Chapter 21: Returning Heroes

Author's note:

I know I know, long break. I'm sorry. But I did do some work; completely redid my outline cuz I didn't like were the story was going. As an apology for all this there'll be a sneak peak of what is to come at the end of the chapter; AND another long Nico and Kai scene which will be put into chapter 12 when I'm reworking this. Also, I think you'll really like this chapter; some world-building, lots of characters returning etc etc.

Stay safe and healthy!


Leo

They had reached Calypso by early evening.

"COME ON!" Percy screamed, and Leo couldn't have agreed more with that sentiment. The sky had turned pink and darkness would rush in soon enough. He was standing at the Argo IIIs bow, the air blowing around him, smiling like a maniac. Calypso stood there, down on the ground only a few hundred meters in front of him, and so did two other campers, the shadows hiding their faces.

He couldn't believe it. She was alive! He looked over his shoulder, at his friends preparing for landing. Thalia's hunters were spread on deck, their bows drawn, ready to shoot should the Eternals attack. Annabeth had taken up the steering wheel; Tyson was holding the boarding plank. Percy stood with his brother, to pull the others up. Will had already prepared three medical beds below. Maybe, Leo thought, they'd survive after all. Maybe this would have a happy ending. He was quite sure that he had just jinxed it though.

They landed on a meadow, soft grass surrounded by pine trees. Calypso and one of the campers were helping the third; seemingly wounded. Percy and Tyson put down the plank; Leo ran down it, long before it was secured, towards Calypso. He registered Thalia giving commands and three hunters following him, Percy on their heels; then he was hugging Calypso. They stood there for a few seconds, before Calypso pulled back to look into his eyes. Gratitude, fear, love; her eyes showed a billion emotions, mirroring Leo's soul. Smiling, she kissed him. His heart jumped; he still hadn't gotten used to that feeling.

"Hey, lovebirds, come on!" Percy called, pulling Leo out of his trance. He realised the son of Poseidon was already helping the wounded camper, Des, towards the ship. The hunters that had come off the Argo III were giving them cover. Pulling Calypso by the hand, he followed Percy suit.

Breathless, they reached the deck, quickly followed by the hunters. Tyson pulled the ramp up, and off they went. The Argo III lifted itself into the air, the land below getting smaller and smaller, trees turning into miniatures. A single deer was roaming the forest. Will had helped Des below deck, to see to his wounds. The other was standing with Malcolm and Theo, staring into the distance, where once Camp Halfblood had been.

Night had finally arrived; the first stars were glittering above them. Leo pulled his girlfriend to the taffrail.

"You built this?" She asked.

"Yep, Captain Leo at your Service." Leo said grinning.

"Then you could have at least created a neater Figurehead." she teased.

Leo couldn't help but laugh and pulled her into another hug. "I couldn't - my model was missing. A sculpture of the great Calypso is the only beauty that will ever crown my ship."

Leo could feel her smile on his cheek and kissed her softly. It felt good to banter like they used to.

"I'm glad you're safe and back with us." he mumbled. She pulled him down on a barrel, Where they sat, Calypso on his lap, staring at the horizon. The dark, blue sea was drawing closer. The wind had started to smell like salt.

"I think the worst is over." Calypso said, sighing.

Leo smiled down at Calypso lying in his arms. "We're back together. That's all that counts." he replied, studying his girlfriends face he had been longing to see for so long. She was as beautiful and mysterious as ever, looking up to the stormy skies. Leo knew this was a day he'd remember for a very, very long time.

Percy:

Calypso and Leo sat off the main group, softly mumbling to each other. Percy could not understand a word, yet it was obvious, even to him, that both of them were happier than they had been for quite some time. Leo had lost a sort of tension that had been part of him since the day they had left for Hogwarts. Now that was gone, and Percy was glad the son of Hephaestus was back to normal. Yet he wasn't as happy for his friend as he wanted to be; Nico's fate still hung over him and there wasn't a moment where he didn't think about the child of Hades. He knew he couldn't allow himself to, but he caught himself to often in day dreams, reminiscing their past, to deny it; he was not focused on the mission, not at all.

A hand dropped on his shoulder; it was Thalia. She came to his side, staring down at the fast moving forest beneath the flying ship.

"We need to plan our next moves." She said, her voice unemotive. The latter was weird for Thalia; usually the daughter of Zeus was either bubbling with laughter or steaming with hate and anger. As much as he didn't want to admit it though; she was right.

"Sure." Percy replied heavily.

