CHAPTER SUMMARY
Nico, Thalia, and Rachel travel to the Lotus Hotel and Casino. Annabeth, Ron, Hermione, and Cho speak with the Bloody Baron.
BEGINNING NOTES
Chapter Rating: General Audiences
Content Warning: Cursing, Graphic Depictions of Violence
Word Count: 4135
We're going to finish either tomorrow or Wednesday. It depends how much time I have because I need to rewrite parts of the final chapter. Obviously you'll know tomorrow what's going to happen.
I also have a major announcement tomorrow, so stay tune!
And all the characters are owned by J.K. Rowling, or Rick Riordan.
Credits at the end.
_HERMIONE_
Hermione regretted it the moment Cho apparated them to Hogsmeade. Some other form of transport would delay the inevitable. She'd have time to prepare.
Hogsmeade didn't exist anymore. It was nothing but a battleground, full of the charred remains of buildings, some of them still smoldering. Stray wands cluttered the ground like fallen tree branches.
"Who do you think won?" Ron asked to break the morbid silence.
"No one," Cho said gently. "There's been riots all over the Wizarding World."
Hermione took a shaky breath, then grounded herself and said, "No, this was a battle, Cho, but not between Hecate and Hades. Ministry loyalists are fighting Percy's defendants. We're in the middle of a civil war." Hermione gave herself another moment before continuing. "It won't be long until both sides find leaders and organize into an army. You know muggle history, too-that's how this always goes. Hecate and Merlin knew it. We're their only hope."
"You can't think like that," Annabeth said. "You're this land's only hope, but not Hecate's. She'll see the other side of this no matter what. You can't finish a quest in any god's name; you have to do it for yourself."
Hermione looked at a pair of legs buried beneath the rubble of Honeyduke's. The ends of their robe fluttered in a sickening breeze.
"Let's find the Bloody Baron, then."
She barely felt the chill in the air as the three of them walked to the Hogwarts grounds. The only moment they stopped was when they reached a ridge with two cliffs, one slightly higher than the other, and a valley in the middle. Grass had grown over wand marks, and light snow covered any cracks in the earth. It could've been any other spot on the grounds.
"What is it?" Cho asked.
"You don't remember," Hermione realized. "I forgot, the Ministry wiped everyone's memories. This is where the battle was. Nico di Angelo killed Riddle right over there." She pointed to the far cliff, where Lord Voldemort once stood at the head of a grand army.
"Come on," Ron urged, steering Hermione away from all the bad memories. It was hard to turn her back on the valley.
Hogwarts was deserted. That was to be expected since Hogwarts was out for Christmas holiday.
Harry would've been here.
The thought was enough to bring tears to her eyes, but the time for grief was passed. She swallowed the lump in her throat and marched on with Annabeth, Ron, and Cho.
"The Bloody Baron's the Slytherin ghost. So, a Slytherin should know where to find him," Annabeth reasoned.
"Wait..." Hermione said. "I know one that will help us."
"Are you sure they're here over holiday?" Cho asked.
"He has to be, because the Furies killed his parents."
They found Malfoy alone, studying in the library. Hermione felt a pang of sympathy the moment she saw him-she knew what grief looked like, and he seemed way too engrossed in the book he was reading for it not to be an act. She knew his parents chose Lord Voldemort, and that, to the Furies, their crimes were too great for Azkaban, but it still seemed a little unfair. He didn't choose to join Riddle, his parents did. And, on that cliffside, she remembered seeing distinctly blond hair among the students who fought.
But would he have fought if he knew he was fighting Riddle? Or maybe his parents did tell him, and he fought anyway. It doesn't matter why; either way, he defended the school. He may be a bully, but he isn't all bad. No one is.
That was something she learned from Nico di Angelo.
"Can I talk to you?" Hermione asked in as soft a voice as she could. Still, he jumped. He looked up from his book. Glassy eyes morphed into his traditional sneer, but it looked forced, faked.
"What do you want, Granger?"
"I'm sorry about your parents."
Malfoy's grip tightened on his book. His harsh expression flickered. "It's only been a year since they went missing. I'm sure they're fine."
Hermione's heart broke. "Yeah, Draco, I'm sure they are."
