A/N: Sorry it's a little late. ^^' I was really busy yesterday... But anywho! There's only 15 chapters total, so we're almost to the end! w I know this chapter seems like a decent ending, so I had to make sure you all didn't abandon me before it really finished. ;P There's quite a bit more to cover, so don't leave your seats just yet. ^w^
~ME.B
You didn't call me, Heka pouted, annoyed. I started sharply, almost losing control of Setne. Give me that... He took over controlling the magician. Relax a bit, moron.
Nice to have you back, I told him, falling over and panting. You, too, Zyn.
Nice to be back, she replied, amused.
Um, about your body... I began.
It's fine, she cut in. Get your rest first.
"Erasmus!" Nico rushed over, dropping his sword as he knelt beside me and cupped my face. "Oh gods, Ras, I thought for sure you were dead..." The worry in his eyes touched me and I smiled, reaching up to take his hand.
"I'm fine, Nico," I assured him. "But we have to check on the others. Come on." He stood as I did, and caught me when I stumbled.
"Stay here," he ordered, gently pushing me back down. "I'll make sure everyone's alright." Standing again, he picked up his sword. "Valdez, check on Percy and them; I'm going to find everyone else. Watch Ras for me, too; don't let him move until I come back with Bella."
"Yes, sir," Leo snorted, rolling his eyes in amusement. "Should I salute, too?" Nico gave him a bland look and he raised his still flaming hands, extinguishing them as he pat the air in a placating motion. "Chill, man; I got it." He paused and snickered. "Still a bad choice of words... I never learn, do I?"
"Leo," Nico sighed. "Shut up." Striding over to a tree, he melted into the shadow and vanished. I finally got a chance to see where we were, and I couldn't stop a light chuckle at the irony; we sat in the clearing where I'd battled Gaea so many years ago, back before Nico and I started dating. I could even see the great big indent where the Athena Parthenos had stood.
Leo moved across the battlefield, checking on Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Orinda and Kohn. The skeletons were sinking back into the earth, their master gone now, and the lycans hovered indecisively before they began bounding off in various directions. I considered trying to call them back.
Don't, Zynesta said quickly. They're confused and anxious right now; if you try to talk to them, they're as likely to attack you as listen to you. They have to find their own ways now; some of them may do what other monsters do and attack demigods, but some of them might learn to help demigods instead. Let them figure it out on their own, ok? I didn't like it much, but I nodded with a sigh.
"Hey, Ras," Leo said, coming over and sitting beside me. "Is your middle name really Abraham?"
"Yeah," I chuckled. "And if you tell anyone, I'll kill you myself."
"Yeah, yeah, I gotcha," he laughed. I started to ask him how the others were doing, but was cut off by the sudden appearance of a tall, bald, blue-skinned man. I scrambled to my feet as Leo jumped up and set his fists on fire.
"Hold it, Leo," I said quickly. "That's Julius Kane, Osiris."
"Thank you for the introduction, Mr. Porter," Julius said, dipping his head in respect. "I believe you have someone for me?"
"Yes, sir," I said, turning to Setne. The magician glared daggers at me that promised retribution as soon as he was free.
It's about time you got here, Osiris, Heka grunted. Do you know how difficult it is to handle him with this body and these powers? Even I'm having trouble!
"Mm. You're also too lazy to train properly, Heka," Julius chuckled. "Have you even once used his body in your own form?" I noticed Leo's confusion and motioned that I'd explain it later.
No need, Heka snorted. I felt control of Setne transfer quickly to Osiris, who took over from Julius at that moment.
"You really ought to learn," he said. "Anubis and Walt live much more in harmony than do you and Erasmus. And Julius and I have practically perfected it."
"If he doesn't want to, I don't mind," I told him. "He's the one missing out." Osiris laughed aloud, a deep, comfortable sound that helped me relax. Heka snorted, but didn't reply.
"Indeed." Stepping closer, he put his hand on my shoulder. "Erasmus, you have done something that others have failed to do; because of you, the world will finally be safe from Khaemwaset's devices."
