie that inspired me to install these thrusters in my boots. I planned on making a couple of gloves with repulsor canons, but that is out of my reach as I'm not a fictional character with unlimited technology and resources. And before you ask, no, the thrusters aren't powerful enough to make me fly. They are for added effect in combat only." He smirked he held up his hands, palms facing Nico, blades retracted. Not that it mattered, for the boy was holding two fireballs. "Make your move, shadow boy."

Nico bit back a very scathing remark. Getting called boy by one who was younger than him? No more mister nice guy Nico. He slowly raised his hands. "One question… am I right in assuming that that armour is not just for added protection?"

Had Marcus given Nico's behaviour more thought, he wouldn't have cancelled the fireballs or opened his mouth. "You are right. This chest piece works as a battery. It runs on solar energy, but can be recharged through water or wind energy if need be. Now, are you ready to sur… whaaaa!"

Nico had thrust out his hand, and every shadow in the arena sprang to do his bidding. They surged forward to him and he directed them at Marcus. The shadows formed a large arm that connected with his Nico's right; essentially, it was a large and powerful extension of Nico's own arm. The shadow arm grabbed Marcus' shins in an iron grip.

"Hey! What are you doing!?"

Nico let out a growl. "Taking you for a swing."

And he did just that. Waving his hand around, he smashed the younger boy through one long side of the arena and up through one of the towers and finished the swing by smashing him down another tower. The secret behind it was that the closer to Nico, the more power. And the tower Marcus was smashed down through was the one closest to Nico.

The son of Hades took a few seconds to catch his breath. Big mistake. He didn't hear anything other than the wind howling and the thunder booming, but he felt the skin on his cheek rip open as an arrow grazed him. Whirling around in the direction of the attack, the son of Hades ducked under another arrow fired by the son of Mars.

'Wait… where is Jason and Mariana?' His brow furrowed and he swatted another arrow out of the air with his staff. Then a peculiar smell hit his nostrils and the little hair on his neck stood straight up. 'This smell… oh shit. Ozone! What is the most likely place for Jason to stand and summon the lightning? Not the towers, they are made of wood. But where else…' His eyes widened. 'The hoops!'

He looked up, just in time to see Jason raise his golden sword and point it at him, directing a bolt of lightning. The son of Hades clasped his hands together and a wall of black stone rose in front of him. The blast of lightning slammed right into the stone and was deflected right into the bleachers behind him. But it shattered the rock as well and the explosion sent Nico sprawling through the air again, pebbles hitting him all the way. Groaning, Nico got shakily on his feet. This fight was starting to take its toll on his energy reserves, and while he loathed admitting it, tracing Hazel's life aura had taken more out of him than he thought.

"Now, Frank!"

Nico was snapped out of his stupor at Jason's shout and he managed a swift glare in direction of the praetor, barely noticing that Mariana stood in another hoop with the help of a rope. Then the sound of heavy footfalls reached the ears of the Ghost King and he turned, just to see a grey-skinned dragon storming at him, maw full of teeth and ready to bite him. One thing was clear to the son of Hades: They were done holding back and he briefly wondered if they were no longer aiming to take him alive or if they were just coming at him with everything they got, hoping that he would tire himself out. If it was the latter, he feared they might succeed.

When Frank got within five feet of him, Nico erected a strong 360 degrees shield of shadows, protecting him from all sides, above and below included. The force of the shield was powerful enough to send Frank tumbling backwards. Frank let out a roar of rage and let loose a continuous stream of fire at the shield at the same time Jason send another blast of lightning while Mariana fired an arrow that exploded.

The son of Hades felt the sweat mixing with the blood on his forehead. 'I can't maintain this shield for long. Not if I'm going to keep fighting. But at least I managed… oh c'mon! You've got to be kidding me!' Marcus had appeared from the rubble left behind, and he looked really pissed off. But it looked like the last treatment he got had been rough on him. The battery/armour was pretty much ripped to pieces and his iron-skin was not quite all that shiny anymore. And perhaps it was just Nico, but it looked dented. The younger demigod screamed in anger and blasted fire at him. 'Just fantastic. The Iron Man wannabe is back.'

The sweat on his forehead was running down his face by now. So far his shield was holding up, but it wouldn't for much longer. Not under the combined might of a dragon and angry son of Vulcan blasting fire at him, a daughter of Apollo that was showering him with exploding arrows and the son of Jupiter bombarding him with small blasts of lightning that, luckily, did not hold the same level of power as the first; if they did, Nico would have been toast. As it was, most of the fireballs and lightning bolts were deflected into the stadium.

The son of Hades cursed in his head as he had to strengthen the shield. 'This is not good. My plan was to lure them into the forest where I would have a greater advantage, but they foiled that plan. I thought I would have the advantage here, but I didn't think Marcus would have that kind of ability; I underestimated him. Damnit, I underestimated him! What a rookie mistake to make, di Angelo!' He groaned as another violent blast of lightning almost tore through his shield. 'Well, looks like this might be the end.'

