Chapter 12: The Hunters vs. Monkey Ninja

I struggled to strap the loose armor around my small, skinny frame, feeling absolutely ridiculous while I did it. Percy watched amusingly, making zero attempts to help me. That's alright. I'll remember this. The next time Percy needs my help with something, I'll just be laughing the whole time he fails. I'm sure he would love that. Annabeth and Thalia seemed to be having trouble keeping a straight face. Okay, with Thalia, that's to be expected. But with Annabeth? I must look really stupid right now to get a reaction out of her. Especially when she knows I'm not actually a helpless 10 year old. Without a word, Annabeth adjusted the straps and just took off my helmet.

"You probably won't need this," she said.

She's right, of course. This Capture the Flag game, the Hunters of Artemis have entered the arena. I think it's safe to say we're all thinking the same thing: We're screwed. Nevertheless, it doesn't hurt to try, even if we have lost every. Single. Game against the Hunters.

"Percy, I want you on border patrol. Thalia, I want you leading the strike team to get the flag. Stay in your positions. Do not attempt to steal the flag on your own, even if you see an opportunity," Annabeth looked directly at Percy as she said this. "The ratio of campers to hunters is 3:2. If we stay in numbers, we might have a chance. Remember your positions and the plan. You may improvise if necessary," She commanded. Everyone nodded in confirmation. She turned to me. "Nico, I need to speak with you in private."

The daughter of Athena walked towards the edge of the woods, expecting me to follow. We trekked through the ferns and shrubs, until a small clearing came into view.

"Now, what is it you wanted to tell me?" Annabeth asked.

My hand subconsciously went to twist my nonexistent skull ring. Crap. I hoped Annabeth would have forgotten about that. But as all children of Wisdom should, she remembered.

"I… " I took a deep breath. I swallowed my fear. It wouldn't do me any good to lock this secret away. "I'm a son of Hades." I looked away, preparing for the worst. A shriek, perhaps. A look of disgust, maybe. For all I know, the coldness of a dagger upon my throat.

"I knew it!" Annabeth exclaimed. Surprisingly, her voice held no disgust or fear, just pure excitement. I released a breath I didn't know I was holding. "I mean, I noticed the similarities between you, Thalia, and Percy just by your whole demeanor in general. What really proved it was when you threw the sword at Dr. Thorn without hesitation. That's definitely something they would do! I had my suspicions that you were, at the very least a child of one of the Big Three, though I would have never guessed him."

"So… you aren't mad?" I asked hesitantly.

"No, Nico. I'm not mad," her voice descended into a softer tone. She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Don't be afraid of who you are. You are the son of the Lord of the Dead. Accept it. Embrace it. We don't get to choose where we come from, but we do get to choose who we grow to be."

The Daughter of Athena's words resonated in my mind. At this point, her voice has become my very conscience. As weird as it is to think, she's the angel I never knew residing on my shoulder.

Is she right? Can I truly be better than my deceased siblings? Children of Hades have all had a bad track record in general. The torment of isolation and bad luck certainly doesn't help either. We have no excuse for the transgressions we—or really—they have committed, though insanity always targets the loneliest first. Can I prove that not all children of Hades are evil? Can I restore the honor we've never really had in the first place? All I've ever wanted was to fit in. But now? Now I feel a desire to rise above the expectations of the Gods. The expectations of everyone, really. Can I do it?

"I don't need to be an oracle to know you're going to change the world someday, Nico. You probably already have," she stood up a little straighter and her hand retreated back to her side. "Is there anything else I should to know?"

"I think I can get that flag for you," I admitted.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Do you need a strike team to do it?"

"No."

"Alright, di Angelo. I trust you to get the flag on your own. Don't make me regret it," she warned. "Is there anything I should know about this mysterious method of your's?"

"Just one: Don't expect to see me until the very end of the game," I said cryptically. "You won't find me."

"I'll hold you to that," she replied. "We should be heading back now, the game is about to start."

We silently made our way back, both of us tense and anxious for the game to begin.

"Hey, the game's about to start. Where were you?" Thalia asked.

"Yeah, why have you two suddenly been so close lately?" Percy chimes in. "I know you guys just saved each other's lives, but I didn't think you would be so secretive all of the sudden. What's up with that?"

