"So, tell me what you've been up to." Apollo requested.
Draco sighed. "I've found a cure, finally. It took a while, since my aunt liked to put her own signature twist on everything. Now I just need to find a binding agent, to make it work on a demigod."
Apollo nodded. Calypso studied him as the sun god was brooding – carefree as he usually was, it was easy to forget, that he was also god of the medical arts.
"There is an island, called Delos – my sacred island actually" Calypso rolled her eyes. So much for serious god of medicine, now he was back to bragging again.
"Anyway, there is a certain golden flower, that only grows on that island, but I found out a couple of years ago, that my children managed to grow some, around their cabin at Camp Halfblood. If you used some of that, I'm certain it would work."
Draco broke into a huge grin. "Thanks"
"You'll still need one of my kids to pick it. You should ask if Kayla is still around – if she is, you should go with her to the camp, she'll be happy to help, especially if it's for her brother."
Draco nodded. "We'll fix him, I promise."
"Be careful about making promises you might not be able to keep, kiddo. I talk from experience."
"Um, I'll do my best, then."
"That's better." Apollo smiled melancholically. "I miss him, though."
"Yeah, I imagine it must be hard, when you love your son." Draco said.
"Don't all fathers love their kids?"
"Some fathers have kids, others have heirs." Draco shrugged and left.
Apollo looked at his retreating back with a frown. He turned to look at Calypso, who shook her head. Over the past weeks, she and Draco had become somewhat close. Even if he didn't share much, she understood some parts of him, especially the things he didn't like to talk about.
…
Draco took a deep breath as he went outside. He was happy for Will and Apollo, he really was. The only problem was, that he kept thinking about his own father. It hadn't been easy, growing up as the Malfoy heir. Being the only heir to both the House of Malfoy and the House of Black, came with a lot of expectations, which was instilled in him from a young age.
Where other wizard dads might have spent time with their sons, flying on broomsticks, he studied genealogy, politics and economy. He had an instructor to teach him how to fly. When he was younger, he had thought his father pushed him because he loved him and just wanted him to live up to his potential. These days, he knew better – he was nothing more than a legacy, and more importantly, he was part of the image. A perfect man, must have a perfect son. All the pressure wasn't to make him do well, it was to make him flawless, as to not disappoint his father, lest he put him in a bad light.
At least, he wasn't just the heir to his mother – to her, he was her child, first and foremost.
…
Hermione was nervous as she stood with Nico outside the throne room in the Underworld. She hadn't seen the place for more than five years, and it seemed, that nothing had changed. Still the same golden courtyard, the same jewel-flowers and the same tempting orchard. She held her breath as Nico knocked on the door. He hadn't even taken his hand down, before the doors opened on their own.
When they reached the thrones, Hermione hesitated, but Hades stood up and walked to embrace her, passing his own son, who rolled his eyes.
"My, how you've grown" Persephone gushed from her own golden seat. The goddess rushed over to embrace the young demigod witch too. "You are so beautiful darling! But we need to do something about that hair." She continued, making Hermione laugh and Nico roll his eyes.
Hades gave his son a knowing smile and a raised eyebrow. Nico blushed and cleared his throat, interrupting Persephone's fussing over Hermione.
"Father, lovely as it is to see you, we do come on an errand." He pointed out.
Persephone pouted. "Fine." She huffed and conjured a small vial "Just use a few drops of this elixir on your hair, every time you wash it, and get that brute of a boyfriend to bring you down here for some girl talk soon, okay?"
"Now, what do you need, son?" Hades asked
"We need water from the river, Lethe."
Hades raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know, what you need it for?"
"Probably not" Nico said, bluntly.
Hades sighed and nodded "You know, where it is."
Nico smirked, and grabbed Hermione's hand. He shadow travelled directly to the bank of the river, leaving Hades and Persephone smiling in the throne room. The two youths had come a long way since the beginning.
…
"Can we go to the Underworld again soon?" Hermione asked Nico. The two had just finished a smaller diplomatic mission with vampires. Apparently some of them were tired of being undead and wanted to go to the Underworld. They had wanted immunity for the crimes they committed as vampires, and only to be judged by the sins they committed in their mortal lives. Hades wasn't up for a bargain though, and Nico and Hermione had to flee. Thank the gods for shadow travel, or else they wouldn't have made it.
"Why on earth would you want to go there?" Nico asked, half collapsed against a tree. It was winter by now, and he pulled his aviator jacket closer.
"It's just, that I would like to see it again." She told him, hissing in pain as she snuggled into her own coat.
"You got hurt?" He asked worriedly. "Just a bit. I guess I'm not such a good fighter. One of them got a punch in – my ribs hurt a little, but I don't think they're broken or anything.
"You have to learn how to fight. I think my father wouldn't like it if he knew you couldn't" Nico frowned.
"And where do you suggest I learn that? I don't know if you've noticed, but my school isn't that into physical education."
"Well, I know I have to be the one to teach you. I just don't know how, I mean – you're a girl." He looked at her.
"Excuse me?" She asked, outraged
"I can't hit a girl. It wouldn't be right." Nico defended.
"Do you think a monster would care if I were a girl or a boy? Do you think that bad guys generally care? Because, I can tell you right away, that they don't. If anything, they're going to come after me first, because they assume that I'm the easier prey, so I need to be able to defend myself." She ranted.
Nico rolled his eyes "I'm just worried, that I might hurt you. It's just the way I was raised – I grew up in the 40's in Italy. A girl is someone to protect, someone to stay at home, someone who's fragile-"
He was interrupted by a punch in the nose
"Who's fragile now?" She tried sneering at him, but an involuntary giggle came out, at his surprised expression. Soon they were both in fits of laughter, Nico holding his nose and Hermione clutching her side.