She leaned in a little closer. "We have to act fast. We have no idea what is coming for us. We might have surprised and defeated them once, but it won't happen again." Her eyes stared intently into his. She was so close he could see every freckle. She had a slight blue, electric gleam to her, proving just how tense she was. If he hadn't known better, he would have said she was afraid.

"I'll get Malcolm, you Annabeth. And get a grip on yourself Jackson!" Thalia had taken command. She walked off briskly, her bow slung over her shoulder.

"Where are we meeting?" Percy called after her.

"The foremost cabin should be fine." she said without turning around. Percy shook his head to gain some clarity and went below decks to search for his girlfriend.

The room was tight, with tables filling most of the space. Upon them lay maps, official, stolen government documents, a few books, and small wooden markers showing half-blood troops and defenses.

Malcolm had just arrived; he was the last. He seemed a little less green; though he still carried a bucket. Regardless, it seemed as if he had become the de-facto leader during the hunt, so he deserved to be present. Percy and Annabeth, as the creators of the ship, heroes of two major prophecies and children of main gods had obviously every right to partake in the planning, and Thalia, as leader of the hunters, had the strongest military position, her troops outnumbering the greek demigods two to one.

It was sad to compare their current strength with their military might a month ago. Annabeth closed the door behind Malcolm. With that, all of them turned to the daughter of Zeus; the meeting had been her idea after all. Thalia coughed a little embarrassed.

"Good, then we're all here," she said. "With the eradication of camp halfblood", she took a large marker of the american map; " our position on the east coast is severely weakened. We still have Satyr bases here, here and here," pointing at different forests, "and two small demigod resupply bases in Washington and Charleston."

"How many men?" Percy interrupted.

"Well, if you mean women, I have four hunters positioned in Charleston and the last Chiron told me Washington base was mostly filled by veterans which did not need much protection; I am assuming though that if we contact them we'd get a force of ten, no more." She shook her head in worry; that was not nearly enough to stem the tide.

"Why don't we know about the base in Washington? Especially if it's connected to Camp Halfblood; I don't think Chiron would have kept that information from us." Annabeth looked curious but also uncertain. Percy knew that she had always had a special relationship with Chiron and understood her sentiment; Chiron, lie to them? That seemed unbelievable.

"Oh, he had to. As I said, they're veterans, they don't need protection, and wouldn't have wanted to be constantly bugged for help by young bloods on their first missions. From what I've heard though they did their part during both last wars; skirmishing with the titans rear-guard during the battle of Manhattan and fighting a guerilla war against the monsters that marched south to camp Halfblood during the giants war."

Percy's mouth stood open. He realised, and closed it with an audible "bob". He had had no clue. First the Romans; now this. Granted, Camp Jupiter was on another scale, but it always surprised him how much he still had to learn about the demigod world.

"Okay," Annabeth said, "so we can't hold the east. How about the west? California is the stronghold of the Romans; if we can reach them we could unite our forces."

Thalia nodded slowly. "I agree; it is risky to draw our forces together when we still do not know how to defeat them, but if these Eternals strike again; it will be against Camp Jupiter. With Leo's magic, this ship is undetectable. We hunters move so fast that it is impossible to locate us. The satyrs and nymphs don't seem to be what these monsters are after; they hunt demigods. Washington is secure; the veterans know what they are doing and are too hard a nut to crack for too little meat." At that she looked up. "Assuming that their primary goal is food; eating us demigods, that is."

"If we can rule all of these out, that leaves Camp Jupiter." Percy finished her trail of thought.

Silence filled the room, until Malcolm spoke up, the first time this meeting. "The survivors of Camp Halfblood will stand with their Roman brothers."

"So will the Hunters." Thalia said, determination darkening her voice. She took Malcolm's hand. "To whatever end, we stand together."

Malcolm nodded in thanks, and returned his focus to the maps. "We need to collect all the troops we can gather; the Satyrs that are still loyal to Grover's ideals, your hunters at Charleston, anyone we can find."

Thalia moved two hunter-scout markers from the Argo III to the Camp Jupiter marker. "I'll dispatch two messengers to warn Reyna and explain our coming. We unify our forces at Camp." She looked up, at Annabeth and Percy. "What about you? Are you two and Leo with us?"

Annabeth shook her head. "Remember, all we know about the Eternals is thanks to our infiltration of that wizarding school. We have to get back; after all we still do not know how to defeat the Eternals; actually kill them I mean, not just stop them. But when the time for battle comes we will be there."

"How?!" Malcolm asked. "The wizarding school is on the other side of the world. How are you going to be fast enough to help us?"

Percy smiled. "You think we hadn't thought of that?"