Malfoy looked so stunned that she used his first name that he forgot he was supposed to hate her. His mouth twitched; Hermione realized he was close to tears. "Thank you." His grip relaxed, and he laid his book on the table. He looked away from Hermione for the first time. "Weasley," he muttered. "You're Cho Chang, right?" Cho nodded.
That's when he noticed Annabeth. Malfoy turned so pale that he might've been the ghost they were looking for. Hermione didn't understand. He knew Nico and he didn't get along, but Malfoy had never acted that terrified of Harry, and their feud could put any to shame.
"Guys!" Harry exclaimed. "I ran into Malfoy on my way back, outside his common room, he told me something di Angelo said in his sleep a few minutes ago... Malfoy heard di Angelo say, 'I'll kill you. My father is the Lord of the Dead; I'll kill you... Harry Potter.'
"Nico di Angelo came to Hogwarts to deliver me to his father. His father... Lord Voldemort."
"Oh!" Hermione cried, earning her a sharp glare from Madam Pince. "Draco, Nico isn't, erm... we... met his dad very soon after you spoke to Harry. It must've been a dream, and that's all."
Relief flashed on Malfoy's face, but he quickly covered it up. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Why should I care about di Angelo's dad?"
Annabeth shot Hermione a confused look. She mouthed 'tell you later' and turned back to Malfoy. "Erm, we want to talk to the Bloody Baron. Can you tell us where he is?"
Hermione never expected Draco Malfoy to do her a favor without something in return, especially when it had the potential to get himself in trouble. But his sad eyes returned, and, tired and defeated, he nodded. "Let me gather my things. I'll let you into the common room."
_NICO_
"Nico!" Hestia exclaimed. "Thank Hecate, he's alive!"
A light hand touched his face. "He's weak from exhaustion," Will said. "Give him space! Let him rest."
Percy cursed. "We're not meant to leave the Underworld. Lou, Thalia, take him! We'll hold off what's left of them!"
"More will come," Blaise agreed. "We can take them. Alabaster did most of the work for us."
"They can use Alabaster's death as leverage for Hecate," Lou said, her voice thick with grief. "The Kindly Ones will take his body to Hades."
He woke in the back of a limousine. There was a girl asleep across from him; her head bobbed with each bump in the road. He didn't recognize her. And how did he get into this automobile? Where was he?
He pulled the window shade up and got blasted with wind. The auto had to be going fifty kilometers an hour, maybe more. The wind on his face was hot.
I'm in the desert.
The girl woke. She looked around, just as confused as he was. She jumped when her eyes landed on him.
"We're in a desert," he told her.
"Which desert?"
"I don't know."
"Quiet!" a man barked from the driver's seat. "And, Nico, close that window!"
Nico was stunned. He didn't realize it until the man said it, but he couldn't remember his name.
The girl-Bianca, that was his sister, Nico remembered now-reached over his shoulder and closed the window for him. Then, she turned to the man. "Father?"
"No," the man snarled. "You have no father. The state sent me. You'll stay in a hotel until... better accommodations open up."
"You don't have to be so mean about it," Bianca muttered under her breath. Nico laughed. It felt good; it seemed like he hadn't laughed in a while.
"I'm hungry," Nico complained. "Is there food?"
The man grabbed something from the passenger seat and threw it at him. He caught it midair. "Nice," Bianca said with a smile. Nico took a triumphant bite of the sandwich. But, his moment of glory was shattered when he tasted how terrible the sandwich was. He coughed; mystery meat fell from his mouth and spilled onto the floor of the limousine. Bianca laughed.
"Meany," Nico told her.
"S- sorry, it's just-"
"Yeah, yeah."
"No thank you?" the man spat.
"Thank you for trying to kill me," Nico said sarcastically. Bianca laughed again. The man gave a sinister smile, like he knew something they didn't. Nico's stomach rolled, but it had nothing to do with rotten meat.
"Why can't we remember anything?" she asked the man.
"You were injured when your parents died," he said like he was quoting something. The car stopped suddenly, and Nico and Bianca lurched forward. "We're here."
"Would've never guessed," Nico mumbled. Bianca playfully nudged his shoulder. "Come along, mio piccolo angelo. Let's go."
She opened the door, and they stepped out into a bustling city. Nico stared at them in awe, how could such a city exist in the middle of a desert?
"This way!" The man pointed a crooked finger south. Then, he started walking. Nico and Bianca hesitantly followed.