"I appreciate the gratitude," I said, "but the honor definitely isn't just mine; I couldn't have done it without Nico and Leo." Turning, I glanced back the son of Hephaestus, who wore a goofy grin.
"Leo Valdez," Osiris smiled. "I've heard many great things about you, fire-user, son of Hephaestus, maker of the Argo II. I must thank you for your help as well."
"Yeah, I know, I'm awesome," Leo grinned. Both Osiris and I rolled our eyes.
"I must go now," the Egyptian god of the dead announced. "Please pass on my gratitude to your fiancée." I blushed lightly and nodded.
"Of course," I said. He went to Setne and took the magician's arm.
"You will not escape this time, Khaemwaset." They vanished and I spotted people coming out of the trees beyond where they'd stood. My heart warmed as I saw my beloved leading them. As they drew near, Piper and the Kane siblings broke away from the others and hurried over to Jason, Percy, and Annabeth, all of whom were still out cold. Kyle and Lore ran to where Orinda was just stirring, and checked Kohn as well. Leo jogged over to them and I heard him assuring them everyone was alright.
"You're looking better," Nico said, taking my hand. "Even if you're missing your shirt." I snorted and he grinned. "We've got your stuff back at Camp Crossover. You really are looking better, though." Now I smiled at him and pulled him close, pressing my chapped lips against his in a gentle kiss. His arms wrapped around my waist, and mine slipped around his shoulders.
"I'm feeling better," I answered, resting my forehead against his. Someone cried out in surprise, and it was immediately followed by a laugh. We looked over to see everyone staring up into the sky, various expressions of wonder and awe on their faces.
"It's snowing!" someone shouted excitedly. I looked up at the tiny flakes of frozen water drifting down on us. One touched my nose and I blinked, looking down again. Nico was watching me, a gentle look on his face.
"What?" I asked, my lips turning upward.
"Nothing," he answered. "I just can't stop think about how gorgeous you look right now." Heat rushed to my face and I looked away, focusing on Percy and Jason, who were sitting up, to avoid my embarrassment.
"I'm not a girl," I complained mildly.
"Of course not," he agreed. "Doesn't mean you can't be the most beautiful person on earth to me." I made a face at him.
"Now you're just teasing me," I said. He smiled and touched his nose to mine; then he kissed my cheek, catching the corner of my mouth.
"Your own fault; you left yourself wide open to that one."
"Yeah, I suppose I did," I said, sighing in mock defeat.
"Hey, Erasmus!" We both looked over as Piper and Clarina came up. I stepped away from Nico, taking his hands from my waist and twining my fingers in his instead.
"It's been way too long," I greeted. "How've you been, beauty queen?" My use of Leo's nickname for her made Piper snort in amusement.
"Okay," she said. "I mean, if spending my days either getting attacked by monsters nonstop or training with satyrs and going to bed each night with bruises the size of Texas is 'okay.'" I laughed and she grinned. "Anyway, Chiron contacted us from Half-Blood; he wants to talk to you as soon as possible. Both of you."
"Me?" Nico frowned. It wasn't often he was included in a meeting with Chiron. But Piper just nodded.
"Yeah," she confirmed. "He said he needs to talk to you two, Leo, Clarina, and... um, what's her name, Sinister?"
"Zynesta," I corrected, chuckling.
Sinister? the lycan in question protested.
Relax, I told her. She's only heard of you maybe once or twice.
"Alright, we'll head over first thing," I said aloud. "Who else is heading to Half-Blood?"
"Jason, Grover, Hedge, Percy, Annabeth, Tyson, and me," she answered. "Just about everyone else is going to Camp Crossover to wait, though Jaz, Sadie and Walt said something about going back to the Brooklyn House for a bit." Quickly tallying up numbers, I glanced at Nico.
"Can you take ten at a time?" I asked him. He shrugged.
"Probably. I haven't tried that big a group in a while, but I've come a long way from having to make small jumps to get two and a statue somewhere." He caught my look and smiled reassuringly. "And I'm in no big danger of vanishing either, so long as I rest afterwards." Nodding in relief, I turned back to Clarina and Piper.
