First chapter of a new story. I had this idea for some time, and i'm really excited to finally have the motivation to sit down and start writing it. This story will have mature content. Not necessarily thinking of explicit scenes, but I will be dealing wil mature themes and probably some gore, so I rated it T just in case. Enjoy!

A sudden sound rumbled the earth, and the man's eyes snapped open. His spare hand shot up, gripping his necklace, while the other tightened on the leather hilt it had been holding. He scrambled up quickly, muscles tensed and alert, his eyes darting around nervously. He knew there was nothing in the cave, or he would have sensed it, but his heart hammered in his chest nonetheless. As it had every time he had woken up for a long time.

He wasn't sure if it was morning or not, but he didn't really care. Night and day were, by now, strangers to him. He slept when he could, very rarely in the same place twice. He approached the rocky opening, grimacing at the reddish clouds that greeted him every time he looked up. The landscape extended below him. It was, in a demented way, a fascinating view. Mountains of jagged black rock jutted out of the ground, some even scraping the blood-red clouds. Steep faces of rock were adorned with sharp spikes, seemingly intent on hurting you if they could. The air might have been poisonous, but the man had become accustomed to it.

Suddenly, the cavern shook again, and the man stumbled on his feet. He quickly got out of the cave, backing up to a wall with his weapons ready. Then, something broke the clouds in the distance. A massive piece of rock fell like a meteorite, smashing against the side of a mountain in an explosion of deadly fragments. More followed, like someone had decided to pour rocks out of the sky.

'Of course', the man thought. 'That may not be impossible here.'

He had been in this place for longer than he cared to remember, but things still surprised him. Eventually, the falling rocks stopped, and the man gasped incredulously. From the place they had fallen, a ray of white light now emanated, cutting though the clouds like a lighting bolt.

—

Nico drummed his fingers on the table, letting out a small huff of frustration as he sipped on a cup of strong coffee. He was dressed in a black biker jacket over his black t-shirt, even in the searing heat of June. His ripped jeans were a dark shade of grey, and he wore black steel-tipped combat boots, which he was currently tapping against the foot of the table. He had a lean but muscular frame, a result of years of training. He had grown to over 6 feet, and coupled with his chiselled features, the 24 year-old had become quite the chick magnet. Not that he would be interested anyway.

He twisted his skull ring, looking out the large window. Still no sign of him. Apparently the pontifex maximus did not adhere to regular people's timetables. As he waited, he thought about how things had changed since the war, since his cousin's fall. He still remembered the crumbling floor, and how Percy leapt forward to cut the string on Annabeth's ankle, and he could do nothing but watch as the son of Poseidon tumbled over the edge. They had had hope that he would make it out in Epirus, but when they managed to cut the chains on their side, the doors simply disappeared. The stubborn bastard had cut them on his side, but locked himself in. Nico hadn't sensed Percy's soul reaching any part of the Underworld, and he had looked everywhere. That meant two things. Percy had either died, and his soul was trapped, or he was still alive, probably a prisoner of the monsters. Nico didn't really know which was the better option.

Annabeth had been devastated, of course, but there was nothing she could do except comfort Percy's parents and keep going. Nico knew that, like him, she still harboured a sliver of hope that Percy could be alive somehow. While the majority of the seven had left camp to set up their own lives, Annabeth had stayed, drowning herself in work and duties. She oversaw the expansion of Camp Half-Blood and the new docks, as well as essentially becoming her mother's right hand in strategy and defence. She was the undoubtable leader of camp, but Nico knew behind all her reputation and strength was a weak and fragile person, still grieving the loss of the love of her life.

Suddenly, Nico was shaken from his thoughts by the sound of the doorbell, which signalled a new customer. Every single person turned their heads, and a few gasps could be heard in the air. It was not every day they saw the pontifex maximus walking into their bar. Nico waved him over, silently whistling to himself.

He stood at an impressive 6 foot 2, his blonde hair short and his blue eyes as electric as ever. He had a muscular build and a strong jawline, slight stubble staring to show on his tanned face. He was wearing a purple camp t-shirt and jeans, the SPQR tattoo visible on the son of Jupiter's arm. 'I know I'm taken', Nico thought. 'but Jason sure is hot.'

Jason flashed him an apologetic look as he sat down. 'Sorry you had to wait, man. Had a shitload of work to get through.'

'No worries. But being pontifex sure comes with a lot of benefits as well', said Nico, gesturing to the girls looking at him.