Annabeth lifted an embroidered spear. "This is a portkey. It was our back up option to shadow travel should Nico pass out after one round. Well, now without him it's the best we have. Keep the Argo III, use it to collect the troops you need. When the battle has begun, send an Iris message. We will be there. And we'll bring every wizard friend we have." Malcolm smiled at that. "Maybe, just maybe we do stand a chance."

Thalia nodded. The others stood still for a moment. She looked at them with disbelief. "WELL, what are you all waiting for?! Percy, Annabeth, get Leo and return to that damned school; Malcolm, tell the others; We're sailing to Charleston!"

The deck was filled with hectic demigods, raising the sail and ordering the ropes. The hunters were already creating a separate cabin for themselves; sleeping bags were passed around. Thalia had taken the steering wheel. Percy threw a last look at what was left of Camp Halfblood; a few campers; Will, Des Malcolm and their friends.

Grover, Clarisse, Chiron, they and all the others were gone, dead or missing. But Percy knew that the only way he could make up for being away while they fought for their lives was by focusing on this mission. And for the first time in days, he was able to put the memories of Nico aside, behind the task at hand. His attention returned to the ship. Tyson had said he'd stay and help the Argo III and it's crew. Leo had dragged a happy Calypso to Annabeth and Percy. Even when standing next to the portkey they were still holding hands. Obviously they wouldn't want to be parted again, but the son of Poseidon wasn't sure how to explain a new student to Dumbledore, or any of their teachers really. Annabeth had explained how the portkey worked ages ago; she had just finished another spell, what for Percy wasn't sure.

On his girlfriends order they all grabbed on to the shaft. Seconds later the demigods were pulled into darkness.

Hogwarts loomed before them. It was early morning; mist had collected around the towers, giving them a ghostly appearance. The sun had just peeked over the mountains; its weak rays doing nothing to stop the cold from biting through Percy's shirt.

"Man, how I missed Britain." he said while pulling off his jacket, offering it to Annabeth. She smiled gratefully and pulled it on; she had been shivering just as much as he was. They made their way through the fields, seeing Hagrid in the distance.

"How late is it?" Leo asked yawning.

"Six o'clock in the mornin." Annabeth mumbled.

"Great, maybe we can get an hour of sleep before classes start." Leo said, his eyes already half closed.

Somehow that felt like a punch to Percy. Usually it had always been Nico to complain about lacking sleep. Hogwarts without that kid would need a lot of getting used to. Percy knew Annabeth had somehow guessed his thoughts, because she laid her arm around him in comfort. Percy was glad for that.

The gates of the school were open. Inside, no one was to be seen. That was likely not unusual; breakfast only started at seven. But to Percy, it felt creepy, to have the school, usually bustling with life so deserted. They went up the staircase to Gryffindor tower.

Leo was quietly telling Calypso that they could nap in the common room until breakfast, when they could talk to Professor McGonagall and get her a bed in one of the rooms. Percy sighed. He had no clue what the other students would say. And tomorrow would be hell; with only an hour of sleep he wouldn't survive history of magic and potions back to back. The stairs dragged on and on, and the portraits whispered excitedly, as if they too knew of their disappearance.

The Fat Lady had gained another few pounds, or his tired eyes were playing tricks on him; Percy couldn't tell. "Password?" She asked suspiciously.

"Veni, Vidi, Vici" Annabeth answered after a short moment. She had almost forgotten it; for Percy too this all felt like ages ago. The portrait swung open; the common room was empty.

The fires were dead; all but one which was still crackling. The couches were spread out, just the way they had been when they had left. Little pieces of parchment and broken quills were lying around; that was a little unusual. But Percy didn't care. All he wanted was his bed and a few minutes of rest before everyone would question him.

"Okay guys, let's head up quietly. Sleep tight." Percy whispered and mock saluted, winking.

Calypso and Leo headed for a couch close to the last fire, and Percy and Annabeth for the stairs- when he saw a shoe.

Dark brown, muddy and scratched badly.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Annabeth called out.

Well so much for being quiet Percy thought.

But he didn't blame her; he himself was already running to said couch, his eyes a little wet, smiling so much it hurt his face.

Leo had similarly jumped towards it, grabbing a limp hand that was hanging over the side.

Calypso had stopped dead in her tracks, disbelief written all across her face.

On the couch, fully relaxed, lay a sleeping, but unharmed-

Nico di Angelo.

Epilogue

The moon was illuminating a mountain range. Glittering snow sprinkled their peaks. Below, a small lake spread across the valley. The wind was howling, ripping at the cloaks of two figures. Their black silhouettes seemed to drink the moonlight. They stood there, still. But just for a moment.