"Clarina, where are the other empousai?" I inquired.
"Doris, Lilianna, and Arsine are heading back to Crossover as soon as they can," she reported. "Tricia's waiting to see you."
"Tricia?" I repeated, picking through my memories. "She's the only empousa that survived, right?"
"Yeah," Clarina nodded. "She's young—even younger than Lilianna—but she was always afraid of Gaea, as well as all the gods. She's even wary of goddesses, except your mother. When she heard I was gathering forces to help you, she immediately signed on."
"And now she wants to meet me face-to-face," I guessed. She nodded again.
"But be careful," she warned. "Tricia is terrified of men in general, and she doesn't really trust women either; I still don't really understand why she trusts me even a little."
"I understand," I said. Glancing at Nico, I gave him an apologetic look. "Is it too much to ask that you'll come back later?" He smiled and squeezed my hand.
"Not at all," he answered. "Just don't be too long." Leaning over, he gave me a quick kiss and then turned to Piper, who was staring open-mouthed. She shook herself and managed a smile.
"Time to go, I guess," she said nervously. Then she led Nico toward the others, all of whom were watching for monsters, though a few of them were joking around about the snow. Someone lobbed a snowball that was actually more of a slush-ball, because there wasn't enough snow to really make a good snowball. Regardless, it lightened the mood and several people started tossing fistfuls of snow at each other, whitewashing one another, and just generally having fun. I heard Nico offer to take people back to Camp Crossover, Camp Jupiter, Camp Half-Blood, or the Brooklyn House, or wherever else they wanted to go, and I smiled before facing Clarina again.
"Alright then, let's meet Tricia," I said. She chuckled and turned to the woods behind her.
"Come on out, Tricia," she called. A very young woman, no older than fifteen or sixteen, stepped hesitantly out from behind a tree. She had pretty red hair framing a gentle, heart-shaped face. Her bright green-blue eyes looked almost like mine, but there was timidity in hers that belied her true nature. The petite girl came forward slowly and I lowered myself into a crouch so I wouldn't appear quite so threatening. She looked up shyly.
"Hello, Tricia," I said gently. "My name is Erasmus."
"I know," she whispered. "You're the son of my mistress, Clarina's master." I smiled and reached out my hand. She eyed it, fear tinting her gaze. I found it somewhat amusing that a monster that specialized in killing male demigods was absolutely terrified of them, but I didn't allow myself to show that amusement, in case she felt I was looking down on her.
"Clarina declared me her master," I said. "I gave her freedom from Gaea, but the choice to serve me was entirely her own."
"You gave her hope, a future," Tricia said quietly, glancing at Clarina. The older empousa nodded encouragingly and she took a breath before sliding her small hand into mine. "You gave me hope. May I pledge to you?" I stared at her in surprise.
"Y-you want to...?" I asked. The fear returned, amplified slightly this time. Her breathing quickened and she started to panic. Flames sparked in her hair and her legs changed, one to fur and one to metal. Her claws lengthened and her eyes turned blood red.
"Tricia? Tricia, calm down," Clarina said quickly, going to stand by the younger girl's side. "It's alright; he won't hurt you." Still, Tricia trembled, terrified. I squeezed her hand lightly, surprising her and catching her attention.
"I won't tell you what to do," I said softly. "If you want to pledge to me, it's your decision. But I will say this: I would enjoy your company as much as I enjoy that of Clarina and the others." That seemed to calm her down a bit and she relaxed, changing back to her human appearance. "Do you want to?"
"Yes," she answered, looking at me with a new appreciation. "Yes, I want to."
§§§
Chiron greeted me on the steps of the new Big House, which was still under construction. He was in his wheelchair, but he climbed out of it just after I arrived with Nico. We'd stopped at Camp Crossover so I could clean up and get better dressed for the cold, and then he'd brought me here. Clarina and Tricia stayed with me as well, though the latter kept me between her and Nico, and she watched him constantly, nervous. Nico ignored her existence, which I think helped.