Nico smiled when Jason shifted his weight uncomfortably. He waved a waitress over, who bounded away a little too happily after taking his order.

'So', said Nico. 'How's the priest life treating you?'

Jason chuckled. 'It's been tough, but in the end it is what I chose to do. I'm sure he would have agreed it's necessary.'

They stayed silent for a few moments, Jason staring at Nico's cup as it steamed slightly. His blue eyes got stormy, and he sighed.

'I miss him.'

Nico nodded. 'Everyone does. After Gaia, Camp Half Blood wasn't really the same.'

Jason looked him in the eye. 'Do you really think there is a chance he may be alive down there?'

'I can't say anything for sure', said Nico as he twisted his skull ring. 'If he is, he'll come back someday. Anyway, how have things been around here?'

Jason dropped a big sugar cube into his coffee, the liquid splashing up slightly. 'Pretty busy. We've had lots of new demigod arrivals lately. We had a group of six come up from Nevada. Pretty crazy huh?'

Nico whistled. 'Damn. Work never ends, does it?'

Jason smiled. 'I'll drink to that.'

'How is the newbie holding up?'

'Michael?' Jason asked, and Nico nodded. 'Pretty good, actually. He was made praetor a few days after Frank and Hazel left, and I think he feel comfortable in the role. Certainly enjoys people looking up to him.'

Nico nodded, and they fell silent for a second. He looked out the window, and the street was bustling with people. He thought about Frank and Hazel. They had left the legion together over a year ago now, and he hadn't seen them in some time. They had moved to Vancouver with their daughter, and Nico had to admit he missed not seeing them as much.

Nico looked at Jason again. 'Camp Half-Blood has been overflowing with demigods as well. Annabeth might have to build more cabins. No Big Three children yet, but new faces are always nice.'

Jason pursed his lips. 'How is Annabeth doing?'

Nico sighed. 'Buried in her work, as always, but she's doing fine. She spends a lot of time up on Olympus. I heard she and Athena are actually quite close now.'

Jason raised an eyebrow in surprise. It wasn't common for a god to form actual bonds to their children, especially a goddess like Athena. 'Well, I heard Reyna might be retiring next year.'

Nico perked up. 'Seriously? I mean, it makes sense. Well, good for her. She deserves a rest. Any idea who the next praetor will be?'

Jason shook his head. 'Reyna's been praetor for so long, its hard to imagine her not being in charge. I guess Larry from the Fourth would be a good candidate. He's been in the legion the longest.'

Nico smirked. 'Not thinking of applying, are we?'

'No way', said Jason as he sipped his coffee. 'I have enough on my plate right now.'

There was a pause, and Nico drummed his fingers on the table. 'Did you hear anything? From Piper, I mean.'

Jason's brow furrowed, but then he relaxed, and ran a hand through his hair. 'Not really. Things are kind of okay now, but I'm not looking for that anymore. Last I heard, she moved to Malibu and set up some kind of shop.'

'Do you still talk to her? I thought you guys were good after you got back together.'

Jason scratched the back of his neck. 'We were, but things did get a little weird eventually.'

'Why? I mean, you guys did live together, I suppose you did keep her 'satisfied' when she wanted to, right?'

Jason blushed a deep crimson red, and Nico's mouth hung open. The son of Jupiter didn't meet his eyes, instead started intently at his cup.

'Are you kidding me?', asked Nico incredulously. 'And I thought I would be the last. Damn.'

Jason looked at him. 'I was just trying to wait for the right time.' The son of Jupiter's face darkened. 'Guess I was wrong about her.'

Nico decided not to press the subject any longer. After Gaia's defeat, Jason and Piper had broken up, and stayed that way for some time. They had eventually gotten back together, but just under a year ago, Jason had come back home to find Piper and some guy having sex on the kitchen table. Mild violence had ensued.

'Changing the subject away from cheating girlfriends', said Nico in a low voice as he leant forward. 'There is something important I have to talk to you about.'

Jason mirrored his action, moving his coffee to the side and leaning forward with his forearms on the table, a look of concern on his face. It was not common for the son of Hades to actually take a talking matter seriously.

'Monster attacks have been increasing', said Nico. 'Not just around here, but all over the country. However, what most worries me is the way in which they attack. They form packs, and attack together in compact groups. Groups of laistrygonians travelling together. Cynocephali hunting freely in the north.'

Jason made a fist and bit the inside of his lip. 'That's bad news. Laistrygonians rarely travel together unless they all agree to a goal, which they never do unless they are told.'