Marcus laughed. "Ready to surrender yet?! You can't stay in there forever!"

Nico was about to retort, but then years of being in the mythological world and tight spots kicked in. 'You are not giving up, Nico! Focus! Stay calm! You have to stay calm! You are no good to Hazel dead!' His self-scolding kicked him out of it and he strengthened his shield once more. 'Focus, di Angelo. Focus. Stay calm… analyse the situation. Analyse everything.' He knew that it was a bad idea, but he closed his eyes. It was the only way he could think in this situation. 'They came here in a typical Roman squad attack formation. The three fighters in front, support and healer in the back. They are still in that formation, except that Mariana is with Jason, the strongest of them. It makes sense, the most powerful fighter protecting the healer.' A small frown appeared on his brow. 'Jason is bombarding me with lightning bolts, but they vary in power. Why? Granted that his stamina increased over the years, firing off lightning bolts and protecting Mariana from the strays should tire him out more, so why isn't he slowing down?' A light bulb went on in his head. 'Of course! Mariana! With her ability to replenish Jason's energy, he can go on without tiring. I need to cut that power supply off.' His mind wandered to his two other opponents. 'But that is not going to happen as long those two are on my case. If I make a move for those in the hoops, I will get hit from the ground; and if I try to attack those on the ground, I will get hit from above. And with four against one, a sneak-attack is out of the question as the one would alert the other.'

His frown deepened. 'I need to separate them, fight them one-on-one. But physical attacks seems to have little effect on Marcus; and because of this, I will still be at a disadvantage, even if I manage to take down the others. Curse his invulnerability! The guy has never sustained a physical injury, so how am I supposed to bring him down? Hellfire? No, with all that Imperial Gold, it might blow up the Quidditch pitch completely. That is sure to bring all the teachers here; I guess the only reason they haven't come yet is because of the storm and they haven't realized the lightning near the Quidditch pitch is being summoned by a teenager. But how do I deal with one who has never been wounded… wait! That is it!' The son of Hades opened his eyes and looked first from his staff to Jason and back to his bo-staff. 'And I know just how to get them one-on-one. I just hope this works.'

He started pushing hellfire and shadows into the staff, and he felt his energy take a massive drop. 'One… two… two and a half… GO!'

Nico dropped his shield, turned around and rolled away from two heated balls and stream of flame. He started sprinting towards the end of the pitch, the one opposite Jason. Nico rather felt the small hairs stand up than he heard the clasp of thunder. But he had no doubt that the son of Jupiter had just fired another bolt of lightning of the same scale as the first.

Time seemed to slow down. Nico jumped horizontally, legs first, as he spun around. He saw the blast of lightning and he hammered his staff towards the ground. He let go of it in the fraction of a second before the lightning bolt hit. The moment it did, the bo-staff embedded itself in the ground and stood.

Time seemed to speed up again and Nico slid across the ground. Quite painfully, as a matter of fact. But his plan worked.

The entire stadium shook as a violent underground explosion ripped the green turf open in a cobweb of crevices spewing white hot fire, sending large pieces of earth and rock into the air. Logs and other rubble tumbled down from the towers while two towers, the ones Marcus got acquainted with, simply collapsed while the rest of the stadium's skeleton creaked under the shockwave and at some places splintered. Dust and smoke whirled in the air and Nico had to roll out of the way as the largest goal pole tumbled to the ground, having been knocked over by the collapsed tower closest to him.

Nico coughed as he slowly got on his feet. He couldn't see much because of all the dust, but the turf had been transformed into a jagged rock landscape with cracks and small fires burning. The stadium was heavily damaged, even burning here and there. And two out of three goal poles in Nico's end had hit the ground. One had almost squashed Nico while the other had been stopped by the bleachers behind it.

His plan had been a worked well. Perhaps a little too much. Like with his sword, he was able to channel his powers through the staff. His plan was relatively simple. He was going to channel as much power as he could afford to spare through the staff and then stick it in the ground while he flattened himself against ground. The bo-staff was to act like a lightning conductor, and channel both his and Jason's power from the lightning bolt into the ground. But it seemed he miscalculated the explosiveness of combining lightning, Hellfire and shadows. He would have to take that into account for his new trick.

'Well,' Nico thought, 'that ought to get their attention on the castle. I better hurry. First one: that annoying son of Vulcan.' He closed his eyes and started sensing for life auras. He frowned slightly as he felt one more than his four opponents, but he brushed it off as him being tired. And while none of them were really familiar to him, he soon found one to his direct right. It was the where he had had Marcus last. 'Gotcha.'

