A/N: so… A couple things.

First of all, I'm really sorry this took so long. I've been writing original stuff for so long that fan fiction is no longer the easy thing I do to stall doing more important things, it's now the thing I should do but stall by doing other things. I'm trying though. I'm determined to finish all the fics I already have posted, and not post anymore, and then- after however long that takes- take an official hiatus and let myself get good at this again. Until then, I'm trying, but unless I get really inspired, everything's gonna feel a little forced. I'm really sorry, but it's better than nothing, right?

Second of all, sorry to anyone who's mad/annoyed at my big 3 OC. She's more of a plot device than anything, I needed someone to tell Nico the secrets his friends insist on keeping from him. If you don't like her, stop reading, but I'm doing my best, okay?

And third, unfortunately, I can't tell you when I'm going to update again next. I finished the first draft of my novel, and thought I'd write a whole bunch of fanfiction while my friends edited it and take a break from original stuff. But I'm still too inspired- I want to edit, I want to write the next book, I want to just write with my own characters and not anyone else's. So I'm doing my best to write these chapters, especially since this fic is almost done (7 or 8 chapters after this one), but I have no way of knowing how long it'll take, especially since I start school again in a few weeks. But I really am doing my best, I swear. And nothing will ever make me abandon this fic, so don't ever worry about that.

Anyway, thanks so much to everyone and anyone who's still reading this. I hope you like this chapter. Please review.

Chapter Eighteen

Understandably enough, it took Nico a minute or two to get his bearings. As soon as he was certain enough that he wasn't going to freak out, he wordlessly grabbed Jeannine by the arm and whisked her away into the shadows.

They appeared in the first place Nico thought of, a half-empty park a few blocks from Percy's apartment. Upon arriving, he immediately sat down on a bench and put his head in his hands, rubbing tiredly at his face.

When he looked up, Jeannine was still standing in front of him.

"You're… My sister," he repeated.

"Half-sister," she corrected. "But yeah."

Nico shook his head in disbelief. "I just… I just can't believe my dad would…"

"You were gone for fifteen years," Jeannine reminded him. "He'd gotten used to having a kid. He got lonely."

"Yeah, I guess," Nico muttered, pulling himself together. "But hey, how'd you hide your aura from me for this long? Why couldn't I tell you were a demigod?"

She held up the necklace she'd been wearing, its chain broken. "It's called a limiter. They dampen demigods' auras, make it harder for monsters to track us. They're hard to come by, so they're rare, but Dad thought it'd be good for me to have one when I started helping him with this plan of yours, so I wouldn't lead monsters to Adrianne."

Nico frowned. "Are you saying you're only friends with her because Dad told you to be?"

Jeannine shrugged, looking mildly uncomfortable with the question. "I guess it started out that way. But now… She's my best friend. I just want to keep her safe. And that means helping you make sure she doesn't become the subject of the Great Prophecy."

Nico sighed morosely as he was reminded of the other daunting thing looming over them. "Right… The Great Prophecy. I've been… Avoiding hearing about it. I assume you know it by heart?"

Jeannine nodded. "Of course."

"Tell me."

Jeannine took a deep, slightly shaky, breath, then began to recite.

"As time and Fate are pushed aside,

The dead will live to defend their pride.

In times of peace, a war shall rage,

With prophecy hidden on every page.

The living will die to fix what they broke,

And betray the truth of the lies they spoke."

Nico could feel the power in the words, and they sent a shiver down his spine.

"That's… Even more vague and depressing than usual," he commented. "But, yeah, I can… See how this whole thing with Adrianne could apply."

"So what do we do?" Jeannine asked.

Nico sighed. "I think it's time we told Adrianne the truth."

Nico and Jeannine took a few minutes to go over everything that needed to be said, figuring out what Adrianne needed to know and what she might be safer continuing to be ignorant about. There were some discrepancies among their opinions- Jeannine said they should only give her the general gist of the Great Prophecy, while Nico insisted that it was important for her to know the exact lines; Nico thought it irrelevant and a waste of time to explain all his previous adventures and how they pertained to the analogy of the Nicolas Angel books, while Jeannine found it wildly necessary- but eventually they came to a decision that they could both agree on, and prepared themselves for the shadow-jump to Adrianne's apartment.

But just as they were about to leave, a horde of monsters appeared, coming straight towards them.

"What in Hades?!" Nico exclaimed, drawing his sword.

Jeannine cursed under her breath, pulling out a knife from out of nowhere. "I shouldn't have taken my limiter off."

"It shouldn't make a difference," Nico insisted, frowning in confusion. "No demigod has been attacked for weeks- why would the monsters suddenly show up again now?!"

Before the monsters could get any closer, Nico grabbed Jeannine by the arm and whisked her away into the shadows, appearing in his- their- father's throne room.

"The monsters are back," he announced, confidently approaching the throne without sheathing his sword.

Hades narrowed his eyes at Jeannine, who was coming forward much more hesitantly. "I see you two have officially met. Did she-" he started to ask Nico.

"I told him everything," Jeannine cut him off. "He needed to know."

The god of the dead hmmphed. "We'll talk about that later," he told Jeannine, then turned back to his son. "You were attacked?"

Nico shrugged. "Sort of. We didn't fight them. But, Father, demigods haven't seen monsters in weeks, and now out of nowhere? Someone, or something, must be controlling them."

"Someone who wants us dead," Jeannine realized.

"But who didn't before," Nico pointed out.

Hades frowned thoughtfully. "There hasn't been any unusual activity in Tartarus since you came. If someone is controlling the monsters, then they're doing it very sneakily. Which means they're at least as powerful as a god, if not more so."

A shiver ran down Nico's spine. "So… Another Great Prophecy, another impossible enemy to fight. And we don't even know who it is."

Jeannine fiddled nervously with the dagger still in her hand, looking uncomfortable. "I… Might actually know a way to find out…" Hades and Nico both turned their gazes on her. She shifted her weight. "There's something I haven't told you." She glanced at her father. "Either of you."

Hades frowned, his eyes smoldering dangerously. "What?"

"Sometimes Adrianne has dreams," Jeannine revealed. "About demigods."

A/N: Please review.