Nico glanced up and saw a large, hairy human creature. Seeing that Harry eagerly went to greet the large man, Nico followed. They followed the man called "Hagrid" to a shining lake. Nico's breath immediately hitched as the students climbed onto the boats. He stopped in the middle of the crowd, and several students bumped into him.
He hastily whispered, "Sorry."
He looked around as the crowd slowly dissipated onto the boats. Three plans formed in his mind. He could either get in boat and hope to Poseidon that he won't drown, get in the boat and dump in a couple of drachmas but increase the chance of being discovered, or he could shadow travel past the lake. The third option won, and he backed off into the trees, hoping no one saw him.
He watched the students depart from inside the woods and into a tunnel in the cliffs. Nico didn't know where the tunnel went. He had an idea of where it went, but he didn't know if it would be enough to successfully shadow travel there. Too late now, he grimly thought. As he was about to depart, he noticed something silvery flowing from the woods. Curious, he followed it deeper into the forest. The liquid curiously stank of death, and Nico couldn't remember why it seemed so familiar.
The liquid ran deep into the woods as if forming a river. Finally, Nico found the source of the liquid. The silvery substance flowed out of a pure white horse. Nico's eyes widened. It wasn't an ordinary horse, it was a unicorn. Innocent creatures created by accident. He'd heard they were the result of a spat between his dad and Poseidon. A horse with the blood to defy death - at a terrible price. Nico thought they were extinct, but the gleaming white creature proved him wrong. The unicorn had a look of absolute terror, and Nico couldn't help but feel sorry for it.
He bent down to inspect it, and an arrow suddenly pierced his outstretched arm. He felt a slight snap of bone, and a sharp stabbing pain raced up alongside the familiar course of adrenaline. His head whipped up and another arrow pierced through the air, thankfully missing where his neck had been. He hissed in pain and drew out his sword with his left hand. Of course he had to get into trouble before school started.
"Your kind is not welcome here," a loud voice stated.
Nico turned toward the location of the sound, "I'm going."
A black centaur galloped out of the shadows. Nico frowned. This was one of Chiron's brothers. Their faces were different, Chiron's soft and wise while this centaur was hard and wild. He doubted the centaur was as friendly as Chiron was. His grip on his sword tightened.
"Son of Hades, you understand death well, do you not? It's a natural occurrence, drinking unicorn blood only delays it. And a demigod so young," the centaur muttered.
Nico frowned. His scent must've gave his secret away, but it didn't explain what the centaur ment. Surely he didn't think Nico killed and drank the blood of a unicorn. The sudden arrow pointed in his direction said otherwise. The stabbing pain in his arm reminded him of the arrow still stuck in it. The centaur showed no emotion. Several plans fluttered through his head. He tensed, ready to move as the tension sharpened. The throbbing pain dimmed and his senses heightened.
Suddenly, there was a sound in the bushes, and the shadows wrapped itself around the centaur. The black centaur was nearly invisible in the shadows, but Nico knew that he wouldn't move. The centaur twitched, but the shadows held on. Nico walked closer to the centaur, and the bushes rustled again. The shadows enlarged and engulfed the forest. Sweat poured down his face as he manipulated the shadows like a silent shield. His breaths came out ragged, and he braced himself.
"Bane? Oh, hello young demigod. I did not think we would meet so early," said a massive centaur.
Nico turned toward the newest centaur. It was as large as the other one, but it came a calm air of sorts. He brandished his sword, ready to attack. The shadows swirled around impatiently.
"Firenze! I have found the unicorn killer, he is this boy right here," Bane told.
Nico froze and said, "I didn't kill the unicorn."
The tall, black centaur known as "Firenze" glanced over Nico, "I do not believe he is the killer, Bane."
"Demigods go around, causing enough trouble as it is. This son of Hades is no different."
"Son of Hades, let Bane go, he will do you no harm."
Nico hesitated. Another centaur? He wondered if he should trust the centaur, but something in him believed he could be trusted. Plus, he was getting tired of controlling the shadows. He released his hold on Bane and staggered. The world spun and he gripped his head, before realizing he moved the arm with the arrow in it. He grimaced.
"Look at him, he is still young, how could he kill a unicorn? He can barely hold himself up," the voice of Firenze observed.
Nico distantly heard a gruff of agreement, and a hand helped steady him up.
"We are not to interact with them," Bane hissed.
Nico ignored the two as he stood up, half leaning on the centaur. Things were starting to clear up.
"Come, I'll take you to Hogwarts," Firenze said quietly.
Nico shook his head, "I can get there myself, you two can find out who killed the unicorn."
Bane, satisfied with Nico's refusal, turned and left. Firenze sighed and went after him, but not before glancing several times toward Nico. Nico knew that the next time they meet, it wouldn't end as peacefully again. The dark haired boy waited for the sound of their steps to fade, and closed his eyes. He willed the shadows to engulf him, and he disappeared in a smoke of darkness. He reappeared in the forests next to the castle. The thought of a long nap greatly appealed to him. His muscles ached, and the arrow was still in his arm.
Nico scowled. Pulling it out now would cause further blood loss, but it would attract less attention. Besides, there was most likely a nurse of some sort ready to treat him. He grit his teeth. Pulling the arrow out would be devastating. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused the shadows to form around the arrow. Slowly, he extracted the arrow from his arm. It felt like a hot knife was scraping away the inside of his arm, and he bit down on his tongue to keep from crying out. His arm tingled as the arrow was removed and dropped on the ground. Warm, iron blood started flowing out. Nico quickly ripped off a piece of his robe and made a makeshift sling for his arm. The pain sent dots to his vision. It was like a papercut compared to the pain he'd endured before, but it still hurt viciously. Nico shook his head and returned his mind to the task at hand. He blocked out the pain and gazed upon the wooden doors of Hogwarts. He took a deep breath, and opened the doors.