Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, OR ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH PERCY JACKSON OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

A/N: Thank you to Artemis's Lieutenant for beta-ing and supporting me with my story! and also, thank you to whoever nominated this story for a Verita Award, it really meant so much and it seriously made my day [:

this is kind of the chapter wherein everything happens, I`ll tell you that. it`s like, the climax of everything and the most eventful and stuff. I hope I wrote it well enough for you guys! (:

I`ll be taking a short break from writing this, to let everything sink in and stuff and to just organize all my thoughts so the rest of the story won`t end up crappy and rushed, because that would totally suck. anyway, tell me what you think, I hope you like it!

Nico Tells Me The Truth

Honestly? I had almost forgotten how long it's been since Camp Half-Blood felt like a real home… since I felt like I belonged again. Traveling everywhere and just dropping in once in a while, close to just once a year, and staying there for just a few hours, two days max, really got to me. I guessed that's what happened when you ran away from everything so much—you pretty much get used to all the running that when you finally stopped, everything comes crashing into you, consuming every little part of you until you've finally opened your eyes and see what you've been missing all this time.

What exactly have I been missing, or well, trying to leave behind, as I journeyed with the hunt? Well, I don't know, maybe… growing up, Annabeth and Percy, messing with Grover, pissing of Mr. D… and, I guess, so to speak… Luke.

Yes, I admit it. I missed Luke. You've probably already realized that by now though, a lot of people had, Nico being one of them. He knew too much, that kid. He wasn't really a kid anymore though, because he was technically older than me, since I was stuck being fifteen and he was stuck being seventeen. Both our ages are so messed up anyway its kind of hard to tell.

What were we talking about again? Oh yeah. Ever since Luke abandoned us and joined forces—and, in the end, literally joined—with Kronos, I've found myself being rather unstable when it came to him. It was either I boiled with anger, feeling abandoned and betrayed by the one I… you get the picture, or I just felt the depression from the loneliness of losing him when he died, the boy who was practically the only family I really had left.

Back at camp that fateful summer, depression is what consumed me for the most part, but only because an unbidden visitor decided to show up. And that visitor—Nico di Angelo—decided to bring something that made his showing up even more infuriating; he decided to bring Cas Beckendorf, the boy who messed everything up for me. No, I don't love him. I don't have any romantic feelings towards him (well, I sure hoped not). How did he mess everything up then? Well, first of all, Backbiter's back and in the possession of a very capable swordsman. Second, he tried to understand me, tried to get to know me. He forced himself onto me, and, like Mrs. O'Leary's annoying fleas, he stayed there. The worst part, the messed up part, was that I liked him there. I liked my flea. That sounded wrong in so many levels, but I did. He was familiar, his warmth, his smile… his scar.

But I was afraid. I didn't want to lose anymore. I was strong, I knew that, everyone knew that, but it was hard being alone. You never knew when one day you would wake up feeling like you're whole being had been ripped apart and all you wanted to do was cry until your eyes were dry. But I couldn't cry, I couldn't let anyone know. I had to keep it inside. That way, they left me alone. No unwanted questions, no awkward situations, and no (more) crying in front of people who weren't supposed to see me cry.

Well, that's what I thought.

I sat down near the shore. Ever since my encounter with Hermes, I often wandered back to it whenever I needed to clear my thoughts. I had to admit, I hoped I would find someone there, be it Hermes or not, waiting for me there because I needed them. Whenever I wandered there, I wasn't surprised to find no one there. My heart dropped a bit every time I found the shore empty, but I had gotten used to it. I usually just sat there, staring at the ocean with its breaking waves, taking in the salty breeze, messing up my already windswept hair, until I calmed down.

"Well, well, well, I never thought I'd see the day the daughter of the sky god crossing my domain," I heard a voice razzing me.

I turned my head a bit, and saw Percy walking over towards me. His hands were in his pockets. He was wearing a big and wrinkled Camp-Half Blood t-shirt covered with mud and… other things I'd rather not identify. His magical pen was hanging by a string around his neck, surprisingly, completely clean. Half of his face was completely covered in black dust, and his hair was sticking up everywhere as if he got singed. His teeth looked really white compared to the blackness of his grubby face.