"How long will we be in the hotel?" Bianca asked.
"As long as you need to be," the man snapped.
"But how long do you think it will be?"
The man put on a sickeningly sweet smile. "Now, honey. It's rude to ask questions."
Bianca got nervous. Nico got mad. No one talked to his sister like that! But, before he could say anything, a young boy pointed at the man. "What did he say, Mommy?"
"I don't know, darling, they're speaking Greek. Away, now." Nico took the tiniest step forward, but the woman gasped like he'd punched her son. She pulled him by the arm, casting him a dirty look. She muttered "Greenhorn," under her breath, and marched away. Nico didn't know what that word meant, but it didn't sound very nice.
"Here we are," the man said. He pushed Nico and Bianca forward. "Go inside. You're all checked in. Give them the name di Angelo."
Nico gulped. He took a look at Bianca; her olive skin was pale from nerves. She craned her neck to look at the top of the skyscraper. It towered over them like a giant. Something set him off, made him worry.
"Time to go," the man said again, harsher this time. Bianca caught his eye. Her spark of determination gave Nico the confidence he needed to walk through the door.
They reached the reception desk. "di Angelo?" Bianca said. "We should be... um..."
"Yes, of course, Mr. and Miss di Angelo, how are you today?" the receptionist chirped. Nico's whole body relaxed. He smiled; the man was so friendly.
"Good," Nico said.
"Now, let me just..." the man opened an enormous book and scanned the list. "Here we are, Bianca and Nico di Angelo... son and daughter of... oh." The man's grin widened. He grabbed a pen and mumbled as he wrote: "November 5th... 1939." He chuckled as he closed the book. "Room 5020. You two got the penthouse suite." He handed them both a key and a plastic card. "Here are your platinum casino membership cards. I doubt you two will be gambling, but it will allow you to access dining and our recreational facilities. We have a twenty-four-hour theater on floor three, for instance..."
"Do you have Charlie Chaplin?" Bianca asked. The man nodded. Bianca glowed with happiness. "I love Charlie Chaplin!"
"A full list of our facilities will be in your room." The man whistled. Another man in a bellhop uniform joined them.
"Welcome, Bianca. Welcome, Nico. I've already put your things in your room. Let me show you up."
Nico grinned as they entered the elevator. His heart was pounding with excitement. And, even though the bellhop wasn't as handsome as the receptionist, he couldn't stop looking at him. He felt warm, safe, as though he'd been found after that nightmare limousine.
"Everything is so nice here!" Bianca squealed.
"I'm glad you like it," the bellhop said. He sounded so pleasant, and yet there was something else in his voice... something sad.
Before Nico could say anything, the elevator dinged. "Here we are," the bellhop said. He opened the lock with a master key and swung the door open for them.
"Thank you! We'll see you!" Bianca told him.
The man smiled sadly. "Today is my last day, then I return home. Enjoy your stay, Bianca. You too, Nico. Let the staff know if you need anything. Promise me?"
They nodded vigorously. Bianca stepped into the room. Nico smiled one last time at the bellhop. He squinted at the bellhop's uniform, trying to make out his name tag. The letters swirled and did cartwheels, but, finally, Nico figured it out. "Good-bye... Andrew Devin."
"He's completely out of it," Lou said. "He keeps mumbling in Ancient Greek, I don't know-"
"I suspect his mind has grown used to Alabaster's psychic link," Chiron deduced. "His body will recover. Nico, my boy, can you hear me?"
"Mmmmm." That was the best he could do in his current state.
A soft hand reached out to touch him. "Are you sure about this, Rachel?" Sally asked. "I can't lose my son."
"I am," Rachel said. "Clovis has been helping me confer with Delphi's spirit. The gods have no idea where to find Nico. There's some kind of spell around him, I don't know what, but it's enough to protect him."
The door creaked again. "We have to go," Thalia said. "Lou, Mr. Dare's helicopter is here. With Lady Artemis's blessing of speed, we should be in Vegas in an hour." Thalia paused. "We'll send you and Paul a message when we arrive, Ms. Jackson. I promise we'll protect Nico from my dad."
"Wait!" Chiron said. "Take him to Hestia. She will be able to strengthen young Alabaster's blessing with a protection spell of her own. I suspect she'll do it—Nico has always been kind to her."
