AHA! So that's what's happening!

Sigh, Percy's not mine.

Chapter 10: In which Nico jumps on the bandwagon of death.

Rachel was overly excited to see us. The moment we entered her clearing, she got out of her meditative position and bounded over, her red hair flying everywhere. It looked like her head was on fire. "Hi! Lars, Katie…and May right? I heard you got claimed. Demeter, nice one. So are you guys just visiting or what?"

"We need a quest," explained Lars. "May's been getting weird dreams of creepers in a corner. You know, the darkness, 'let's take over the world' idea again."

Rachel was puzzled. "But wait, I already gave her a prophecy. She didn't tell you?" Now was the time to get busted. I had been keeping the secret for a pretty long time, and it was all going to come out.

Katie turned to me, expecting an answer. She tapped her foot and crossed her arms, looking a lot like a stern mother. I shriveled under her gaze. The guilt was eating me away. "Um, no, I didn't tell them. Sorry, I thought I should probably keep it to myself until the right moment."

"The right moment?" said Lars, raising an eyebrow.

I gulped. "Um, yeah. If you want me to say it now, I still remember."

Rachel laughed. "Great, because I don't. Too many prophecies!"

I repeated what Rachel had said the first day I came to camp. Katie's face blanched when I mentioned "Weapon's prey," and Lars looked like he was going to pee his pants. Rachel twirled a lock of her hair in thought, almost as if she knew who was going to go with me on my journey to the pits of death. When I finished, Rachel commented. "Yep. Definitely a quest. The final three obviously indicates the people on the quest, so you and two undetermined others. Healing the land? Well, I haven't noticed anything wrong happening yet. The sheepskin is still good, and mortal TV has been relatively calm…but we can't say for sure what's going to happen. Fatal flaws are always weaknesses, so you'd better watch out, especially if you may be helping the enemy. And weapon's prey? Let's not think about that."

"So what do I do? I have no idea where to go, or what actions to take, and my dreams are SO not helpful."

"Can you remember anything about your dreams? Anything specific about the surroundings? It may lead us somewhere."

I thought for a moment before replying. "This may sound dumb, but the place looks uncannily like my aunt's attic." It gave the same eerie feel, like something mysterious was lurking in the shadows. I even remembered seeing a photo of my grandmother, as well as a rickety chair that had retired a few years ago. The shape of the ceiling was nearly identical.

Rachel stared at me. "Really?"

I shrugged. "Told you it sounded dumb. But it does."

Lars munched on an apple he had conveniently taken out of his pocket. "Well, what are the odds? I say, go to your aunt's and check it out. No biggie."

"Except for…" I fidgeted with the edge of my shirt a bit. "It's kind of on the other side of the world."

My aunt was this teeny little Asian lady who lived in Beijing, China. She spoke decent English, but had this odd habit of petting people's heads when she first met them. I had visited a couple times over a range of summers, and was glad for the air conditioning she had in her house. It was a welcome relief from the oppressive heat. Auntie made the best tea, grown straight from the leaves on a tree outside her house. It always smelled sweet and tasted a little bitter and I loved it. While Auntie was kind, she was also a little ball of fire. She bustled about constantly, cleaning, straightening, and filling my brain on the use of herbs. And when she was angry, she could knock a guy's teeth out. Trust me, she broke up quite a few brawls on the city streets.

Her attic was like any other attic. It was old, dusty, and had not been inhabited for years. But apparently, people were now meeting up or residing in there. I didn't know if my Auntie knew about this, or if worse things had happened to her.

I asked Rachel if I could use a phone to call her or something, just to make sure she was okay. Rachel sighed and denied my request, stating that cell phones were like a sure fire lures for monsters. "We can't risk it," she said apologetically. Then, she lowered her voice, so quiet that if I had not been standing right in front of her, I wouldn't have heard it. "But, if you really need one, Nico has his on him. He snuck it in through the camp boundaries, but don't tell a soul, got it?"

I nodded, smiling brightly. She was too nice. "Thank you."

"No problem. Now go find that brat."

Katie narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Lars seemed to understand the situation. I had heard rumors that satyrs have impeccable hearing. "She was talking about the quest, and how we need to talk to Chiron so we can get...uh, transportation to Asia," he covered up. I had to admit, the reasoning was good, and he pronounced it so convincingly even I started to believe that it was exactly what Rachel had said.

