A/N: Hello again peeps, here's the last chapter of this arc! The next arc should be up sometime next week (can't promise tho). This is one long chapter...
Erster Blick is from German, meaning first sight. As for first sight of what... read on to find out!
Book One
Second Arc: Ab Incunabulis
Chapter 9: Erster Blick
'Much different from what happened here the last time,' thought Nico.
The Sun-bus shuddered to a stop near the canoe dock at the lake as Zoë guided it gracefully onto the ground.
A few of the campers were loitering about.
One of them took a double take and ran to the Big House.
Presumably to inform the Camp Directors of their arrival.
(Or maybe get backup spears to chase him out, but that was mere paranoia speaking. But was it...Ah, never mind- he can track him by his life-force.)
The rest observed the bus from a safe distance.
Nico had stepped out of the Sun Bus first.
He hobbled out with shaky legs.
The others stumbled out, groaning and aching.
In that respect, Nico had been fortunate.
Apollo had take care of the travel bumps, knowingly or unknowingly, while healing his more serious injuries.
As he waited for the others to step out of the bus, Nico observed the Camp.
So this was the place which was a safe house for Greek demigods before the rise of Gaia.
His eyes drunk in the familiar sight of Camp Half Blood.
It was bathed in colors of the late afternoon sun.
Something caught in his throat, and he felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes.
There had been a light snow.
Presumably the brunt of it had been melted away by the heat of the sun-bus.
But winter's touches could still bee seen.
The whitish puff of frost that was seen as he exhaled.
A snowy owl sat perched on one of the cabins.
Little fingers of frost had covered the little leaves of the stray plants growing in the strawberry fields.
The cabins were decorated with Christmas lights, as well as some of the other trees around the area.
Even the Big House seemed to be infected by the Christmas Spirit, a warm glow in the attic, and sparse amounts holly and tinsel decorations taped onto the front door and windows.
Though on closer examination, the 'fairy lights' turned out to be little balls of Greek fire.
A sudden wave of nostalgia washed through Nico, shortly followed by one of regret.
During the War with Gaia, Camp Half Blood had been severely damaged in the battle between the Greeks and the Romans.
After Gaia awoke, she finished the job.
One of the things Nico regretted the most in the other timeline was not being able to save it.
If only he had been a little faster…
But Jason told me that it wasn't my fault, Nico reminded himself, 'If only-s' won't get me anywhere.
"Not your fault."
"But maybe I could've-"
"Could've what? You'd have to get through the entire Roman army. And Octavian wouldn't stand down on the words of a Greek. You were exhausted from shadow-travel and more than half dead. Even if you weren't, what could have you done?"
"… I don't know."
Jason nodded.
"Like I said, not your fault."
There was a brief silence.
"Maybe I could've shot Octavian from one of those onagers."
"Pft. Yeah, sure. The weasel would have deserved it."
There was another, more comfortable silence than the last.
"…People are talking."
"They always talk," Jason started dismissively.
But one look at Nico's face made him reconsider.
"What is it about this time?" he asked, gentling his tone.
"They said that you would've betrayed Camp Jupiter for Camp Half-blood. Is it true?"
Jason was surprised, then contemplative.
"I don't think I would've, Nico," he said finally, leaning on the railing of the Argo II with his arms crossed before him.
"The fact that you didn't deny it immediately is cause for worry."
"Why would you worry? If it came down to it, you'd hesitate before choosing CHB, right?"
"Oh, undoubtedly. But for me, Half-Blood was never mine to begin with."
Nico gave Jason a significant look,
"In times like these, a certain saying comes to mind- 'A faithful enemy is fairer than a fickle friend'."
A shadow passed over Jason's face.
"Is that a threat?"
Nico shook his head.
He looked tired.
"A warning if you will. War tests the hearts and faiths of men, and our allies have healthy tempers. Believe me, I've been there."
Jason seemed deep in thought.