Silently he hurried to his right, letting the sounds of violent coughing guide him. What he found was a coughing and cursing Marcus Johnson, covered in dust and soot from head to toe. He was still in 'armour-mode', but that didn't matter to Nico. The younger demigod was obviously tired as he stumbled around. The Ghost King hypothesized that the young son of Vulcan only could stay in his 'armour-mode' for a fixed amount of time, just like Hazel could only wear her diamond armour for a few minutes. The difference being that Hazel summoned and created the diamonds from the ground and had to maintain it manually while Marcus seemed to change his entire body from within without worrying about it failing before time and energy ran out. If that was true, it would definitely explain the longer timespan. But none of that mattered to Nico at the moment. Taking the younger demigod by surprise, he pushed him against the weakened stands and was glad that the kid's iron skin was no longer burning hot.

Marcus was surprised for a moment, then he laughed as he grabbed the son of Hades' wrists in an almost bone-breaking grip. "I will admit that last stunt of yours was brilliant, but it seems it fried your brain alongside the arena. Attacking me like this while I'm still invulnerable and without your weapon? How stupid. Praetor! Frank! Mariana! I've got him!" He smirked at Nico. "We got you in the end. You should consider your last words in advance."

To Marcus' shock, Nico smirked and a dangerous glint entered his eyes. "Or… I got you. As for any last words I might say… how about: Look into my eyes."

"What do you mean…"

Marcus' frown disappeared from his metallic face and his eyes went wide. Then he let out a scream of pure agony before going silent. His and features skin changed back into their normal state and he slumped forward, eyes still wide open. He hid the ground with a dull thud, face first, Nico not doing anything to stop his fall.

Nico sighed and rubbed his temples as he felt a headache coming up. While Nico wasn't above killing, some voice that sounded remarkably like Hazel's, told him to spare the boy. He was not his true enemy. He turned around and tensed up, biting back a curse. Frank Zhang was standing ten feet from him, and he was soon joined by Jason Grace who flew through the dust and landed safely, carrying an unconscious Mariana Delvin.

All of them looked worse for wear. Their clothes were torn and they were covered in dust and soot; Nico figured he looked just like that as well. And with little energy left and no weapons, he did not like his chances. Moreover, it was only a matter of time before the stadium would be surrounded by the teachers. And apparently the praetor seemed to be of the same thought, for he spoke up.

"Frank, take Marcus and Mariana and get out of here. This place will soon be surrounded." Frank opened his mouth to protest, but Jason cut him off. "Go. I will settle this and find you later." Then he addressed Nico. "We will duke this out somewhere else, out of sight. The forest, maybe?"

Nico nodded grimly. "There is a hut on the border of the forest. I will meet you there."

With that, he melted into the shadows, silently summoning his staff to him through the shadows as well.

Jason nodded to Frank before taking off towards the rim of the forest. Frank transformed into a dragon once more and carried away his two unconscious teammates. None of them noticed the pale teenager running towards Hagrid's Hut, but Frank, Jason and the boy saw a mass of people that could only be the teachers of the school running towards the Quidditch stadium… or what was left of it, anyway. Luckily, the teachers of Hogwarts were too focused on the arena to notice the two forms flying away and one sprinting towards the Forbidden forest.

00000

Jason soon found the hut Nico mentioned on the border to the forest, and true to his word, Nico was waiting for him, staff in hand. The son of Jupiter gave the younger boy a quick look over and was pleased to see that the son of Pluto looked as tired as Jason felt, or perhaps even more so. When the arena grounds exploded, Jason had to fly and grab Mariana, as the girl was blasted away by the shockwave, the robe not being strong enough. Then, while in mid-air, Jason had to avoid lightning bolts, flying chunks of rock, rafters and logs. He had to blow some of it to pieces with lightning, but a stray log had still hit Mariana, knocking her unconscious.

"I will admit that I did not see you pulling that last trick, Ambassador of Pluto. You are clearly not just a diplomat, but a skilled fighter as well. Why have you never shown this before?"

Nico showed him the unfinished branding on his arm. "Would it have made you trust me more or less? If you knew of my powers, you would want to force me into the Legion. Octavian already tried, knowing that I would have to obey orders or get punished. No thank you."

Jason tilted his head. "You were just gathering information on us to your little friends in New York so you cold plan an attack on us, is that it?"

Nico shook his head. "No. I was gathering information on both sides, so I could find the best ways to keep the camps apart. Why you might ask? Because every time the camps meet, it ends in bloodshed. Contrary to popular belief, I do not enjoy death. I know that if it came to war, both sides would want to use me as a spy. That is another reason I gathered information on both sides; so I could give information to both sides, and hopefully dissuade you from attacking if you knew what the other side is capable of." He let out a bitter laugh. "Not that it helped much. I was doing it to try keep Hazel safe, yet she is the first victim."

Jason mulled it all over in his head. He understood Nico perfectly and agreed with him; he did not want another war. Even so, fact remained that Nico was a spy and he had clear orders. "I'm sorry Nico di Angelo; I understand your reasons for doing as you have done, but you have admitted to being a spy. I've my orders. I'm sorry."