Annabeth and I shared a look. Before I knew it, a silent conversation of eyes commenced. Should we tell them? Annabeth asked.

Not yet. Not until after the game.

You can't hold off this secret forever, Nico. We can trust them.

I know, I just need a little more time. I sent her a pleading look.

She surrendered, but I figured this would be the last time. Fine, after the game we can tell them.

I turned back to a suspicious Thalia and Percy. "It's complicated. I'll tell you about it later."

"By 'later' do you mean—" Thalia was interrupted by the conch shell, signaling the game had begun. All the campers ran into the forest together, and Thalia and Percy went into their designated positions.

"Good luck, and get that flag for me," Annabeth said as she dashed into the forest, but not before placing on her cap and disappearing with the trees.

I looked around, making sure I was completely alone. I gripped my celestial bronze sword. It's too heavy and completely unbalanced, but it's better than nothing at all. I haven't tried shadow travel since I transported the Athena Parthenos. To be honest, I'm afraid to try it. I don't want to disappear or pass out for a week just like I did the first time I tried the disorienting way of travel. But if I'm going to help get the flag and bring shame to the Hunters, I'm going to need to suck it up and do it anyway.

I took a deep breath, picturing a destination deep in the shadows of the forest. With the image in mind, I sprinted into the nearest tree, bracing for impact. The shadows bent to my will, conceding to my demands and consuming me in their cold embrace. Suddenly the whispers of the dead echoed in my ears, the world a void of color and joy, only despair and anguish lingered in the freezing wind. I forced down my dizziness and kept focus on the target, willing with every ounce of my control to stay away from China. I do not want another visit to the Great Wall!

I stumbled out of the darkness and into a shady grove in the trees. I felt a little light-headed, but I didn't pass out or puke yet, which is definitely a plus. I took in my surroundings. The grove looked pretty empty, but I knew from experience that in the dark, you can never trust your eyes. I opened up my senses. A couple feet above and left of me, hidden in the shade were a couple of hunters. They haven't seen me yet, or else I probably would've been a pincushion right about now. I still have the element of surprise.

As quietly as panther, I scaled the tree, making sure to approach the girls from behind. I avoided the loose twigs and branches, and tried to shift my weight evenly to cause less disturbance. The three Hunters sat on a thick branch directly in the middle of the grove. A great vantage point, but a terrible hiding place if someone knew where to look. Directly above their heads, another branch winded through. An idea began to form. Maybe I don't need to take the Hunters down one by one, maybe I just need to cut the branch above their heads with enough force to knock them out. I glanced at my sword, which glowed with a faint golden aura. The branch looked to be only about 10 feet in front of me. The trajectory to throw the sword would definitely be a challenge, but if I angle the blade just right, with enough force it should cut the branch. I'm no child of Athena, but the theory seems pretty valid to me.

Here goes nothing, I thought. I'm royally screwed if this doesn't work.

I aimed the sword and flung it in the air. The sword impaled the trunk, and with another ounce of force, it could've cut the branch clean off.

But it didn't.

And now I am royally screwed. Curse my flimsily spaghetti arms!

The Hunters whirled around as soon as the sword whisked by. They yelled in alarm and fired a volley of arrows in my direction.

Uh, oh.

I lunged for cover and scrambled like a frightened squirrel along the branches. The arrows kept coming and I heard the insane girls right behind me. What am I supposed to do now? I wish Annabeth were here. She would know exactly what to do.

Think, Nico. Think. What would Annabeth do?

Then it came to me.

I sprung up, using my momentum to grasp the web of branches above me. The sharp twigs grazed my fingers and palms though I couldn't care less at the moment. I swung up, using the little upper body strength my tiny frame possessed to pull myself up. I somehow managed to roll to the left on the thick branch and dodge the next set of projectiles. I sprinted nimbly on the winding trunks to the cursed sword. I yanked it out of the unstable branch and turned. This time as the arrows whizzed to me, I sliced it in mid swing, and the broken arrows fell uselessly to the forest floor. I kept swinging and inching closer. The Hunters backed up, alarmed expressions painted on their faces.