"…Camp Half Blood was- well, something entirely new to me," said Jason finally,
"It felt like home in a way that Camp Jupiter never felt. You could be there forever, sparring in the arena, having a go at the Lava wall, or just chilling about. And after I lost my memories I can't really connect with Camp Jupiter anymore…"
Nico tilted his head, smiling slightly. He leaned back on the railing, his body supported by his elbows.
"So, you're saying that you wouldn't miss Camp Jupiter as much? Thank your lucky stars that I'm not Reyna, and I can't throw you into the little Tiber without good reason," he said sarcastically.
Jason looked at the son of Hades with no little horror.
"…Don't tell Reyna."
Nico frowned slightly.
"So it's true?" Nico asked in a smaller than usual voice, "You'd choose Camp Half Blood over Camp Jupiter?"
"What's dearer to me is a difficult question to answer."
Jason sighed.
"Camp Jupiter, from what I remember of it, is a place of toil- a place of blood, sweat and tears. If you want your place, you will earn it. It is the kind of home from which you take from liberally, but you still give back more than you take. It belongs to me, and I know it belongs to me, because I have earned it. Camp Half Blood, on the other hand…"
Jason sighed again.
"It is the kind of home which you get without doing anything. It is what you get as your birthright, that which accepts you as its own without having to prove yourself to it. Whether or not you know what to expect, it will always have your back. Logically, Half Blood would be the better choice. If I learnt to be a warrior in Camp Jupiter and I learnt to be veteran in Camp Half-Blood."
He looked at Nico with serious eyes.
"But if it really truly came down to it, my heart tells me I'd choose Camp Jupiter."
"You're not just saying this because of Reyna?"
"I'm not just saying this because of Reyna."
"Even without your memories?"
"Even without my memories."
"Even if-"
"Nico. My answer won't change."
"Huh."
There was a thoughtful silence.
One more comfortable than the last.
Nico suddenly beckoned him closer with a bend of his fingers.
"Is it strange that I feel the vice versa?" asked Nico quietly, as if he was sharing a secret.
Jason stared at Nico for a long second.
He shook his head with a small chuckle before saying,
"No, I don't think it is. Blood tells, after all. And despite what some would say, there is no shame in being Greek."
Nico smiled a bit.
"I like that answer."
He turned his attention to the rippling ocean ahead of him.
The sunlight dappled on the deep blue depths, turning it a beautiful blue-green mirror.
It made his breath catch and his heart ache.
He noticed that Jason was still looking at him and arched an eyebrow.
Jason just smiled an odd, sad smile.
They had spent the rest of the evening talking about various little things.
Overall, it had been a pleasant and relaxing day, without any monster interference.
It had also been exactly one month before Jason's death.
Nico was jerked out of his thoughts when Percy tripped over a stone and nearly crashed into him again.
"Oh for Hera's sake, seaweed brain! Don't be such a klutz," sighed Annabeth in fond exasperation.
Seeing the more familiar faces, the campers converged in them.
"Nice entrance, Annabeth," grinned Michael Yew, "Gliding in on a magic school bus-"
His eyes widened.
"Is that-"
"Gods, why?" groaned his sister Kayla.
Apollo had stepped out of the bus.
All of his children paled.
They shuffled their feet, torn between edging closer and shifting away.
One of the younger children of Apollo came up to him.
He had blue eyes, blond hair and a face full of freckles.
He had the kind of face that made people want to pinch his cheeks and an angelic air about him.
He grinned brightly at Nico.
It was pleasing to the eye.
"Do you want me to check your head?
"...Excuse me?"
His indignation must have shown in his tone.
The boy hurried to say, "You have bandages on it so..."
He trailed off, mumbling.
Nico blinked.
His fingers unconsciously went to his forehead, and sure enough, it was met with the roughness of gauze.
"Ah, no I'm fine," he said to the boy, who still looked reluctant to let the matter drop.