Nico nodded, and a sad and despondent look appeared on his face. "I know, Jason; I don't hold it against you. It is because of our cursed past that we must fight now. What saddens me the most is had things been different, like if we had come to the same camp from the beginning, we could have been friends." He looked to the forest, then back. "Jason, we are both tired. I've barely more juice left to go on, and from the looks of it, summoning even one small lightning bolt will send you to the ground. Out of respect for each other, how about we settle this in a fair fight? No interruptions, no trickery, no powers; only our skill with a weapon will decide the winner."

Jason gave a tight nod. "Terms accepted. But first, please tell me: What did you do to Marcus?"

Nico sighed as he readied his staff as Jason tossed his coin again, this time transforming into a lance. "I placed him under an illusion. I subjugated him to an hour long treatment with the reduced cat on his back. He experienced all the pain from one hour session in the matter of a second. Because of him never having experienced getting wounded, with the possible exception of when he received his tattoo, his brain could not cope with the trauma of the new sensation. Don't worry, he is not dead. If I had wanted to, and had more energy to spare, I could have done much worse. He should be up by tomorrow noon. If he isn't, I suggest getting your hands on some medicine against hallucinations and painkillers. That should do the trick."

The son of Jupiter nodded his understanding. Then he attacked. The so-called ambassador skilfully deflected his thrust, and made a swipe for his blonde head. Jason parried in it the last second and went on the offensive. Before they knew it, they were fighting in the woods, their battle more like a dance.

They would swipe, jab, parry, thrust, swing, deflect and slash at each other, being unable to hit their opponent. For how long they fought, they didn't know. But their fight came to a stop when Nico disarmed Jason and pressed him against a tree.

It was a simple move really. Nico brought down his staff in a vertical attack and Jason blocked it by holding his javelin horizontal. But before the Roman demigod could react any further, the son of Hades spun the weapon in his hand and brought the bo-staff upwards from underneath the golden javelin, instantly knocking lance out of the blonde's hands. The black-haired teen caught the javelin in one hand and pushed it against the praetor's throat, pushing him against a tree.

Both were panting in exhaustion, but Nico spoke a coherent sentence. "Do you surrender?"

Jason panted, looking into the dark-eyed teen's orbs. Then he nodded. "I surrender."

Nico held him at weapon point as he searched his face for any sign of deceit. Finding none, he lowered the javelin and handed it back to Jason. Just then Frank burst through the treeline, their two companions still unconscious. "There you are. Good, let's…"

He was cut off by Jason. "No, Frank. The fight is over. I lost."

Frank started protesting. "But Jason! We need to bring him back! I can still fight!"

Jason shook his head. "I said no, Frank. That is an order. The fight is over. I, no, we, lost. Even if you can fight, so can Nico. And we are on his turf now, he has the advantage." He looked at Nico, changing the lance back to its coin form. "You win this time around, Nico. We might come back later and try again. Now we know not to underestimate you and we have better knowledge of your powers."

Nico nodded and stepped aside, leaving Jason space enough to go and join Frank. "Likewise. But be warned: Now that I know of your being here, you will not be able to take me by surprise again."

Jason gave a grim nod and took Mariana from Frank, lowering her against a tree before reaching into his cloak again. Nico tensed up, but then a look of utter shock formed on his face as Jason tossed two items in front of him: A silver arrow and a bronze dagger. He looked up at Jason.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Jason picked up Mariana again and answered in a tired voice. "Those were found near Hazel. We figure they belong to whoever attacked Hazel. Alongside this we found the t-shirt and a calling card saying Hunters of Artemis. I know that Artemis is more or less the Greek equivalent to Diana. As for the dagger… I don't assume you recognize it?"

Nico looked at the dagger again, and for just the fraction of a second, Jason thought he saw recognition, disbelief and absolute fury and hatred in the black orbs. But when Nico spoke, his voice was calm. "No, I don't recognize the dagger. Many at camp use them."

Jason gave nod, pushing the suspicion that Nico wasn't entirely honest with him away. "I see. Nico di Angelo, we must part ways now. But know this: if I find out that you just lied to me, you better pray to your father. You are from this moment an enemy of Camp Jupiter. This is your absolute last chance: Come with us now of your own free will, and mercy will be shown."

Nico laughed, this time definitely a mad man's laugh, and Jason wondered if the black-haired teen had finally lost it. But then Nico spoke again, his voice spoke of barely contained anger. "For the last time: I will not come with you. I have seen the extent of Roman mercy, and I will not submit to it."

Jason nodded. He figured that would be the case. When he spoke, his voice was strained "I see. Nico, you do understand that Camp Jupiter always gets its enemies, right? You might have won today, but we will be back with numbers. Reyna is preparing the Legion for war. And with our recent failure in capturing you, Octavian will be screaming for your blood."

Patience running out and his fury building, Nico let out a hiss that told of danger. "Tell me, who is the praetor again? You deal with Reyna and the Legion, Jason, and I will deal with Octavian. You can tell him that if he is so hellbent on questioning me, he can come and get me himself. I will show him what happens to a little dog that barks and snaps too much at a bigger dog. As for you coming for me in numbers: You are underestimating me; numbers won't matter against me. You are not the only one commanding an army. And I will deal with the ones who attacked Hazel as well. I give you my word on that."