"Seaweed brain," I acknowledged, nodding curtly.

"Pinecone face," he mirrored my actions and took a seat next to me.

I crinkled my nose and moved a bit, creating a bigger space between us, "You smell gross."

"Well you smell salty," he crinkled his nose, mimicking me.

"Salty is what you always smell like," I stuck my tongue out. "What happened to you Perce? You look like the Bronze Dragon swallowed you up, tried to breath fire but you clogged his esophagus so he couldn't, and then spit you out."

"That's one way to put it," he chuckled. "So what is Thalia Grace doing out near the water?"

"Just trying to clear my head," I gave him a weak smile.

"Yeah, I heard being angry all the time really clogs your brain," he teased.

"Percy," I looked at him with a stone-face. "The fact that you look like you've already been burnt to a crisp doesn't stop me from scorching you completely. So don't even try me."

"Jeez, I was just kidding!" he prodded my back lightly. "I was just trying to cheer you up."

"I don't need cheering up, I need leaving alone."

"No, you don't. You've been left alone long enough."

"And that's the way I like it," I scoffed and turned away from him, staring blankly towards the horizon.

"Thals, I'm just trying to help, you don't have to bite my head off," he paused for a bit, but I could tell he was still looking at me. "Or, should I say, bite my back?"

I looked at him in disbelief. Did he know?

"No, what's that supposed to mean?" I spat, trying not to sound worried or guilty.

"Let me tell you a story," he sat up straighter and folded his legs into an Indian sit. "Once upon a time, in a camp far, far away, a very handsome son of Poseidon was walking over to the arena to improve his already superb sword fighting skills—"

"I do hope this 'Son of Poseidon' you're talking about isn't you, because only in an alternate dimension would I call your swordsmanship 'superb'," I interrupted.

"C'mon! You know I'm better than most."

"Then I guess it's just the 'very handsome' part that isn't possible then."

"You need a bit more kindness."

"You need a bit more humility."

"Touché," he stuck his tongue out. "Anyway, he went to the arena and, lo and behold! He finds himself face to face with the blade that took the lives of many, him almost... a lot of the time. How the infamous blade fell in the hands of an unsuspecting camper? No one knows, but this son of Poseidon had a theory."

He looked at me and smirked. I held my breath.

"He suspected a certain son of Hades," he started. I felt relieved, and really grateful that Seaweed Brain over here didn't catch on fast enough to find the truth. "'He had probably gotten the sword from its original owner and brought it here," he thought. "But why bring it here? He had no idea. So he ventured over to the land near the treacherous seas—"

"Look, horsey king, I've been here all day, and sorry to burst your bubble, there's nothing 'treacherous' about the water. So stop messing around with the story and just get to the point," I snapped.

"Okay, okay, jeez, just relax," he lifted his hands up in mock-surrender. "I came to find you so we could both go over to Nico and ask him. I mean, that sword's been enough trouble when Lu—um, he had it. I just want to stop the chaos before it starts. Get what I mean?"

"Yeah, yeah… I guess we could ask Nico," I mindlessly stood up.

Percy followed my lead. "Let's go then?"

"Yeah, let's go," I nodded half-heartedly.

What was I doing? Nico probably already knew it was me who gave it to Cas, and if he didn't already he's going to… Styx. So much for stopping the chaos before it started.

"Nico, we wanna talk to you!" Percy said as he banged on the Hades cabin door.

The Hades cabin still sent shivers down my time. Something about it was just really unsettling. Cabin Thirteen's walls were made of obsidian, and it had no windows. The steps leading onto the cabin were made out of skulls, spirits, and decaying things. I didn't even dare look at it any longer. There were torches bearing green Greek fire, creating a sort of border around the cabin.

"Oh, hey Percy, Thals, what's up?" Nico said nonchalantly as he opened the door.

"We need to talk," Percy said. "It's important."