Just as they shot another round of arrows, expecting me to slice them again, I dropped and swung like a monkey below them, building my momentum to twist my legs up and kick them off of the branch with all my might. Amazingly enough, they couldn't catch themselves in time, and they plummeted to the ground. They frantically tried to grasp the branches, and they managed. Though the branch snapped quickly, unable to hold all of their weight. The force of the fall knocked them out cold.

I breathed heavily and dropped to the ground silently.

I heard a snap of a twig and I spun around and put my sword right on the intruders throat, expecting a Hunter behind me. Instead of a boy-hating hunter, I caught a certain son of Apollo, who's eyes looked like huge blue saucers as he stared at me amazed. A glimpse of a memory resurfaced, only for a split second. The shade of Will's hair in the melancholy background, a sunny, golden yellow in the dreary grey, ruthless red, and soulless black.

I blinked to get my bearings. "Er… Sorry. I thought you were a hunter," I apologized awkwardly.

"How?! Where did you learn to fight like that?!" 11 year old Will Solace exclaimed. He didn't seem to acknowledge the fact that my sword was at his throat, even when I pulled it away.

"Okay, 1) What do you mean? 2) Shhh. We aren't alone in here. And 3) How long were you standing there?" I asked.

He looked to be contemplating my questions for a moment. "The monkey ninja moves you pulled, I'll be quieter, and I've been standing here since you flung that sword at the Hunters' heads—which is not cool, by the way!"

"I didn't fling at their heads, idiota! I flung it at the branch above their heads to knock them all out cold. But as you may have seen, I had to improvise a little," I replied in a hurried whisper, praying to the Gods that Will didn't see anything more.

He looked a little skeptical, but nodded anyway. Well, at least he isn't as stubborn as the older version of him. His bright, twinkling eyes, the shade of the evening sky, noticed my bleeding palms.

I thought too soon, I realized.

"You're bleeding," he said, as if it wasn't obvious already. Without warning, he held my hand in his and sung a quiet hymn, healing my palms completely.

"Thanks," I said, and I really meant it.

He smiled, and I could've sworn the whole forest lit up, if only for a second. "No problem."

"We need to get moving. Where is your group?" I said, climbing up the tree trunk once again. Will followed me up, keeping up with my rapid pace.

"I lost my group somewhere behind us. The hunters found us, and I barely managed to escape."

"Why didn't you fight back?"

"I'm a healer, not a fighter," he whispered gloomily. "By the way, I never caught your name. I'm Will, Will Solace. Son of Apollo."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Nico di Angelo," I introduced myself somewhat hurriedly. "I would shake your hand but we really do need to keep moving if we're going to find the flag."

"Right. We need to keep moving," he repeated. The way he said "we," it sounded as if he were saying the word for the first time. It occurred to me that he may not want to go with me to find the flag.

"Listen," I said, climbing across to the next tree. "You don't have to go with me if you don't want to. I didn't mean to drag you along. If you want to go on solo from here, that's completely fine."

"Oh!" Will whisper-exclaimed. "I didn't mean it like that! It's just… no one's really included me in this kind of stuff before. It's nice to feel useful, even if we probably won't find the flag."

I stopped in my tracks and whirled around to face him. "Look, don't say that. As a healer, you have a unique ability that can save lives, not take them away. That is by far one of the most useful skills a demigod can possess. Anyone can be a fighter, but it takes a special kind of person to be a healer. Don't sell yourself short. Also, we'll find that flag, all right. I'll make sure of it."

I'm not really sure where the speech came from, but I sincerely meant it. It seemed to make Will feel better, which is good.

"Thank you," he breathed. After a long moment, he spoke. "You want to be friends? Maybe we can hang out sometime after this?" I once again stopped in my tracks. I really need to stop doing that. But seriously? Will wants to hang out with me? The weird, annoying, now only slightly creepy and emo kid? Usually when I make friends, it's when we're in life threatening situations. Even then, we don't outright use the word "friend." This is the first time ever that someone wanted to be my friend in a not-so-life-threatening situation, and for me being me nonetheless. I considered this an achievement. For the first time since I can remember, I gave a small, warm smile.

"I would love to be your friend. And sure, we can definitely hang out sometime." Will smiled brightly and I found myself smiling brightly back.

Maybe starting over isn't so bad after all.