"Welcome back, Erasmus, Nico," Chiron said, putting the wheelchair off to one side. "I know it's a bit late, but congratulations on your engagement."
"Only a year," I chuckled. "And given what's happened in the last year, it's to be expected." My mirth turned to embarrassment as I looked up at the scaffold-encased building that was still missing real walls. "Ah, about the camp..."
"It's alright, Porter," Chiron smiled. "We understand why you did it, and everyone's grateful you warned us. No one died at that time, although we have lost a few demigods due to weaknesses in the shield caused by your attack."
"I'm sorry," I said sincerely, looking down. "I should have figured out some way to stop Setne before he got here."
"You did what you could," the centaur countered. "Now, let's put that discussion to rest; I called you here to discuss something entirely different."
"The prophecy?" Nico offered.
"Correct," Chiron nodded. "Come on inside; Leo's already waiting, and we have something for your lycan friend."
Something for me? Zynesta echoed, interested.
Patience, I told her, chuckling. We'll get to that.
We followed Chiron into the partial-building, to an area sectioned off with plastic. Inside, Leo was fiddling with some gears and wire, whistling a random tune that sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't for the life of me remember where I'd heard it. The son of Hephaestus looked up when we entered and grinned.
"Hiya," he greeted. I glanced at Tricia and decided she probably wouldn't want to be around Nico or Leo—or Chiron, for that matter—if she could avoid it.
"Why don't you wait out there?" I suggested. "We shouldn't be too long." Tricia nodded in relief and stayed out of the make-shift room.
"Now we're just waiting on Rachel Dare, our Oracle," Chiron said, gesturing for us to take a seat in one of the chairs or on the couch. Nico and I sat on the couch and Clarina stationed herself behind us. Leo took one of the chairs just as a young woman in her early twenties burst in.
"Sorry I'm late," she huffed, pushing fiery red hair out of her bright green eyes and plopping into one of the other chairs. "Did I miss anything?"
"Speak of the devil..." I muttered, my lips turning upward. I'd met her once before, but it was in passing, and neither of us really knew the other.
"Not at all," Chiron answered, casting me a 'quiet, please' look. "Now, the only person here who has not heard the prophecy is Erasmus. Rachel, if you would?" The girl nodded.
"Sure," she said, and began reciting. "A play of power leads to loss,/And brings about a line to cross./The worst to do is what you must;/Twixt fire and ice, a bond of trust./A choice to beat his fatal flaw/Or watch the suffering of all;/A man of faith will have to choose,/And not one will live should he lose./To end the loss, the ribbons break/And overcome a deadly fate."
"A man of faith?" I repeated, latching on to the phrase that most caught my attention.
"We got this prophecy just over a year ago, not too long before you went to Montana," Chiron explained, ignoring my question for the moment. "Nico was there when Rachel first spoke it, and I asked him not to tell you."
"We knew right away it involved you," Nico added. "No one else could've been the 'man of faith.'"
"They told me about it just after you got back from Montana," Leo said. "Chiron thought for sure I was a part of it too."
"Fire and ice," I said, understanding. Chiron nodded.
"We didn't think the prophecy would be coming true so soon after getting it, but when Setne attacked your camp and took everyone captive, we thought maybe it was the fulfilling of the first line: 'A play of power leads to loss.' But we didn't see how your capture created any sort of line we didn't want to cross."
"It wasn't until you warned Chiron you were going to attack that we finally decided the prophecy hadn't actually started yet," Rachel picked up. "And when Setne recaptured you, and Clarina came to us with Nico asking that we helped keep him from going after you, then we knew the prophecy had really started."
"Coming after me," I said. "That was the line to cross."
"Nico kept insisting that we were supposed to find you," Chiron agreed. "We told him it was the worst thing we could possibly do, and he pointed out that the next line of the prophecy was 'The worst to do is what you must,' which he felt meant we needed to go after you." I glanced at Nico, whose gaze was firmly pinned to the ground. Reaching over, I took his hand and squeezed, smiling gratefully when he looked up.