Jason frowned at the younger boy before nodding his grim understanding. "Then so be it. Let's go, Frank."

With that they both took off into the sky, leaving Nico alone in the clearing. The son of Hades looked after them, before picking up the arrow and dagger and started storming towards the castle. He was seething with feelings of grief, betrayal, regret and fury, and if he had more energy than he did, there was no doubt in in his mind that the Forbidden Forest would be burning. Not that it mattered. At the moment, he couldn't care less about getting caught by the professors. He recognized that dagger alright.

A human's gasp on his right pulled him back to reality. Reacting on pure reflex, he pushed the person against the tree he had been hiding behind, his staff against the guy's windpipe. When he saw who it was, his eyes went wide in shock and surprise. "You? What are you doing here?"

11111

Neville Longbottom had had the strangest of evenings. After dinner, he had gone to the greenhouses to do some work together with Professor Sprout, as he had done many times before. They were going to prepare some mandrakes for the second years, but Professor Sprout had been bitten in the ear by a Venomous Tentacula, causing her to swear quite loudly, and she had to leave to get an antidote. It was right before curfew, so she had asked Neville to clear up and return to Gryffindor, awarding him twenty points for his volunteer work.

But as it was, Neville didn't like leaving work half-way finished, so he stayed and prepared the last mandrakes for the re-potting the next day and then cleaned up. He had been so absorbed in his work that he didn't notice time flying by, and by the time he was done with cleaning up, it was way past curfew. He had been about to leave when he had seen someone storming past the greenhouses. At first, Neville hadn't recognized him, but then he had realized it was the new boy, Nico di Angelo.

Neville had been about to shout through the glass what he was doing out after curfew, but then he had seen the look on the other boy's face. It was the face of one who was about to enter a duel and that if anyone crossed him, there would be hell to pay. So Neville decided to follow him from a distance, just in case he needed help.

He had followed him to the Stone Circle and hid at the end of the Covered Bridge. It wasn't long before people showed up, and it became clear that Nico knew them. Then they had proceeded to use terms that made no sense to Neville. Legion, Camp Jupiter, Ambassador? Ambassador for what? Was Camp Jupiter some sort of school? Then one of them had said it was too open, and Nico had suggested meeting at the Quidditch pitch just to disappear in the shadows. And then, the one who had to be the leader had barked out orders and flown away! He flew, without the use of a broom or anything! Neville had never seen anything like it. But then he had gotten another shock as the largest of the boys had transformed into a dragon, a freaking dragon, picked up the other boy and taken to the air.

Neville had briefly considered running for help, but even he was curious about Nico and the four new what Neville guessed to be teenagers. So he had taken towards the Quidditch pitch. He had missed most of the conversation, and the wind howling made it no easier, but he heard the leader of the four to tune it down and that they needed Nico alive.

At that, Neville had drawn his wand and was about to run in and demand what was going on, but then a ball of fire had hit the wall and blown a hole, right next to Neville's face and he had reconsidered. And as the fight progressed, he was glad he did. He couldn't hear a thing of what they were saying because of the wind, but he could follow the action quite well.

At some point, what looked like a human statue made of gold and steel came crashing through the wooden skeleton of the stadium, and Neville was sure he had made the right choice. Especially since the so-called statue had been screaming bloody murder as it went by.

His family's special ability was starting to manifest itself in him for real. Before he met Nico and now these guys as well, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy had been the most powerful fifteen-year-olds Neville had ever met. But seeing Nico and those four fighting, he found that Harry and Malfoy were so hilariously outclassed that it wasn't even funny.

A part of him knew he shouldn't be surprised. Long ago, before the Ministry was founded, the pureblood families fought for land. And some of the families that weren't as powerful as the Blacks, Malfoys and Potters when it came to raw magical power, started developing special abilities that might help them survive. The Weasleys, for instance, developed strong and durable bodies. This in turn affected their natural lifespan and fertility. As a matter of fact, the oldest wizard to ever live had been a Weasley, reaching the age of 150 years. And because of their fertility, the Weasley family was also the largest to date; if you looked long enough, you could practically find a Weasley in every country in Europe.

The Longbottoms, Neville's family, developed the ability to sense an enemy's raw magical power. That in turn helped them to find out if they could take on the wizard/witch in a one-on-one fight, or if it would be wiser to run and hide.

Of course, all of the special abilities of the wizard families had decreased and lessened considerably in potency as time went by and they became unnecessary for survival. But even so, when Nico di Angelo had first appeared, Neville had been able to feel the raw power within the teenager, and he had almost choked. And that was when the guy was obviously tired. Now, he had gotten to feel and see a fully rested Nico in action.

No fifteen-year-old should be that powerful, not by a long shot. Neville had quickly realized that no student on Hogwarts would be able to take on Nico di Angelo in a straight-up fight. If they did, Nico would mop the floor with the unfortunate soul. Only some of the teachers, like the Heads of Houses and Dumbledore should take Nico on one-on-on.