The lie was smooth, and Katie accepted it without hesitation. With a final goodbye to Rachel, we trekked back to the camp.

I idly played with the chapstick I had in my pocket as we walked. Who in the world would want go to China with me, especially for a quest? The request in itself was ridiculous. Like I could just ask people, "do you want to come to a foreign country with me so we can potentially get killed in my Aunt's attic?"

I sighed. There was really no helping it. I should let time just take its natural course, and everything would be fine.

Right?

Wrong.

Without warning, I felt a cold shiver run up my spine as a cool hand grabbled my ankle. This was totally not supposed to happen. Before I could scream, the hand pulled down, and I was dragged into the ground.

Being inside the earth is not a happy feeling. It's cold, damp, and smells like dirt. The hand kept tugging as I seemed to travel through the never-ending darkness, the wind rushing past me so fast I felt my cheeks puff out and my eyeballs dry out.

Dry eyeballs don't feel so hot either.

I didn't know how fast I was going, but I eventually resurfaced and took a huge lungful of air. I collapsed on the floor, trying to catch my breath.

"Huh. So it does work."

I looked up, and saw Nico's smirking face. "What up, Wang," he said cheerfully, like he didn't just try and scare me half to death.

"What did you do?" I gasped, almost choking on my own spit. I had never experienced a greater desire to strangle someone before. He sat on a bed with dark covers, looking cocky and extremely proud of himself. I must have been in his cabin, since I could see clothes strewn everywhere, and a photo of him and a girl. They looked young and happy, the girl with her cap and Nico displaying Mythomagic cards.

"What did I do? I merely allowed you to experience some shadow travel. To tell you the truth, I wasn't too sure if it would work or not from a distance, or if I could find the right person."

"You mean I was like a guinea pig experiment?" I spluttered.

"In a sense, yeah."

"What if I had been changing or something? What if I was in the showers? Do you realize how embarrassing that would be?" I yelled, throwing my hands up.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I wouldn't mind."

I wanted to punch his face so bad, and knock out a few of his pearly whites.

Nico continued. "Again, I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I did, and now I wish to have a word." He leaned forward and looked me in the eye. His stare was unnerving. "Do you have any idea why," he breathed, "that summer isn't coming?"

He was not the brightest lightbulb in the box. I looked at him dumbly. "Because it's spring right now?"

"You don't understand, smart egg. There are no temperature changes in the air. The plants aren't growing, it's like they've been frozen in time. Even the Demeter cabin can't make the fruit bud faster anymore, that's why they've been gardening hard every night. They're trying to find a solution."

"Maybe it's just a phase, summer can't just not happen. There has to be a logical explanation for all this," I answered.

Nico clasped his hands and sighed in exasperation. "Do you know," he began, "how the seasons even work? There are three Hours who are the gatekeepers to Olympus. Thallo, goddess of spring, Auxo, goddess of summer, and Carpo, goddess of autumn. They're the ones who control the balance of nature."

Woah. Hold your horses. That was not what the camp books had said.

"I thought that was Persephone and Demeter. You know, season changes when she comes out of the Underworld and stuff."

He sighed. "Well, that's true too, but only to a certain aspect. Persephone makes the flowers bloom, that's why she's associated with spring. But the weather, climate, and plant growth—that's all Auxo. And the fact that none of it is changing, especially as late as the end of April, can only mean one thing."

I realized it too. The way the burly man had chuckled in my dream.

One Hour down.

Nico bit his lip in what could only be seen as worry.

"Auxo is missing."

So this was actually kind of serious. I could see where problems could happen. You know, shortage of crops, no food, extreme world hunger. If summer didn't come, that would mean eternal spring, which meant no autumn, and no harvests. I couldn't help but ask if he was sure. The grim look on Nico's face gave me the answer that I really didn't want.

"So what do you want me to do about it? I have no idea where she is," I said.

"But you're the one," he answered, "That has been getting the dreams. Do you think it's really that convenient that when summer isn't coming, you suddenly show up? And with dreams about attics, people who want to destroy Olympus, and a captured girl? It's a little coincidental, don't you think?"

"Uh…"

"Not to mention, you got a prophecy. A quest. And it makes sense with the changes that are happening. Over heaven and under to heal the land…which obviously means rescuing Auxo. This is what you have to do. You've even got a giant trying to eliminate you, which is probably because you're a threat to them. With one Hour gone, the gates are less secure. I wouldn't be surprised if our enemies could slip out a monster or two."