Then the taller one took another step forward. In front of them was a cliff, falling down what must have been hundreds of meters. Yet the black clad creature didn't seem afraid of the fall. It stood at the edge, pulling the air in through rattling teeth. And then it removed its hood. He was a large man; short hair and a long beard. His companion followed suit and under the cape another man appeared; yet he was bold, and thickset. He cowered at the Abyss, shivering with cold.

"So the riders have made their appearance after all." The larger one said, without turning around.

"Eye, but without horses." The cowering figure replied, his voice squeaky, not befit for a guy of his stature.

"They will return. This was just the first wave." The man had finally stept away from the abyss, and the castle he had stared at in the distance.

"So will the plan finally be put into action? Will we free- free Him?" The bold one trembled, yet not because of the cold.

"No. There's no reason to rush, Wayne. The prophecy was clear." He chuckled. A raspy, broken noise. "Well, in that regard at least."

"And what about the Eternals?" Wayne whispered.

"For the moment they are dealt with. Those demigods still think the Riders were the Eternals after all. And as long as they believe that an alliance is impossible." The tall figure had returned his attention to the cliff.

Silence followed.

The lack of noise scared Wayne. His master was unpredictable. Yet Wayne broke the spell. "Is Nurmengard troubling you, sir?"

"No. The castle isn't. I'm just afraid we might be a decade too late to save what is inside." With that, the large figure disapparated, leaving a stunned Wayne behind.

He pulled out his wand, and a few seconds later, the scurrying little wizard was gone as well.

The lake was still glittering below, the wind mauling it's surface. Small waves were licking at the rocky shores; in the distance stood a castle, a single window lit by a candle. The rays of light disappeared for a moment, then returned again. Someone had walked past the window.

The End (of part 1)


Part 2 will also be posted in this fanfiction; I'm just writing this in parts to make it easier for me to structure the story. A little sneak peek/non major spoiler summary of what is happening:

Synopsis of Part 2:

Nico di Angelo - back. But what now? Suspicions arise as wizards, students and teachers alike, question the demigods. But Nico's experiences have changed him; he remembers things he knows he shouldn't and how he returned from death is a mystery to all of them; him included. This isn't helped by his love life. Will Kai and Nico make up? How many lies can a relationship take? And most importantly; what is Kai hiding? The mystery about the Eternals is getting ever deeper as the highest levels of wizard government seem to be involved. Meanwhile, the Argo III is hurrying to collect an army and reach Camp Jupiter in time before the Eternals attack. But when Thalia and the Greeks reach the Romans they realise they will have to fight enemies within and without: Reyna is losing control over the roman camp as intrigues are spun by her political opponents to remove her from power. A Civil war is brewing in Camp Jupiter; and our heroes are caught right in the middle of it.

All the while, Voldemort is still moving in the shadows, and so are the Eternals, for no one has seen them since their hunting of the demigods at Camp Halfblood.

Yep, this fanfiction is just getting started. As I said, I have been working on better and new outlines as well as streamlining of the story and if I write even half of what I have semi-brainstormed this will have 5 or more parts. Let's see how far I get though. Next chapter next week, hopefully XD. As a thank you for staying with me so long; here's the Nico and Kai snippet I'll add into chapter 12 when reworking this.


Nico: - this scene will be part of Chapter 12 in my revision.

Charms homework was murder.

12 inches of parchment, due tomorrow, and he had only finished 3. The library was crowded with students doing their last minute homework. It was late afternoon; classes were over, and the blue sky was slowly fading into darkness. A cold breeze blew through the castle. The candles and lanterns flickered, creating broken shadows on the wall. But the ghost king was not afraid of shadows, he controlled them after all; nor did the cold trouble him much.

All Nico wanted was to catch some sleep. With Annabeth's late meetings, he was unlikely to get much during the night, and he was exhausted from the entirety of the week. So much had happened: the hogwarts express, the bloody baron, Kai… What Nico really needed was some peace; some time to reflect. Most importantly however, some time to spend with his first ever boyfriend.

Damn, that still sounds so wrong. But the essay wouldn't write itself. He pulled all his willpower together, and put his quill back on the parchment. The minutes went by, and over time, the library was abandoned by the other students. Nico checked the clock on the wall. fuuuuck, already eight?! He still had four inches to go. The parchment sat there, ink staring back at him.

Nico drew in a sharp breath. A hand had just fallen on his shoulder. He turned around slowly, and then realized he was only inches away from Kai's face. The wizard grinned and gave him a peck on the cheek. Nico was almost disappointed that it hadn't been on his mouth. Almost.