Then, Neville was blown off his feet, quite literally. He hadn't seen what transpired in there, but suddenly the turf exploded and the entire stadium trembled. When he got back on his feet, he had almost soiled his pants.

Huge plumes of smoke and dust rose from the Quidditch pitch, and large parts of it were burning, and the skeleton had taken a severe beating.

Neville remembered laughing at himself, suddenly very, very glad he hadn't barged in. He remembered thinking: 'That would have been a nice round of trouble you would have gotten yourself into, Neville. Try stopping this kind of fight is the same as asking to be reduced to a grease spot.'

Neville was, contrary to whatever Snape said, not stupid. He did learn from his mistakes. He learned in first year, that it was stupid idea to go against three people that stronger, both in muscle, raw power and knowledge than you. As if he alone could have stopped Harry, Hermione and Ron that night when they were hellbent on leaving. Admittedly it turned out alright in the end, but he had laid there for hours, unable to move.

Now he had witnessed someone duke it out in ways that made Harry and friends look weak in comparison. For Merlin's sake, Nico and his opponents had just blown up the Quidditch pitch. If that wouldn't get the teachers' attention, Neville didn't know what would. He had barely thought the thought, before he saw the complete teacher staff hurrying down the hills. He had considered running to them and tell them everything, but again, he did learn from his mistakes.

In first year, he had snuck out to warn Harry and Hermione and had gotten a detention for trying to do good. He didn't dare think what would happen to him if he was caught out after curfew under these circumstances. So he had prayed to Merlin that the teachers wouldn't see him when he had run after the blond when he headed towards Hagrid's Hut.

By the time he got there, the blond and Nico were long gone. But then he had heard sounds coming, much to his chagrin, from the Forbidden Forest. Realizing they had taken to fight in there, Neville had snuck into the forest, letting his ears guide him. He didn't dare get too close; not after witnessing what they did to the Quidditch pitch.

He hadn't been able to hear anything they said, but the dragon guy had arrived and then left again. He had once again considered running to the teachers, but the moment he moved his foot, Nico had appeared and Neville had let out a gasp at the sight. Never mind the blood and grime. What really shocked Neville was the look of pure rage in Nico's eyes. But that gasp had proved to be a bad mistake, for now Neville found himself pressed against a tree, windpipe slowly being crushed by Nico's weapon and staring into the furious eyes of the powerful teen. And perhaps it was Neville's scared mind that was playing tricks on him, but for just the faintest of moments, he could have sworn he saw a fiery red in the usual dark irises. But it might have been something he imagined, for in the next moment, they widened in surprise and the pressure against his throat loosened just a little, making him able to breathe normally again.

"You? What are you doing here?"

Neville swallowed as he stared into the eyes of Nico di Angelo. What he saw there shocked him. There wasn't only fury in his eyes, but he could see big grief and regret in the dark orbs alongside disbelief. A little press against the throat told him to spill, and one look told him he better tell the truth.

"I… I… I saw you walking past the greenhouses, looking… like… you were about to fight someone. I followed you to the Stone Circle and hid. Then… four people showed up."

Nico's eyes darkened and he added some extra pressure. "What did you hear? Tell me!"

Neville spluttered and tried pushing away the staff, but the other boy, even if he was lacking in height, was stronger than him. But then he seemed to realize that Neville couldn't talk if he couldn't breathe and he lessened the pressure. But still, the looks in his eyes told Neville that he was running out of patience as he seemed to be struggling to suppress the grief and rage he was feeling inside. Well, Neville, for one, didn't want to be in the vicinity, should Nico lose it.

"I heard you say mention something called Camp Jupiter, the Legion and them calling you an ambassador. And I followed you to the Quidditch pitch, but there I only heard the leader telling one of them that they needed you alive and then you started fighting! Then you blew up the Quidditch pitch and I followed the blond guy here! I heard you fighting in the woods, but I didn't dare get any closer! But I didn't hear anything else, I swear! I was only trying to help! I swear, I was only trying to help!"

Nico was silent for almost a minute, looking Neville in the eyes. Neville felt like those dark orbs saw right into his soul. But then, much to his shock, the pressure disappeared from his throat and the staff seemed to vanish into Nico's cloak. How he managed that trick, Neville wasn't sure. He fell to his knees, rubbing his sore throat. But Nico's quiet voice made him look up.

"I believe you Neville… Longbottom… was it?" Neville nodded shakily. "You are very brave, coming here alone. Not many would do that… fewer still would try to help me. Thanks."

Neville looked up at the powerful teenager, eyes wide. It was only now he realized how tired the other boy seemed to be. Standing up, he rubbed his throat. "You are welcome."

Nico winced. "Well, I have a bad way of showing my gratitude. Sorry about… that."