Sally stroked his cheek. "It's time to wake up now, Nico. And make sure you get yourself home in one piece."
_HERMIONE_
"Nigellus," Malfoy said to the dungeon wall. It opened to reveal the empty Slytherin common room. He led them through the green-tinted hallway of the men's dormitory. "There's an empty room at the end of the hall," Malfoy explained. "When the Bloody Baron's not in the Astronomy tower, he's usually in there. He likes the dungeons."
They turned into a corridor. The dark green air stank of seaweed. They had to be directly under the lake. It was dark and misty, made of bare stone walls. It made Hermione depressed. She couldn't imagine spending so much time in such a dusty dungeon.
Like Malfoy promised, the Bloody Baron stood in the corner, his back to them. His translucent skin was covered in bright red blood, so vibrant it didn't look real. Chains wrapped around his body, reminiscent of Marley's chains from A Christmas Carol.
"Baron?" Draco asked. His voice echoed around the room. "My- my friends need to talk to you."
The was no answer. Annabeth cleared her throat, and said, "It's about the war."
The Bloody Baron laughed, a deep booming laugh unfitting of a translucent being. "Why should I interfere with the war? Did you not see what happened to the ghosts who fought with Angelos?"
"We don't need you to fight," Hermione urged. "We need to speak to Slytherin. You're the only one who might know where he is."
"Wait!" Malfoy cried. "What are you talking about? How could Slytherin do anything? He's dead!"
Hermione did her best to smile at him, which was hard with the Bloody Baron's sinister presence right in front of her. "Hecate is real, Draco. Morgan le Fay's the myth. Those rumors that Merlin became a god when he died? That's true. I met him. And Slytherin's a god too."
"And- and there's another war?" Malfoy asked. He was beyond pale.
"Hecate and Merlin are fighting Hades, the Lord of the Dead."
Malfoy tried to laugh in disbelief, but it came out as a breathy whimper. "That's di Angelo's real dad. Not You-Know-Who. That's why di Angelo could do all those things no one else could."
"Nico came here on a mission from Hades," Annabeth finished for her. "Tom Marvolo Riddle, or Lord Voldemort, as you guys call him, cheated death one too many times. Nico hunted him down and killed him last year."
Malfoy blinked. "di Angelo killed my parents, didn't he?"
"No," Annabeth assured him. "But, the Furies, servants of Dad, killed them for their crimes. They rejoined Riddle when he rose again and helped him to defy the afterlife. I'm sorry."
"No..." Malfoy whispered. "If the gods passed judgment, there was nothing anyone could do."
"Very wise," the Bloody Baron said. "Will you three follow his example? Slytherin will not help you. He chooses to sit out the war, unlike the other Founders of Hogwarts."
"He's in hiding," Hermione realized. "That's why Merlin sent Ron and I to find the Stone. He doesn't know where his son is."
"You want the Stone?" the Baron questioned. "Go home, Hermione Granger. Your quest is futile. Even if I were to tell you where Slytherin is, he would never give you his most prized possession."
"Even if it was to rebuild the Wizarding World?!" Ron protested. "This is his world too! He can't turn his back on it!"
The Bloody Baron finally turned. Hermione expected him to be fuming. She was sure she'd blown it, blown their only chance to save everyone.
But, when he turned around, his eyes fixed on Cho. Cho tried not to react, but a tiny, terrified gasp escaped her. The Baron looked from her to Hermione with a sinister smile. "Merlin sent you, you said?" Hermione carefully nodded. Something wasn't right. Why did he sound so... amused? The Baron knew something she didn't, and she didn't like it one bit.
"Salazar Slytherin guards the Philosopher's Stone at Loch Arthur. Go at your own risk, heroes."
"Loch Arthur..." Hermione thought allowed. That sounded familiar... "Oh!" she cried. "I read about that after the demigods left! I was doing research into the gods and the Arthurian legend... it's a lake in western Scotland, rumored to be the lake from King Arthur."
"Arthur," the Bloody Baron mused. "A thousand years corrupts the name 'Salazar' into 'Arthur.' This world continues to bewilder me."
Hermione thought learning where the Stone is would be a happy moment, but all she felt was sad and confused. And judging by the crying Malfoy and ghostly Cho standing beside her, she wasn't the only one.
"It's time to go," she said quietly.