Nico nodded, almost speaking in a whisper. 'I have some theories, but I can't prove anything. Nevertheless, you should start to be careful with straying too far from Oakland.'

Jason nodded. 'I'll tell Reyna and Mike, but I don't think we should discuss this in the Senate just yet. We have no concrete proof, and there are certain people in the Senate who would jump at the opportunity to attack Reyna and me.'

Nico raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his seat. 'Such as?'

'There is a faction of a party called Operarios, who back in the day were under Octavian's influence. They essentially oppose all of Renya and Mike's proposals, and try to use their sway to undermine the legion.'

'So they want people power?' Said Nico with a smile.

Jason pulled a face. 'That's what they say to get supporters. They want to gain power inside the Senate to place its importance above the legion's. If they manage it, they may have more power in New Rome than the legion itself. Remember, praetors are not imperators, so they have no oaths of allegiance from the Senate to maintain control. They are led by a red-headed bitch called Miriam Oslow.'

Nico yawned, earning a chuckle from Jason. 'You know, for all the interesting aspects of your job, the politics part is truly boring. I wouldn't be able to put up with all those snobby senators, not even on my bestest of days.'

Jason laughed. 'You wanna come up to the Senate House? There's no meeting or anything, but we might run into Reyna or Mike. You can admire the boring aspect of my job.'

Nico shrugged, but agreed. They finished their drinks and went to pay at the counter. The same waitress who had served them was at the counter, eyeing Jason like a hungry dog would look at a piece of meat. The son of Jupiter, however, didn't seem to notice, and he turned around and walked out of the bar.

As they walked down the street leading up to the Senate House, all the attention started to make Nico uncomfortable. It was now Jason's turn to smirk as he saw the son of Hades looking like he wanted nothing more than to run away and hide. Crowds parted and people gasped, with the occasional person praising Jason and his work, which he responded to with a smile. In the distance, the Senate building rose, tall and imposing. With its enormous domed roof and columns, even Nico had to admit it looked impressive.

They left the crowds behind, much to Nico's relief, when they entered the building's perimeter. There were a set of unnecessarily wide steps leading to the front doors, but Jason led Nico in through a small wooden door in the side of the building. He had attended Senate meetings before, but the chamber never ceased to impress him. It was a massive semicircle of marble stands, and it could house over 200 senators, each with ample space around him. The ceiling was high and domed, with mosaics depicting different battles at Camp Jupiter adorning it. At the base of the stands was a raised dais, with a few steps leading up to it. Here there were two large seats in the middle, one for each praetor. There was a slightly smaller one to the right, which belonged to the pontifex maximus, in this case, Jason's seat. Jason and Nico made their way across the room, their steps echoing all the way to the roof. It was eerie, seeing the chamber this quiet. Nico had only seen it full of rowdy senators, and seeing it so empty somehow unsettled him.

'That's my office right there', said Jason, pointing to a door on the other side of the room.

He followed him in, and was assaulted by a sudden feeling of claustrophobia. The room might have been spacious, but every single available space was occupied by tables, storage units or huge mounds of papers and scrolls. He saw an armoured woman at the opposite side of the room, leaning over a table with her back turned towards them.

'Hey!' Nico called.

She whirled around, slightly startled, but her face broke into a grin when she saw her would-be assailant. Reyna was dressed in full battle armour, as was usual for her, with her long purple cape hanging from her shoulders and an array of medals pinned on her chest. Her auburn hair had grown long, and it flowed over her shoulders and back. The roman praetor had grown beautiful over the years. She had high cheekbones and chiselled features, with pink full lips which were drawn upwards in a smile. Even Nico had to admire the way in which her armour accentuated her curves. He was certain he caught Jason staring a moment too long.

Reyna came up to Nico and hugged him, which he grudgingly returned. He still wasn't too fond of hugs, but he could accept one from Reyna. After the war with Gaia, he had become good friends with the daughter of Bellona.

'Hey Nico', she said, still smiling. She gestured to the piles of documents. 'You caught me working.'

Nico laughed. 'Yeah, I can see you're a disciple of 'order in the workplace' and all that shit. Anyway, Jason was showing me around. The senate sure looks weird when its empty.'

Reyna smirked. 'Right? Let me grab some things and we'll get out of here.'

She turned around and hurried to her table, and Nico cast a glance over at Jason, who was drooling like a dog, and had to surprise a laugh. The walk around New Rome with these two was sure going to be fun.