"So basically," I said wryly, "I'm actually important. Funny stuff there. Let's look at the more down-to-earth stuff here, okay? First off, I got here five days ago. I just got claimed, and really have no idea how to use my powers. How could I possibly be a threat?"

"Well—"

"And," I continued, not giving him a chance to speak, "Did you ever think maybe the giant was trying to kill you off? Not me? And finally, I'm just a demigod. Like the evil guys said: what can I possibly do to them? The gods are a million times stronger than I'll ever be. I'll let them take care of this issue."

I reveled in what I had just said. I couldn't believe myself. I was so incredibly selfish…

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I didn't mean to—"

"There's a reason for a prophecy, you know," Nico said quietly. It looked like he was remembering something painful, something he wanted to forget. "They always come true, whether we want them to or not. They give us glimpses into the future so we can be prepared for the events when they hit. And as much as I know you don't want to do this, you have to. It's your quest, and you have to fulfill it."

I sighed and gave in. "Yeah, I know. I'll do it."

Decision made, point and check. It was written in pen, no use trying to erase it.

I was so going to end up in the biggest mess ever.

Nico got up from his bed and walked towards the window, looking outside. "I'm coming with you."

He was going to what?

"Wait a second, let's not get ahead of ourselves. How do you know you're supposed to travel with me?" I fumed. Sure, I didn't mind him coming along (he was nice to look at), but I couldn't have him almost die again.

"Listen up, smart egg."

I was really hating that nickname.

"It says over heaven and under, right? So the equivalent of heaven and under: Elysian Fields and Tartarus. And where are these places located? The Underworld. And who's the son of Hades? Me. There is no possible way you can succeed without me."

"Do you seriously have to be right all the time?"

"Well, it's one of my best traits. So it's settled. I'm coming along."

Then something sparked my brain. It should've happened a while ago, but I was too caught up in Nico's words to realize that something was wrong. I looked at him suspiciously. "So Nico. You mind telling me how you know about my quest? And my prophecy? And my dreams?"

His face instantly went into guilt mode.

I got up from the floor and crossed my arms, giving him the harshest look I could muster. "Mind explaining yourself?" I hissed through gritted teeth.

He stared at his feet like they were extremely interesting. "I might have eavesdropped on your conversations a bit," he muttered.

I almost choked on my spit again. "You were spying on me?"

"Not spying! I just wanted to…" his face turned beet red. "I…uh…argh! Whatever, I didn't mean it, okay? It's just that I saw you guys going to Chiron's, and I couldn't help but want to figure out why…so I just listened through a bit of shadow travel."

I frowned. "You're sorry, right?"

He looked remorseful. "Yes, I'm sorry."

I uncrossed my arms and smiled. "Good. But you know that if you travel with me, we're going to the other side of the world right? You'll be a foreigner. You think you can handle it and not get killed?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Please. You should be the one worrying."

I stuck out a hand and wiggled my fingers. He grasped it, his hands nice and cool, and shook.

It wasn't what I wanted. "Thanks for your handshake, but I want to use your phone."

"I don't have a phone."

"Stop lying. Rachel spilled the beans. Now hand it over."

Scowling, Nico turned to a wall and pressed a button on the bottom of the windowsill. A part of the wall popped out, revealing a cabinet and a deposit box inside. After going through a series of combinations, the safe opened, and inside was a sleek cell phone.

"Only once, okay?" he grumbled, putting the phone in my hand.

I quickly punched in my Auntie's number, waiting a suspenseful three rings before her crackly voice came over the speakers.

"Hello?" she said in Chinese. "Who is this?"

"Hey Auntie, it's May," I replied in English.

She instantly changed languages. "Ah! May! How have you been? I miss you, how's life in America?"

I smiled. "Life's good. Hey, I was just calling to make sure you're ok. Nothing bad has happened, right?"

"No, no! Sometimes, weird sounds on the ceiling but not really disturbing. I think birds find their way into attic, and stomp stomp around." Her laugh traveled over. "No, I am fine. How is your father?"

Birds? No, it was the creepers. I knew right then and there that I had to go over. I couldn't have some weirdos living in Auntie's house without her knowing. Besides, they were planning to overthrow Olympus too, so that was another plus. And how was Dad, she had asked. I had to lie through my teeth this time. I couldn't tell her the weird things that had happened over the past week. "Dad's good too. Uh, he's with some customers right now, so he can't come to the phone. But I might be coming over to visit for a while with some of my friends."