_THALIA_
Like Chiron said, Hestia restored Nico's strength as best she could, then put a protective spell on them all at Nico's request. "You'll keep your minds in the Lotus now," she'd promised them. "You will find your way home." Grover led the satyrs in some woodland magic to disguise the helicopter a bit more, then they went on their way. With Lady Artemis's blessing, still holding from their journey to New Arcadia, they reached Las Vegas in less than an hour. The Dare's pilot landed them on the nearest helicopter pad, a few miles from the Lotus Hotel and Casino.
Nico never fell asleep, but he was out of it for most of the helicopter flight. There was an odd look in his eyes the entire way; they looked as old as he really was, ninety-year-old eyes in a seventeen-year-old's body.
"I still can't believe he's dead," Lou sniffed.
Thalia couldn't either. How was Alabaster, the crafty son of Hecate who'd journeyed to New Arcadia with her, gone? Alabaster, who fought beside her, stood up for her Hunters, negotiated with Ceres, and had some odd feelings about a fish? She'd come to care about him the same way she cared about any of her other friends. When you face life and death together constantly, you grow close.
"He sacrificed himself for me," Nico croaked. "His last words were, 'You saved me, Nico. Now, let me pay my debt. Be a hero for once.' He knew he was going to the Fields of Punishment, but he didn't care. He died a hero."
"That's what it is," Lou realized. "Alabaster died for Nico. His love shield, his blood sacrifice, it's enough to hide him, even from the gods, even more than Hestia's protection. It's powerful magic"
"Great," Nico said coldly. "Let's get the godsdamn Artifacts, stop this war, and let me get back to junior fucking year at Goode."
"Sounds like a plan," Thalia deadpanned. No one laughed. She didn't expect them to.
They hailed a cab. "Two-twenty Convention Center Drive, corner of Kishner," Nico told the driver. "I'll pay triple your normal rate. Just get us there fast." Needless to say, they would get there in no time... as long as they didn't get in a car chase with a cop for how badly they were speeding. Long after three of them had turned a dark shade of green, the driver finally pulled over on the corner of Kishner and Convention Center. Nico pulled a credit card from his jacket pocket. When he swiped it, Thalia realized it was a double-diamond Lotus cash card.
"You kept that?" Lou asked as they climbed out of the cab.
"It's a credit card that literally never runs out. Of course I kept it," Nico said.
"Can't argue with that," Lou said.
"I can," Thalia replied. "I remember when Zoë brought Las Vegas up to Bianca. She was horrified by the place."
"My life is nothing but bad memories," Nico said, a dark look in his eyes. "Even Italy is just a bunch of bad memories now. I don't want to be back here, but I'll take what good fortune I can get." He stared at the card with a hypnotic look in his eyes. "And the Lotus wasn't all bad, in fact, it wasn't bad at all... pretty great, actually..."
"Nico?" Thalia asked fearfully. He looked up at her, back to normal. He didn't seem to notice what just happened.
"We're here," Lou announced. "Hestia's spell will keep us from getting trapped inside." She didn't sound sure. Thalia was shaking herself.
"Let's go, guys," Nico said, staring with wonder at the doors of the Lotus. Thalia and Lou exchanged a worried look. Even though they'd only taken their eyes off him for a second, when they focused their attention, Nico was already dashing into the hotel. "Nico!" they shouted together.
"Come on!" Nico shouted back. "Let's get in, grab them, and get out!"
They dashed after him, through the open doorway and into a sweet-smelling lobby. It was a giant game room, casino, and indoor water park all wrapped into one. Nico stood in the doorway, staring at the lobby. Thalia reached for his shoulder, but when she touched him, she felt a shock go through her body. Instead of a giant game room, she saw a glitzy ballroom with an expensive chandelier on the roof. Men smoked cigars and whistled at waitresses as they carried plates of food. There was a giant bar filled with every kind of beer, wine, liquor, and cocktail imaginable, as well as soda, coffee, tea, you name it. A live band played music, an old jazz tune. A fifty-foot projector screen showed black-and-white Mickey Mouse cartoons. A directory was plastered on the wall, pointing to rec rooms, casinos, pools, stage theaters, nickelodeon movie theaters, etc.
Thalia blinked, and the image was gone. At the exact same time, Nico collapsed. Instinctively, Thalia caught him.