I resisted the urge to tell Percy that it was no big deal and he was just overreacting, but I bit my tongue.

"Oh, alright then. Come in," Nico stepped aside, making way for us to enter. And through all of this, Nico did not seem frazzled, baffled, shocked, surprised… nothing! He just smiled at us! If it were me, I would have totally freaked out on Percy.

Percy stepped inside, whispering a thank you to Nico. I hesitantly followed Percy inside. When both of us had entered, Nico closed the door, engulfing the room in darkness.

"Wha—Nico, why is it so dark in here?" Percy stammered.

"Is it?" Nico chuckled.

"Nooo, ghost boy, it's not dark, that's why I can totally see you," I said sarcastically, while rolling my eyes, but none of them probably saw it.

"I'm just kidding," Nico laughed. He clapped his hands together and three large floating orb things appeared in front of us, casting a faint, and eerie light around us.

"Can we have proper light, please?" I demanded.

"Why? That's the light people see when they die, is the light of new life not enough for you?" Nico said.

"WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Percy shouted.

Nico laughed. "Yes, I'm kidding you, so don't shout. These are just, um… how do I explain this?"

"Try words," I said.

"But that's the thing, it's hard to describe with words."

"Then how do you know what these things are then?" I demanded.

"When it has something to do with the life, death, or the Underworld, I just know."

The silence was deafening.

"Oh! Yeah, these are kind of like fireflies—dead ones, so these are kind of like the ghosts of dead fireflies."

"Leave it to you to make something as simple as fireflies sound extremely creepy," I complained.

Nico chuckled. "Anyway, so what did you want to talk about?" he walked over and sat down on his bed.

"Backbiter's back," Percy deadpanned.

Well that was redundant, I thought to myself.

"Oh really, who's got it now?" Nico asked, his expression still calm and unfazed.

"Cas," I said. I looked at Nico pleadingly—well, pleadingly for me, since I didn't plead. I'm Thalia Grace; I did not plead.

"Oh," Nico's eyes widened.

"Nico, I know you had something to do with it," Percy took a step forward and looked down at Nico.

Nico paused for a bit and looked at me. He swallowed then stood up and looked Percy straight in the eyes.

"Yeah, so what if I did?" Nico protested.

"But why? You know how much trouble that blade's brought us in the past, why bring it back?" Percy shouted.

Nico pursed his lips and glanced at me. He looked back at Percy. "Luke's request. He saw Cas' talent and he wanted to give him his sword. He thought that if someone good used the sword this time, it would make up for everything evil it's done in the past. Also, he figured if Cas used the sword for good, it would be like he was doing the good himself. He just wanted to make up for everything he's done, and since he's dead, he thought that maybe he could do it through Cas," Nico lied casually.

My jaw dropped open.

"Oh," Percy backed away.

"You should still watch over him though," Nico added. "I know you don't want a repeat of what happened before. You could teach him how to use it right, since you're number two in the camp's best swordfighters," Nico schmoozed.

"And you did say you wanted to stop the chaos before it actually stared," I told Percy. "I'm pretty sure it works the same way," I smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, that makes sense," Percy nodded mindlessly. He was probably lost in his thoughts of what to do with Cas and Backbiter.

"He's probably at the arena practicing right now. That's all he ever does—he skips out on every other activity. You could give him some tips and mentor him, and stuff," I suggested.

"Yeah! I'm a good mentor, right?" Percy grinned.

"The best," Nico stifled his laughter.

"Okay then, I'm going to the arena. I'll see you guys later!" Percy traipsed out of the room, saying, "Wait till I tell Annabeth about this!"

Nico looked at me with an explain-or-I'm-telling-Percy-the-truth expression.

"Hermes gave it to me," I said. "I found it on top of my bed the other day. So, I'm not sure if I should've given it away, but Cas appeared right when I was looking at it, and well, I panicked," I grinned.

"Right," he chuckled.

"Thanks for lying for me," I said.

He laughed. "You're welcome, but I didn't lie."