"Crap, still working on Flitwicks homework?!" Kai exclaimed, quite obviously surprised. Truth was, with the typical demigod ADHD and dyslexia, Nico was much slower than all his classmates when it came to writing. Kai picked up Nico's parchment and paced back and forth.

"You struggling finding more to write about?" he asked the ghost king when he had returned the essay. Nico nodded, hoping not to seem stupid.

Stop worrying! Bianca chimed in.

Shut up!

"Alright, well you haven't mentioned yet that the charm is dependant on the diagonal movement of your wand being at around a 70 degree angle to the previous horizontal line drawn with its tip. You could also add how the espedir spell was originally developed to cure epilepsy instead, but failed catastrophically at that." Kai said, with so much sincerity and good will that Nico couldn't turn him down. Usually he hated help of any kind, but he guessed trust was vital in any relationship. It was okay to show weakness. Sometimes at least.

"Thanks!" he replied with a quick smile and then scribbled on, now at twice the speed. Who would have known a boyfriend to be such a motivating factor?

At last, he dropped his quill. "Done." he sighed.

Kai, who had been staring out of the window stood up and stretched. "Great! Then let's get moving. I really want to show you something." His eyes gleamed with enthusiasm. So much so that Nico, who had felt dead just seconds before, realised a tingle of energy was rising within his body. This tingle turned into an all out flame when Kai grabbed him by the hand and pulled him out of the library. Something about their fingers touching felt right.

All had gone so fast that Nico hadn't even had time to collect his stuff. Later he thought. Later. Now the mystery was rather where Kai was taking him. Somewhere more… private? The thought of full on making out with his boyfriend made him blush. The two passed through what felt like dozens of corridors. By the time Kai stopped, they must have half-walked half-run for around fifteen minutes. Kai was breathing heavily. Obviously the ghost king was in better condition.

"Still no panting yet?" Kai asked, surprised. "I wonder what those legs must look like without pants." He winked.

Nico laughed. "The amount of times you peek when I change? I'm pretty sure you've gotten my entire body memorised."

"Exactly. Still can't get enough of it." Kai teased, giving Nico another quick kiss. This one was straight on the mouth though. It was a dry kiss, no tongues or so involved, and over within milliseconds. Still, the son of Hades savoured every bit of it.

"Step back." the wizard warned, and he tapped twice at the wall, mumbling something Nico couldn't make out. The wall turned into a door. He threw a questioning look at his boyfriend. Kai made a "you first", gesture, and Nico pulled at the handle. His jaw dropped at what he saw within.

The room was amazing. Gigantic; at least the size of the fifth graders' bedroom within the tower, and the roof high above Nico's head, turning in spirals towards a small light source. What made it special however wasn't its size, but rather its content.

Large shelves covered the walls. Boxes, spray cans, bottles of paint, brushes and numerous objects the Ghost King had not the slightest chance of identifying were stacked on the shelves, the floor and the tables. Both the surfaces behind the cupboards and the few that had nothing infront of them were filled with graffiti. A stereo stood on one of the tables and two couches filled the space in front of a beamer.

What was coolest however was the back wall; it was open; leading into a grand hall filled with boxes, bowls, roll ins and wedge ramps; in short; the perfect skate park. It was bloody impressive.

Stop gushing and start a conversation. Bianca advised. For once Nico followed her orders.

"Soooo, this is where you guys hang out?" Nico asked, still holding Kai's hand.

Kai smiled at him, eyes glowing. "No, that's where we are hanging out. Well, if you like it that is" He added quickly, throwing a worried glance in Nico's direction.

There was nothing to worry about though, for Nico loved the place. "If I like it? You seriously ask me if I like this?" He asked in disbelief.

Kai's eyebrows narrowed with worry. It seemed he had wanted to show this place to the son of Hades for quite some time. He had really hoped that the american would enjoy it. Nico laughed at the misunderstanding. "I love it you dumbass!" he assured him.

Kai's expression did a backflip, a frown turning into a maniacal smile. He pulled Nico into a sudden hug. They kissed; an actual, long, full on kiss, and Nico slowly pushed his hand beneath Kai's T-shirt. His boyfriend's skin was warm and soft. He could feel Kai grinning into his lips.

Nico parted their mouths and stared into the Gryffindors eyes. For once he was happy. Life was good.


Hope you liked that. Next week I'll have something for you. I also want to rework these last 20 chapters though, so likely half of next weeks content will be another flashback like this Nico one. Do you like the romance? Is it too cheesy? Or is it at least better than the fight scenes? I hope you stay safe and healthy.

Fives Over and out.