"None of us could make any sense of the other lines," Rachel continued, "but we knew Leo was involved, for the fire bit, and when someone mentioned how cold Nico seemed to be all the time, we figured he was probably the 'ice' part."
"We started training together," Leo added. "It wasn't fun for either of us, but all of us were sure Nico and I would be really important during the battle we all knew was coming."
"The rest of the prophecy remained a blank for us," Chiron said. "And remains a blank for me now."
"We figured it out," Nico replied. "While we were battling Setne, I realized what Erasmus' fatal flaw is." He glanced at me and I shrugged, gesturing for him to continue if he wanted. "He belittles himself. He doesn't accept just how powerful he really is; that's his fatal flaw."
"When Setne had his powers, Ras just about lost it," Leo noted. "He was ready to give up."
"But Nico didn't let me," I said, flushing slightly.
"I just told him the truth," my lover said simply. "I reminded him of what he told us about trials, and hoped it would kick-start his brain." He reached over with his free hand and flicked my forehead. I swatted his hand away, a light smile touching my lips.
"A choice to beat his fatal flaw, or watch the suffering of all; a man of faith will have to choose, and not one will live should he lose," Chiron recited, nodding. "I see. And the last lines?" Nico laughed.
"For once, the prophecy was rather literal," he said. "Setne had bound Erasmus in ribbons—"
"The Ribbons of Hathor," I supplied.
"—and tried to use them when he realized Ras was starting to recover," Nico continued, "so I cut them off."
"Which shouldn't have been possible," I pointed out. "The Ribbons of Hathor were made to stand up to anything."
"Except a flaming ice sword," Leo grinned.
"Wow," Rachel said. "So 'To end the loss, the ribbons break, and overcome a deadly fate'; that really was literal."
"Indeed," Chiron nodded, impressed. "Well, now we all understand it. And with the completion of that prophecy, it likely won't be long before we get a new one." Rachel made a face.
"Can't wait," she said sarcastically.
As Leo asked her about it and she complained to him, I mused over the battle, mainly the part where Setne had taken my power. I'd always been a bit connected to it, but when it was gone, out of my body, I couldn't sense nearby monsters. And when I looked at them, they blurred, looking like bears, wolves, dogs, and other less harmless creatures than they really were, which meant the Mist was using me, instead of me using the Mist. I realized why I'd felt so powerless, so mortal, when Setne had my power; all my life, the Mist was constantly a part of me, always attracted to me, showing me what others couldn't see, hiding me from my enemies, or allowing me to change my appearance. Without it, I really had been completely mortal, utterly helpless.
At that moment, I decided I never wanted to feel that helpless again. I looked up at Chiron and caught his attention during a lull in Leo and Rachel's discussion.
"Chiron, I was wondering..." I began, drawing all attention to me. "When Setne took my power from me, I felt like I couldn't even protect myself, like if a monster came up to me at that moment, I wouldn't even be able to use a sword. I don't want to feel like that ever again; do you know any way I could train without my power?" Rachel, Leo, and Nico stared at me in surprise, and I sensed even Clarina's curiosity skyrocket. Chiron rubbed his beard, thinking.
"...I don't know, Erasmus," he said finally. "I'm sure someone has asked a similar question in the past, but I've never heard of a demigod losing their power and I didn't know it was possible, so I don't know if there's a way to train powerless." I nodded; I'd already suspected as much.
"Hey, this is just a random thought," Leo said after a moment, "but... well, your power was like a ball of water or something when it was outside of you. You know? Like... I don't know, a flask or something. It was sort of... magnetized, I guess, to you because it was yours, but it looked like..."
"Are you actually going to say something intelligent," Nico asked blandly, "or are you just going to keep babbling?"
"Well, it almost looked like it was something that could exist outside a person," Leo said slowly. "Like, a Joey in a kangaroo pouch, you know? It can be out of the pouch, but it wants to be in it."
"...Are you suggesting I can put my power outside of myself, in a ball like the one we saw before?" I asked finally, frowning.