"What? But it was Hermes—"

Nico shrugged. "He had to get it to Cas somehow, didn't he? I mean, he couldn't have just appeared as the ghost of Luke and give him the sword and expect him to use it. Odds are, Cas would think it was a cursed blade and never even touch it. Then no one will ever touch it. Then it'd become the cursed sword of Camp Half-Blood and future campers will make scary campfire stories about it," Nico laughed.

He sat back down on his bed and patted the spot beside him. I complied and sat down.

"So Luke really wanted to live through Cas?" I asked.

Nico chuckled. "You could say that."

I looked at him suspiciously. "You're not telling me something,"

"I'm not telling you a lot of something's."

"And why is that?"

He shrugged. "I don't believe that honesty is the best policy. It hurts people more than lies do most of the time."

"So you're lying to me?"

"More or less."

"I don't like it when people lie to me," I snapped.

"I know you don't."

"Tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"The truth."

"Aha," he laughed. "Where do I start?"

"Maybe the beginning?"

He looked me in the eyes. "Do you even know where the beginning starts?" he asked me.

I thought for a moment. I was just about to open my mouth and say 'no' when something popped in my head. The question I've been meaning to ask him for the longest time.

"How did you become immortal?"

He laughed. "Well that question's like… five years overdue."

"Just answer it."

He fidgeted a bit. "I cheated death."

I let out a small yelp. "Nico, you of all people should know cheating death doesn't end well, remember our little run in with Sisyphus?"

"I didn't cheat it that way, I wasn't supposed to die."

"Then how did you cheat death? You saved someone else who was supposed to die?" I laughed.

"Ha-ha, just keep laughing, but that's exactly what I did."

I fell silent. "What?"

"I saved someone who was supposed to die. I gave him another chance to live—but illegally, so now that person I saved is a walking time bomb."

"So that's how you became immortal?"

"No, that was my first attempt at it."

"You cheated death twice?" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, I had to. I accidentally split the original soul into two—"

"You WHAT?"

"Stop shouting," he begged. "I accidentally split the soul I was supposed to save into two, and only one of those souls got the approval to be reborn since I made a mistake with the first one."

"So you got it right the second time and became immortal for it?"

"Yeah, that and being able to split a soul without completely severing it," he chuckled nervously. "Apparently the gods were impressed by it."

"That's just sick," I shook my head.

"I know," he frowned.

I bit my lip. "Whose soul did you use?"

Nico's gaze averted from my eyes. He stared at his hands and watched as the tiny light danced on top of it.

"Make a lucky guess," he whispered.

My eyes widened and I stopped breathing.

He can't possibly be talking about—

"Luke," I croaked.

He looked at me; his eyes were brimming with tears.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

I froze. I watched as Nico choked back his tears and looked at me pleadingly. I didn't even stir when I felt a single tear fall, or when Nico wiped it off my cheek.

"Who are they?"

"What?" Nico stammered, surprised that I suddenly spoke.

"Who are they?"

He pursed his lips, "Make another lucky guess."

I breathed in. "I'm pretty sure Cas is one of them."

He nodded.

"Which one is he? First or second?"

"Second."

"Then who's the first one?"

Nico looked away. "It's weird," he whispered. "How that one question seemed to get you answers to every other question you've been bugging me about."

I closed my eyes. Everything was so hard to take in. I couldn't understand it. Everything he was telling me made everything so clear, and yet, so surreal. Nico was right. Lies hurt less than the truth, because lies didn't come crashing down on me and made me feel like I was drowning. I tried putting everything together. If Cas was the second attempt, the successful one, then…

The truth hit me with such an impact it hurt. It felt like being hit by a bus, then getting ricocheted off it and taking flight, only to get hit by a plane passing by, then crashing back on the ground so hard you could hear your bones breaking.

I hated the truth. The truth was preventing me from saying everything I wanted to say... well, everything except for one word, one name. The one name I uttered that made me feel like Tartarus was paradise.

"Alecs."

A/N: thanks again to those who reviewed and supported this story all the way! reviews and ideas are always welcome (: TEN CHAPTERS! can you believe it? because I`m still in shock I got this far! whoooo!