Nico unfastened the tie holding the covering steady before unraveling it.
"See," said Nico.
The boy touched what appeared to be the place where the spike hit.
It twinged a bit, but the wound had scabbed over already.
"There'll be a scar," the blond informed.
"That just makes it cooler," replied Nico.
That got him a freckled smile.
"I'm Will. What's your name?"
Will? That sounded familiar... but then again, it wasn't an uncommon name.
He peered closer at the boy.
The shape of his eyes and the set of his shoulders... he had a vague recollection of some resemblance- didn't he heal him during the battle of Manhattan?
It suddenly clicked.
Will.
Will Solace.
Councillor of the Apollo cabin.
If he wasn't wrong, the guy had died after being captured by the Romans- one among three Greek causalities at the hands of the Romans.
And that was before the war had even started.
"Um... your name...?"
Nico snapped out of it.
"Oh, sorry about that. I'm-"
He was cut off by Thalia dragging him by his arm.
"Do something about your sister," she grumbled.
Bianca had her eyes glued on Camp.
"Is that… lava?" she asked in a mixture shock and worry.
"Yep." said Percy, popping the 'p' with a grin.
"Lava?" Bianca asked again.
"To add a bit of extra challenge," laughed Percy, a bit nervously.
"...I don't think that is child-proofed. Is it."
It wasn't a question.
Percy was sweating bullets.
He looked at Nico for backup.
However Nico wasn't paying attention.
His eyes were fixed on Chiron rolling up in front of them in his wheelchair.
"And who's that?" he heard Bianca ask.
"That's Chiron, our activities director."
After the fall of the Underworld, Chiron had taken Nico and Hazel under his wing.
Nico's condition had been far worse than Hazel's.
To say that he had been devastated would be an understatement.
He had kept the Apollo healers on their toes- pale, shaken and crying for a week.
Amlost everyone were certain that he would fade along with his Father.
It wasn't until Thanatos took control of the Doors of Death did he manage to calm down enough for the nectar and ambrosia to work.
Chiron said that it was because he had a stronger connection to the Underworld than most, and his powers were unstable and fraying without a proper anchor.
He had worked with him after that, instructing him on how to center himself in himself and teaching him new moves from scrolls that referred to the powers of the few, little-known children of Hades.
(That was how Nico found out that Edgar Allan Poe was his brother. He couldn't say he was surprised)
His mentor led many battles, fighting fearlessly on the front-lines.
His mere presence was a beacon of hope to the soldiers.
And after the battle, he would sit with them and tend to their wounds, helping the Apollo Cabin patch up the injured soldiers.
At the end of each day, he would be at the funerals of those who fell in battle, giving unspoken support to one and all as each gave their final tributes to their fallen comrades.
And after the last of the mandatory rituals and he was alone, he would kneel beside and murmur a few gentle words for their passing.
Chiron had been one of the founding members of the Alliance. He had been crucial in maintaining the peace. His capture and subsequent death had been a great blow for all.
After this imprisonment, the centaur's official duties fell on to Nico, but though he was effective, he couldn't hope to replace the easy warmth he had, or the effortless comfort he radiated just by his presence.
(The responsibility fell on his shoulders and he to take up yet another role he didn't sign up for.)
(And yet again, he fell short.)
He had missed him dearly.
But for the time being, he wasn't supposed to know him, and he had to act the part.
"So Chiron's a demigod?" asked Nico turning towards Percy.
Percy shook his head.
"He's a centaur," he said absent-mindedly.
"But where are his legs?"
"Nico, don't be rude," admonished Bianca.
Nico glared at her and turned away huffily.
There was an awkward moment of silence.
Percy coughed.
"Um… no, I think he's referring to his horse legs. Since, you know, he's a centaur- half-human and half-horse."
Chiron inclined his head, "I prefer to hide them during the first encounters."
"Do you know much about centaurs?" asked an older camper kindly.