He gestured towards Neville's throat, but Neville just let out a relieved chuckle. "Don't worry about it. I'm too much of a Hufflepuff to hold grudges." He looked at the deadpan look Nico was giving him. "What? I was almost sorted into Hufflepuff you know. I don't know if you have noticed it, but I'm not exactly like Harry, Ron and Hermione, and much less like you. I'm not strong, nor smart. Nor am I brave."

Nico tilted his head, frowning. Then he spoke, in a quiet voice. "You are wrong, Neville; on all accounts. You are very strong. I have met people who claimed to be powerful, but they could not meet my gaze. You say you are not smart… we both know that is a lie. I have seen you in class. You get the theory, but for some reason, you can't do the practical part. But that has nothing to do with you not being smart. That has to do with your lack of self-confidence. As for you not being brave; there is a hard line between bravery and stupidity. I've heard rumours of Harry's adventures here at Hogwarts. But think about it: Would people call him brave if he hadn't succeeded? Most likely, they would have called him reckless and stupid." Nico let out a chuckle. "It was brave of you following me, but it would have been foolish of you getting any closer. And while I'm touched by the gesture, please refrain from doing something like that again. Running into unnecessary danger isn't brave."

Neville nodded, dumbfounded. He knew he was pushing his luck, but he had to ask. "Nico… those guys… who were they? What is the Legion and Camp Jupiter?"

Nico frowned, pondering what to tell the other boy. The cat was beginning to crawl out of the bag. He couldn't kill him. For one, Neville was innocent in this mess. Secondly, it would arouse too many questions. Lastly, Nico had seen into his soul. It was pure. He could trust Neville, but not with the whole truth. He started walking towards the castle.

"Camp Jupiter is a wizard school in America that follows older ways than here at Hogwarts. As a result, some of its students are very powerful. I'm originally from an another camp or school like that, but I've done a bit of travelling over the years, going back and forth between them, keeping an eye on both. Our schools… well, they have a bloody past to say the least. Whenever we meet, more often than not, it comes to a duel that usually ends in death." They reached the treeline and Nico spoke in a quiet voice. "Neville, I would appreciate it if this don't reach other ears than yours."

Neville looked at the other boy. His first instinct was to tell Harry and his friends this, and the teachers, but then he noticed the tired looks in Nico eyes. The traces of anger were still there, but less pronounced. Right now, Nico had the look of a young guy who had seen way more than his fifteen years old life should have allowed, and combined with the fact that Nico had entrusted him with this knowledge compared to killing him, he figured he owed him.

"I swear Nico, I won't."

Nico opened his mouth to say thanks, but then he fell forward. He would have hit the ground if not for Neville catching him. Groaning, Nico tried pushing Neville away. "Thank you for catching me, but you can let go now. I'm fine."

Neville gave the boy a look and spoke with sarcasm and boldness that was unusual for him. "Yeah, right. That is why you are halfway crawling along the ground."

The son of Hades tried protesting, but Neville wouldn't budge on the matter. He let out weary sigh. "Fine. But don't blame me if we get caught by the teachers."

Neville frowned. He hadn't thought about the teachers. Shrugging, he hoisted Nico to a standing position and had him lean against him for support. "I will worry about that if we get caught."

They walked in silence for a few minutes and the still burning Quidditch pitch came into view. Black figures that could only be the teachers were running around, putting out the fires as best as they could. Neville turned his head as he heard Nico chuckle. "What is so funny?"

Nico chuckled. "I just wonder if Angelina will still want me on the Quidditch team if she learns about my role in this."

Neville stared at him for a moment, then he laughed. "I doubt she will be too thrilled about it. Maybe we should just stay quiet about it. But if you make it on the team, I hope you don't do this to the stadium if you lose." Then he frowned and suddenly paled. "Oh no, how are we going to get into the Gryffindor Tower? Looking like this, we are sure to draw attention to ourselves!"

They both stopped, both of them frowning. Then Nico sighed. "I will handle that. It can't be helped. Hold on."

Neville frowned. "What are you…. Waaaah!"

The Gryffindor's Herbology number one expert was cut off as he was surrounded by darkness. He could hear strange noises and he felt cold shivers up his spine and it felt like his very skin was peeling off. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, it was over, and Neville was shocked to see they were back in their dormitory.

"Nico, what was…"

Neville trailed off. Nico was lying on his bed, having passed out cold. Neville rubbed his head in confusion before heading for the showers. And while neither boy knew it yet, this night was the beginning of a strange friendship.

00000

Nico was staring into the fire. He had slept for hours after his fight. He woke up around at three thirty in the night, and could hear the other five boys' soft breathing and snoring. He had tried getting back to sleep, but thirty minutes later, he woke again, this time from a nightmare that involved Hazel's attack. It wasn't a demigod dream, of that he was sure, but he knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. So knowing that he had gotten far less sleep than necessary, and ignoring his screaming muscles, Nico had headed for the showers, letting the water soothe his sore body.

