Chapter 15: Nico

Everything was a blur after that. The walk out of the empire state building. The taxi ride to Camp Half Blood. The reunion with friends I hadn't seen since I had left all those years ago. That first night, I swear, it almost killed me. The funeral the next day was a blur. Then it hit me. Kenzie was gone. I wouldn't see her until my own time came. Whenever that was, it was a lifetime away. How was I supposed to make it without her? The rest of the campers didn't know about Kenzie. If they did, it was in hushed whispers that they spoke of the forbidden daughter of of exiled goddess. I wanted to leave. But I felt bound to stay. I taught sword fighting to keep my mind off of things, but it didn't work. I wasn't going to wait for a sign. I wasn't going to wait for death to claim me too. I loved Kenzie, and I wanted to honor the promise that I made to her. But after a year of this, I knew; I was going after her. Gaia was letting souls out. If she could, so could I. I located an entrance to the Underworld in Central Park. Unfortunately, I needed music to open the Door of Orpheus. Luckily for me, there's always a satyr or two around protecting the place and looking out for potential campers. I hailed Wilbur and he had the rocks open within a minute with his reed pipes. I thanked him and descended into Hades' realm. I ignored the darkness, the cold, the fear that was always present. I walked past the Fields of Asphodel. I was almost to the entrance to Elysium when something caught my attention. A huge hellhound guarded the gates. It wasn't that it was very intimidating, but it was the fact that I recognized her that made me freeze. It was Ankah. She was sitting with her head on her paws, staring into the Fields. Even though she looked miserable, I could tell that every fiber of her being was alert. Suddenly, I realized that she was looking for me.

I sighed. There was no point in hiding. I strode forward and raised a hand. "Ankah," I called.

She bounded up with an enthusiastic woof, and charged forward a few paces and stopped with a whimper. She strained to come closer and I wondered why she didn't come closer. Then I saw the huge iron chain that fixed her to the gates.

Anger welled in my heart. This wasn't right. "Hey girl," I said. I stepped closer and rubbed her muscular chest. "They've got you in a right fix, don't they?"

Ankah whined pitifully and butted my gently with her enormous head. Her red eyes looked into mine hopefully.

"Yeah, I'm gonna try to get you out of this, okay? Just give me a minute." I tried to sound calm. I need to get to the gates to unlock her and I was sure that I could break the padlock. However, if it was magic, there was no way to tell if it would set off a hundred different alarms the instant I touched it. Still, I was lovesick enough to chance it.

She backed up enough to allow some slack in her shackles and I approached the gates. I took a good long look at the padlock. It looked like iron, but I wasn't positive. There was no place for a key, and it was smooth and featureless. At last, I felt like I could wait no longer. I grasped the lock, fearing the worse. There was a slight click and Ankah's chains crumbled to dust. At the same time, an alarm split the air with its wails. Ankah trotted over to me and knelt down. Quickly, I climbed atop her. Just as the first of the security ghouls showed their faces, she leaped over the gates, setting off more alarms. Ghosts peered out of the houses, but didn't seem overly concerned. Every once in a while I spotted a familiar face. Luke waved at me once, then disappeared.

Then a familiar voice. "Nico!"

I almost fell off Ankah. "Kenzie?" I called.

She was there. Running towards me out of one of the old fashioned houses, black hair flying behind her like a comet's tail. I slid off Ankah and took a step towards her and stopped. She did too. I knew what we were both thinking. We were together again after a year, but we were a world apart.

At last, I broke the silence. "My love, I've come to take you home."

Her lapis eyes filled with tears. "Nico, how..."

I desperately wanted to take her in my arms after a year of separation. But she was a ghost down here. That wasn't possible. I saw my own desperation on her face. My will hardened. "I can do it," I told her, my words spilling out in a torrent, almost willing her to understand. "Gaia is letting souls escape, there are numerous routes out now, just come with me. Please."

She smiled at me. "You don't even have to ask. Come on. Let's go." I suppose my shock must have been written all over my face. I hadn't expected her to agree so quickly. She laughed. Gods it was good to hear her laughter again. "Don't just stand there. If we're going to leave, we have to leave now."

Of course Kenzie was right. Already I could hear the sounds of the security ghouls chattering to each other as they began their search of Elysium. I grinned and mounted Ankah again as she got on behind me. "Camp Half Blood," I told the giant hellhound. Ankah sprang to her feet and ran straight for one of the huge houses. Just before we hit, she turned slightly and we passed into shadows that felt as cold as death.