"The mythical creature that is half man, half horse," nodded Nico, with no little excitement.
"They have the power of wisdom, though they also specialize mainly in long range attacks as their weapon of choice is the bow and arrow. Their status of 1500 Attack points and 1000 Defense points puts them in the middle leagues. The overall attack points are doubled when a centaur is the head of a single division regiment."
"Mythomagic?" someone within hearing distance asked excitedly.
"Yes!" Nico almost shouted in delight.
He felt tears of happiness prickling at his eyes.
Finally! Someone here gave Mythomagic the recognition it deserved.
It was a Will.
Nico opened his mouth happily.
Just as he was about to sing the game's praises, he was cut off by a polite cough.
"Perhaps we should talk in the Big House. Ah, and I suppose the Hunters will stay at Cabin 8? I trust you know the place." said Chiron, ushering the demigods in the direction of the building.
Nico waved at the blond, and followed Chiron with tottering steps.
"I'll go with them to make sure they don't get lost," said Grover distracted.
Nico smiled slightly at his retreating back.
He caught sight of Bianca from the corner of his eye.
Bianca looked a bit torn, but followed the Hunters after giving a conflicted look towards her brother.
Nico simply turned away from her.
Thinking of Bianca was making him feel depressed. He needed a distraction. His eyes fell on Chiron's back.
Nico decided to have some fun.
"Can I climb the lava wall too?" asked Nico.
"Perhaps, when you are a bit older." answered Chiron.
"Oh, okay. And why did I have those bandages wrapped around my head again?"
"What bandages?" asked Chiron, worried.
"He got hit by one of the Manticore spikes when you were charging at it like an idiot," said Thalia.
"Thalia, be nice," scolded Annabeth.
"Manticore?" asked Chiron even more troubled.
"…Um…"
When no one answered him, he sighed.
"It's a long story," hedged Annabeth.
"Very well then, we'll talk about it when we reach the Big House."
"So, how many houses are there?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Houses. It's like Harry Potter, right? Hogwarts has four- you know Slytherin, Gryffindor, Raven-claw and Hufflepuff. What's it here?"
"Ah, well…" Chiron looked at Annabeth for support.
"You are given cabins according to your godly parent. There are twelve in total," said Annabeth.
Nico frowned.
"But why are there just twelve? I mean yeah, twelve Olympians, but still. There are much more than just twelve Gods in total. I think that there are about- well dozens. Maybe even hundreds."
"There are twelve cabins, one each for the twelve Olympians. And sure, the other minor Gods have children, but they are usually bunked in the Hermes cabin, along with the Hermes kids."
"Why Hermes?"
"Lord Hermes is our sponsor of sorts. Those who are unclaimed are also a part of the Hermes Cabin."
"'Unclaimed?'"
"Those who don't know who the identity of their Godly parent. That's where you will be until you're claimed."
"Okay- When will I be claimed?"
There was an uncomfortable pause.
A shadow seemed to pass the centaurs face before he answered,
"Well, it varies from demigod to demigod. None of us can say for certain."
"Cool." said Nico looking around.
It had been quite a while since the destruction of Camp Half Blood.
And even before that, he hadn't stayed for long.
He hadn't really taken the time to appreciate it.
He should have.
Hopefully, it would change this time.
"So does that mean that my sister will be staying with me at the Hermes cabin?"
"Ah, no. Your sister pledged alliance to Artemis, making her a follower of Artemis. Your patron God comes before your Godly parent, so she will be staying with the Hunters in the Artemis Cabin."
"Oh. Can I visit her?"
"I suppose you can try," allowed Percy.
"Which cabin are you in Annabeth?"
"I'll be in the Athena cabin"
"Is it the one with the owl? I'm pretty sure it winked at me."
"Heh," smirked Thalia, "Maybe it means you're a son of Athena."
The idle chitchat continued until they reached the Big House.
Mr. D was sitting in the parlor.
His game of cards had evidently been interrupted by the appearance of the new-comers.