After he was done, he headed down to the Common Room that thankfully was deserted, a small fire still burning in the fireplace. Wearing only his boxers, Nico found a thick blanket and took a seat in the one of the armchair's in front of the fireplace. How long he sat there, he had no idea. But the shower had done more than soothe his aching muscles. It had also roused him, and his fury was rising anew, squashing his grief and feeling of betrayal.

He had hidden the SPQR with Mist again, but was now fingering his camp necklace, having pulled it from his ring. He could hide a lot of small things in there by turning them into shadow, and it was necessary to hide the necklace when going to Camp Jupiter as it was sure to raise questions he would rather not answer. Not that his efforts had done him much good.

'The flames of war has been reignited' Nico mused, looking into the fireplace. 'Even after all I did to prevent it, Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood will soon be fighting each other again.'

He looked at the necklace again, his anger growing. The first clay bead was the one all had gotten after the Battle of Manhattan. The second one showed a little bronze dragon, as it had been the summer Leo repaired Festus. Festus was now guarding the camp borders alongside Peleus, unless Leo needed him for something. The third bead looked like a miniature ship hull. It was a huge project the Hephaestus cabin had started.

The necklace and its beads stood for more than just how many summers a camper survived. It stood for the friendship between the campers and to the camp. Nico snorted as he looked at the necklace, then the fireplace.

'The fires of war burns again. And it has already taken two victims. Hazel,' he clenched his fist holding the camp necklace before hurling said necklace into the fire. 'And my bond with Camp Half-Blood. They say they need me, but they only need my fighting abilities, not my friendship. I'm no longer a friend of Camp Half-Blood.'

He watched the necklace burn. Nico was no fool. If Camp Jupiter had managed to track him here, it was only a matter of time that Camp Half-Blood would come searching for him as well. When they did, he would be ready for them. They would come to rue the day they betrayed his trust. They would come to rue the evening he recognized the dagger as Annabeth Chase's, identifying her as one of Hazel's attackers. And the Hunters of Artemis would not go unpunished either. His ill feelings towards them after Bianca's death had lessened to the point he could tolerate being near Thalia and fight them in 'Capture the Flag' without using deadly force, but now he learned they were also there to attack his second sister, and his hatred for them was back, stronger than ever. But tonight's fight showed him that he would need to complete his weapon sooner than expected, and train harder. He was alone once more: Camp Jupiter had labelled him as a traitor, and Camp Half-Blood was no longer his ally. It was fine with him. If it was a fight the camps wanted from him, it was one they should get. He would be ready for them.

That thought firmly in mind, he went upstairs, knowing that he wouldn't get much more sleep, but it had grown too cold down in the Common Room. What he didn't witness was a bushy haired witch suddenly appearing out of thin air. Hermione gently placed Harry's invisibility cloak in the chair Nico had occupied moments before and kneeled in front of the fireplace. Pulling out her wand, she anxiously levitated the remains of the necklace out of the fire. The cord was gone, but the beads remained somewhat intact.

'Nico… who are you? What are you hiding?' Those were Hermione's thoughts as she picked up the cloak and went to a night filled with restless dreams.

End chapter 7

AN: Another chapter down. Hope you enjoyed reading and that I didn't went overboard with the fight. And thank you to all who have put on favourite and following alert.

Time for the anonymous reviews

Guest 2/20/13. chapter 6

UPDATE! i love this fanfic

i love the way nico is smart and has a intelligent way of speaking

in another fic he sounds young

make nico fall for anyone apart from hermione

Response: Thank you. I'm glad you are enjoying the story. Now, in regards to who Nico will date, if any, I'm open to suggestions. However, for me to consider a suggestion/idea there has to be some good reasoning behind it.

kim 2/14/13 . chapter 6

I love it

Response:

Thank you. Hope you continue reading

Guest 2/3/13 . chapter 4

Hey, did you make up the law in chapter 4 or was it in the book?

Response: It depends on what law you mean. The law about flying carpets was in Harry Potter and the GOF, I just elaborated on it. If you are thinking about that decree Nico used against Umbridge, that is some I made up. I have always been curious about all the decrees that came before it, so I decided to play around with it. Besides, I needed Nico to throw in Umbridge's face.

Guest 1/13/13 . chapter 4

FABULOUSLY AMAZING

THAT EAS 20% COOLER THAN TOTALLY AWESOME

Response: Thank you. Glad you enjoy.

Awesome name 1/10/13 . chapter 6

yay! Hazel's not dead! and ooooh, the romans are here!

someone followed nico! tsk tsk tsk who could that be?

UPDATE and let us know!

i LOOOVE the chap! (as always)

oh and, is this gonna be a hermione/nico pairing? bcoz there's that line wherein she is 'falling' for him…

Response: Well, you got answered who followed Nico. And I'm glad you enjoyed. As for the pairing: Well, Hermione is falling for Nico, but nothing is certain yet.

Hungry chick 1/8/13 . chapter 6

Love it get umbridge involved with nicos meeting that's happening right now

Response: Sorry to disappoint, but it wasn't Umbridge. Hope you enjoyed anyway.