"Y- no... Yeah, yeah," he stammered. He paused and then tried again. "Yes, that's what I think. I mean, just think about it; even if it's a part of him, when you take something apart, it's always easier to take it apart after that."
"So now that Setne's taken his power out of him once, it'll be easier to take it out again," Nico mused aloud.
"Exactly," Leo confirmed.
"Makes sense," Rachel noted.
"Mm, and it's worth a try," I added. "Are we done? I want to go test it."
"One last thing," Chiron answered. "Leo, the automaton?" The son of Hephaestus beamed and jumped up.
"Ok, this is just awesome!" he blurted. "Get ready to feast your eyes on my greatest creation yet!" Turning to a covered statue nearby that I hadn't noticed before, he whipped off the cloth to reveal a young woman about my age with long, straight black hair and flawless bronzed skin. She wore a bright orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and beige hiking boots. Her eyes were closed and she stood perfectly still, and it took me a full ten seconds to realize she wasn't actually a human.
"Is that...?" I began, wide-eyed.
"It's an automaton," Leo grinned. "I built her to help out around camp, you know, doing odd jobs and whatnot, but when Nico saw it, he asked if you could have it as a body for Zynesta." The lycan perked up at the mention of her name.
"Then that's...?"
"It's her new body," Leo nodded. "I took out the control disk for this one, and I'm already making a couple more, plus some wolves and dragons, like Festus. I figured the more defenses we have around here, the better."
"Zyn, check it out," I said, offering her control. She took it hesitantly, and immediately let go of Nico's hand.
"That's my new body..." she breathed, standing and going over to the automaton. She circled it, reaching out my hand to touch the hair, the face, the arms. Then she looked up at Leo. "Are you sure? It's so beautiful; I don't deserve a body like that."
"You're Zynesta?" Leo asked, confused.
"Yeah," she answered. "Ras lent me control for a bit."
"Oh, cool," Leo said, still a bit confused. "Um, you wanna...?" He gestured to the automaton.
"I... I do, but..." Zynesta paused. "Ras, I feel really weird saying this, but I... I don't want to leave..."
You're welcome to stay with me, I told her. Clarina and the other empousai do.
"Is that really alright?" she asked, turning my lips down.
Ask Nico and Clarina, I said. She looked up at the pair.
"Um, Erasmus wants me to ask you..." she said. "H-he says I should ask you if I can stay."
"You want to stay with us?" Clarina clarified. "I have no problem with that. But I suppose it's Nico's decision." Zynesta turned my gaze to Nico, who crossed his arms and watched me, considering.
"...I'll decide later," he said. "Take your new body and get out of Erasmus' already." Zynesta looked away, accepting the fact that he would never acknowledge her. Facing the automaton, she placed my hands on either side of the robot's head and took a deep breath.
"Ras, I'm transferring; take over." I took control as her presence filtered out of my body. Dropping my hands, I stepped back.
"Did it work?" I asked, reaching out to touch her shoulder but stopping just short. "Zynesta?"
For a long moment, nothing happened. I felt sadness descending on me and sighed. Sometimes things just don't go as planned.
"E... ras... mus..." I stepped back, hoping. The automaton clanked and whirred, and her shoulders shifted. Her head tilted and then lifted as she inhaled deep.
"Zynesta?" I waited optimistically. Her bright gold eyes—and I mean GOLD eyes—opened and I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face. I reached over and clapped Leo on the shoulder.
"Holy Hephaestus, it worked?" he gaped. "I mean, of course it worked!"
"Leo, you are a genius," I laughed. "How are you feeling, Zyn?" She lifted her hands, gears clicking, and inspected them, awed. Touching her face, she closed her eyes and just let herself experience the feelings.
"It's... Amazing," she said softly, her voice high and gentle, just like in my head, but with a tinny, robotic touch to it. "I... I'm human..."
"What do you think?" I prompted.
"I didn't realize human life was so... strong," she said. "I feel so much better than I ever did in my original body. And, not to be insulting, but I feel like I can use all of my intelligence, not just the portion I had available in your body." I made a face, feigning insult. Leo, Rachel, and Chiron laughed, and even Clarina smiled. Only Nico remained unaffected.