The doorman ran to them. "Is everything okay, kids?" he inquired. "If your friend is ill, we have a fully-licensed hospital wing on floor-
"I'm fine, Henry," Nico croaked. He stood and looked around, taking the room in.
The doorman studied Nico. "Mr. di Angelo..." he realized. "My, you've grown!"
"People do that," Nico said dryly. "Is 5020 still open?"
"Of course!" Henry said. "I'll send fresh clothes up immediately. Head to the elevator, and enjoy your stay!"
"You know his name?" Lou asked.
Nico nodded. "He's a Lotus Eater. Before we had electronics, the staff were the ones that hypnotized us. But Bianca and I had each other; talking to someone real kept us human." He looked around wistfully. "Papà would never send us here without protection."
He was in here for seventy years. If this place is an addiction, Nico's an old-time alcoholic walking into a bar run by Mr. D.
"Now, come on. I'm going to get some fresh clothes on, then we're going to tear this place apart."
I really hope you mean, "to look for the Artifacts," Nico.
END NOTES
Credits:
Author: Melody Rose (Tumblr melody0rose)
Please comment so I know what you think! See you tomorrow!
COMMENTS
ShadeFireDragon
Genevieve? A god/goddess? *le gasp* Also, wow, Lou Ellen being the helicopter parent XD I think, anyway. Nevertheless, it's nice to see her care for her half brother :)
Yes indeed! Who, you may ask? You'll find out soon enough. I love Lou Ellen the parent too. I think she'd be very protective of Alabaster because of all he's gone through.
The Goode Ravenclaw
that got dark real quick... (it was always dark but DAMN) I... I honestly don't know what to say to that but DAMN. poor Percy though. he finally gets redemption and boom ded
Unrest begins with a martyr. It was hard for me to kill Percy Weasley off, but I can also look at it as his final redemption. He went from denying the truth to dying for it. There's no nobler way to go, and he is, at the end of the day, a Gryffindor.
I honestly love this chapter so much. (well I live every chapter, but still...) I'm a little confused on who is on who's side on the demigod side of things, but I love the wizard side. I want to give Cho a big hug! I wonder if gweniveve (idk how to spell) has to relate to like gweniveve from like the story of King Arthur and Merlin and if she made the whole thing up and is working with Merlin. and what I meant by out of nowhere it that comment is just how original it was and I don't even know how you would think of that, it being so unique. I really enjoy it though and it was very well-writtenvand you a really good job with it
Hahaha thanks. And I will say that the confusion of who's on whose side is 100% intentional. All you really need to know is Zeus supports Hecate, Juno supports Hades, Merlin is Hecate's husband, Persephone is Hades' wife, and both Hades and Hecate are trying to get Athena and/or Mars to join their side, because both war gods are currently neutral. Bellona, Mars's wife/sister is currently on Hecate's side, which makes it more likely that Mars will join her as well.
I will say that Genevieve is in no way connected to the arthurian legend. I chose the name for a different reason, one I will reveal once her identity is revealed. And okay, that makes sense. Honestly, I don't remember how I came up with it? I knew I was going to kill Cho off, and then I ended up writing that she was at Charon's ferry on a whim, and somehow I got to the imprisonment thing. That's also how I came up with the twist in the first fic too. I realized that everything after "Dammit Harry" had a major, major plot hole in it and also... sucked. So, I deleted all those chapters and rewrote everything. When I got to Percy's dream, I knew he had to find out Nico had disappeared, but I just found myself writing that line about how Hades accuses Hecate of killing her son. And the war just bloomed from there. I went back and added some foreshadowing in the earlier chapters, and voila, war.
I ******-ing for like the whole chapter. I have one thing that I realized. Il Duce referred to Nico as an atomic bomb, but the idea of the atomic bomb wasn't even created in 1936. I love the flashback so much!
oh yeah, and one of my friends said since the one before this is "the coming of Nico di Angelo" this book should be called "the pregnancy of Will Solace"... I give up on her
I'm glad you like that chapter! The Mussolini chapter I think is my favorite one in this fic. The chapter where Al dies is a close second, though. I used the atmoic bomb reference because I thought it was a cool line, but it doesn't have any meaning beyond that, at least, not intentionally. And I love your friend XD. That's the second comment I've gotten making a joke about the title and I love it.