"Coming over? You are welcome here anytime! Auntie will take good care of you. School is on break?"

"Yep. We're on spring break right now." Another lie, but it wouldn't hurt. I felt bad deceiving my Auntie, but desperate times called for desperate measures. I knew I couldn't use the phone for much longer, so I said goodbye and told her to expect us in a day or so.

I gave Nico his phone back. "Thanks. Auntie's fine, so we can crash at her house and eradicate some bad guys while we're at it. And maybe we'll find a clue about Auxo's disappearance. So how are we going to get there? By plane?"

Nico shook his head. "Zeus has a bit of sibling rivalry issues with my dad. He would zap us out of the sky and let us plummet to our death. I'll figure out transportation. You talk to Chiron and Lars, and Katie too. Go to Katie first. She's probably freaking out because you mysteriously went missing."

"And who's fault is that exactly?" I retorted, opening the door and stepping out into the sunlight.

"Mine."

He didn't look a bit guilty at all, waving and smiling cheerfully like this was all part of his plan.

The second I got into the Demeter cabin, Katie jumped up from her bed, tackled me with a hug, and then scolded me into oblivion. "Do you have any idea how worried we were? One second you're with us, then we turn around, and you're gone! What if a monster had gotten you? What if you were kidnapped?"

Well, I had been kidnapped, but I chose not to say it. I had a feeling Katie would be getting some help from the Stoll brothers and give Nico the most miserable night of his life.

"Lars and I were seriously about to get Chiron and some other campers to scout for you if you didn't turn up in the next hour." She took a breath. "Anyways, I'm just glad you're ok."

I hugged her back. "Thanks. But I've got to talk to Chiron now, for the quest and stuff. Supplies and all that."

The door opened with a sudden creak, and I nearly jumped out of my socks. Katie looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "Really Travis? Do you have to butt in at this time?"

"You know you like it Katie," said Travis, sauntering through the doorway. He gave me a smile, then turned to her again. "Anyways, how's the planting going?"

Katie grumbled. It was then that I noticed the cabin filled with people, all sitting on the ground and talking to half-grown plants. The beds had somehow been propped up, leaving ample space. There was dirt, seeds, and fertilizer everywhere. The girl I had seen watering the tree last night was sobbing as her bean sprout refused to grow under her command, and others were equally frustrated. Katie swiped a hand through her hair. "It's not going too well," she admitted, looking mournfully at the scene before her. "Even if they grow, they end up shrinking back after a few minutes."

I decided to try too. It would be a test to my knew earth powers (man, that sounded so lame), and I could try to help. I sat down next to an empty pot and sprinkled in a few seeds. Then, I grabbed a nearby watering can and watered the space, lifting my fingers, trying to get the plant to sprout.

A tiny green leaf popped out from under the dirt, getting larger and larger with each second. Then it stopped, and no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't budge another inch.

"See?" sighed Katie. "We don't get it. This has never happened before."

I knew why, and I felt terrible for keeping the information away from Katie. But somehow I knew that if I told her, she would want to come along…and she wasn't the right one. The prophecy didn't mean for Katie to be part of the quest—her job was taking care of the cabin, she was needed at camp.

"I'm sure you'll find a solution." I meant it. If anyone could find a way to make the plants return, it would be Katie. She didn't realize it, but she was the Demeter cabin's pillar of support, and people looked up to her. She would definitely find a way.

Travis slung an arm around her shoulder. "Lighten up, Katie! May's right. You've been here forever, and you're the best gardener I've ever seen. I haven't seen many, but I'm sure I'm right."

Katie laughed. "Wow, Stoll, impressive use of language. But you have a point. We can't sulk around—there has to be another option, and I'm going to find it."

They looked so nice together, I felt a bit like a third wheel. So without them noticing, I slunk out of the cabin and hurried down to the Big House. I needed to talk to Chiron about Auxo.

Wow...it's been a while, right? But this is a nice, SUPER long chapter, with some SUPER AWESOME parts :)

I was without internet for 2 weeks, and I almost died. This goes to show how much I'm totally addicted to it...which is a bad thing.

How long can YOU last?

R&R for an awesome next chapter :)