"Welcome to humanity," I said, smiling.
"Well, relatively," Leo corrected. Zynesta's lips curled upward and she stepped past me, tilting her head at Nico, who eyed her impassively.
"There's one thing I've always been curious about," she said.
"Ask away," Nico said sardonically. I watched, interested, as she took another step, so that she stood right in front of him.
"Well, it's not exactly a question," she said slowly. Before anyone could react, she bent down and planted her lips on his. He jumped and pushed her away, shocked, but she was already pulling away, grinning. My jaw must've hit the floor; I stared at her, my brain completely shut off.
"Ooh!" Leo laughed. "Someone's in trouble!" The sing-song tone restarted my brain, and I blinked a couple of times.
"D-did you j-just...?" I stammered. Rachel and Clarina burst out laughing, and Chiron coughed, trying not to laugh as well.
"Leo's not my type, Chiron's too old, no offense..."
"None taken," he assured her.
"...and if I tried to kiss you, Nico would have killed me," Zynesta said simply. "And I don't like girls, so Rachel and Clarina are completely off my list."
"Thank you," Rachel said quickly, giggling.
"So you chose me?" Nico snarled, swiping his hand across his mouth.
"Oh relax," she said. "Who knows when I get another chance to kiss a guy? Especially one as cute as you?" She put her hands on her hips and snickered. "Ok, I spent way too long inside Erasmus' head, and I'm already way too comfortable in this body. Leo, you'd better shut me down, quick."
"Probably a good idea," Chiron agreed.
"Aw, do I have to?" Leo whined jokingly. "But she's so fun when we can actually talk to her!"
"I don't mind," I said, smirking. Nico shot to his feet, red-faced.
"I can't believe you, Ras," he hissed, and then stormed out of the room. I blinked, surprised by his action.
"Nico? Nico, hold up!" I hurried after him, seeing Tricia shriek in terror and scramble away from us. For a moment, I hesitated, wanting to reassure her, but Nico was still moving. Clarina came out of the room and went straight for Tricia.
"Go," she told me. "I've got her." Nodding, I ran after Nico. He stomped out of the building and headed straight for the Hades cabin, one of cabins I hadn't destroyed. I caught up with him just as he slammed through the door of the dark cabin.
"Nico, what's wrong?" I asked, striding in after him. He stopped in front of the giant obsidian statue of his father. Trembling, he clenched his fists at his side. I stepped up next to him. "Talk to me, Nico, please! I won't understand what's wrong if you don't talk to me." Waves of icy air swept off him, chilling me, and dark lines spread outward from his feet.
"How can you treat her like a friend?" he demanded, his voice ringing through the cold room. "She tried to kill you!"
"So did Kohn," I pointed out calmly. "I don't see you attacking him."
"She attacked our home!" he shouted.
"So did the empousai."
"She took your body!" He whirled on me, fury in his black eyes. I took the distance between us easily and put my hands on his shoulders, sliding them slowly down to his hands and pulling them up to my lips. Meeting and holding his gaze, I laid a gently kiss on each finger, lingering over the ring he still wore and giving him time to cool his head.
"So did you," I said softly. "Nico, there are people in this world who never get a second chance. I've seen the best of humanity, and I've seen the worst, and I still believe in second chances."
"But..." He gritted his teeth, looking down in frustration. Releasing a hand, I brushed the backs of my fingers against his jaw, and then tucked my hand under his chin and lifted it, forcing him to look up again.
"A long time ago, I hurt you," I reminded him. "I told you I didn't love you, and it broke your heart. But when I admitted the truth, and begged for your forgiveness, you gave it. You gave me a second chance, Nico; how could I do anything less?"
"...I hate it when you make sense," he grouched, pouting. I smiled and leaned forward to kiss him warmly.
"And I love it when you listen to me," I returned, starting to pull back. His hands went to my face and he yanked me back, kissing me with such intensity, my mind reeled pleasantly. Despite the chaos, one thought was clear; I knew exactly what was coming next.