He wore a near florescent orange leopard skin warm-up suit. It looked ghastly paired with his purple running shoes.
How could anybody wear such bright clothing in the middle of winter?
He was pretty sure his retinas were permanently damaged.
A laurel lay crooked on his head and a bunch of cards were scattered on the table in front of him.
"You succeeded then," said Dionysus in a bored tone, "And who is this? Another runt?"
"Nico di Angelo. Sir," he added as an afterthought.
Right at that moment, Grover decided to come in.
Nico stared at the satyr in disbelief.
Grover had a black eye and a painful looking slap mark on his cheek, but based on the smile splitting his face, the satyr was under the impression Christmas had come early.
"Hunters have all moved in!" Grover announced cheerfully.
"The Hunters, eh?" Mr. D gave a sidelong glance at Percy and the others.
"Just what kind of trouble did you get into while getting the Di Angelos into Camp?" asked Chiron with a sigh.
"Does it have something to do with the bandages around Diablo?"
"It's Di Angelo, actually." said Nico, who was ignored.
Well, he supposed he missed the Camp Director too.
"Well, yes. And a lot happened," Thalia replied, shrugging her shoulders.
"We got attacked by a Manticore who we think was sent by Luke."
"Yeah, but don't worry." Nico added. "I killed it."
The centaur's eyes widened, and looked towards Annabeth.
She nodded and shrugged her shoulders, as if saying, 'I know, I couldn't believe it either'.
Dionysius expression merely shifted from bored to bored-er.
Nico felt a prickle of irritation.
Did no one believe that he was capable of taking on a monster?
"Perhaps you should sit down," Chiron said, "And tell us the whole story."
His eyes flickered towards Nico.
"And Grover, if you would be kind enough to take young Mr. di Angelo to the den?"
"The den?" asked Nico, feeling like he was forgetting something important.
Grover blanched.
"Oh- Oh yeah, we need to show you the Orientation film. Come on, then."
NO! Abort! Abort!
"Orientation film? Is it G or PG? Bianca's kind of strict-"
Please, please let this work…
"Oh, it's PG-13."
"…I'm twelve."
"… I guess that I could just brief you about what's in it."
Score!
Well, that was one bullet dodged.
Let's see what else he could change in this timeline.
Time to make some ripples, he thought to himself with a wicked smile.
Reply to reviews:
Psychopath: Hello again! I'm glad you liked the chapter. No, the party pony wasn't that important. As for the poem story I wrote it myself. The angey huntress is actually Phoebe, the tracker, and I think she was about to say something like, 'how dare you imply my Lady can't take care of her own' or something similar. 'Friends in high places'- did you read the world building chapter at the end of arc one? If you did, what did you think?
MisterWhite: Hello there! Thank you for reviewing in almost all of the chapters! I'm glad you liked Nico's characterization. I guess the Will of Janus interested you? But believe me, older sister's are Hell. As for the ship, nothing's set in stone, but it will be gay because Nico's gay, canonically. Also, about Artemis and Bianca's relationship- no, it's not romantic, but if you have anything against lesbian relationships, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. And this is the first time I attempted to depict stuttering, so sorry if it's not up to your standards. I'm not entirely sure what was the thing about the author's note? And what is an MC Halo? But, I guess he is very fortunate... for now. Things happen later, believe me. Well anyways, thank you for reviewing again!
NicoIsAwesome: Yes, Nico is awesome, (just like you!) and I'm glad you like the previews! Though this chapter doesn't have one, the preview of the next arc will be up soon. And evil army and unconsciousness. Cool, that.
Poll: Evil Army and Unconciousness- one vote each.
A/N: Don't forget to vote!
The options are: vagabond, evil army or unconsciousness.
Please poll, pm or review.
The poll will be closed before the next arc, so this is the last chance!
Up to two options are this is the end of the second arc! The third arc will be out soon. Look forward to it!
