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Chicago:
Kaie closed the door, a vicious crooked smile spreading across her face. His eyes gave away his parentage. The sole child of Hades in her neighborhood. Things were becoming curiouser and curiouser.
She needed to figure out what was going on. First the creatures now this.
The metal imbedded beneath her skin burned sharply for a heartbeat. Damn the woman for putting the mind implant in such a inconvenient place. She did have a point though. Especially after what happened last time.
Kaie's fingers pulled the blinds away from the window, night was falling quickly now. She needed to get ready. She walked into her bedroom, the thick carpet soft under her barefeet as she glided around the furniture.
She opened the ancient wood chest at the food of her bed and ran a finger over the lid. A seam flashed gold and the top slid open.
She quickly pulled out her knives, thick leather pants and cuirass that would stop anything short of a bullet. Creatures had been attacking people in her neighborhood the last four nights. She would not allow that.
Nico waited under a tree a block down the street from the apartment building. He had spoken to his father briefly via Iris message. He had ordered Nico to stay and observe.
Nico let out a sigh and leaned back against one of the trees the city had planted in an attempt to make the neighborhood look nicer. Nico could already feel it beginning to wither and die though. It had two months in it left. Tops.
Night fell and darkness enveloped the world. Nico loved the darkness. It meant safety and fun. Sliding between the shadows he moved back closer to the building knowing that no one could see him not unless he allowed it.
He was stronger than any other demigod child. Except Percy. Percy was the unreachable goal.
Nico relaxed slightly, content in being surrounded by the hum of the city.
A hiss whispered in the air. Nico wasn't sure how he had heard it over the rush of the city but he had and more importantly, he knew what it was.
Lamia.
One of the half snake half woman monsters his father controlled. He focused, trying to pinpoint the original location of the sound but it had been to short and had bounced off too many surfaces.
A scream echoed in the darkness a moment later and he shadow jumped, following the louder sound.
Still hidden in the darkness, he saw the lamia had cornered two teenage boys behind a dumpster. Just as he started to move, a shadow dropped from the fifth story roof.
Light from a dim street lamp reflected off silver blades as the woman landed lightly on the concrete next to the lamia, pulling it away from the teens in the same swift move.
In a heartbeat, before Nico or the creature had fully recognized the action she twisted the lamia around and slit its throat in a swift strike.
The monster exploded in a golden shower of dust and the woman froze for a moment, head cocked slightly to the side. She moved after a moment, sheathing the long, slightly curved knife on her right thigh. Nico caught the silhouette of a twin strapped to her other thigh.
As he watched as she knelt in front of the cowering boys.
The tattoo on her arm flashed brightly for a split second and seemed to twist around her upper arm. Nico was reminded of the movement an anaconda made as it strangled it's prey. Slowly tightening till the life was extinguished .
Nico's breath caught in surprise as mist streamed from her palm as she held it in front of the boys. Her lips moved, she spoke too quietly for Nico to hear, and the boys stood. They walked calmly out of the alley, talking about a video game the older one had just bought.
Nico stayed still in the shadows, trying to figure out the parentage of the girl.
"I know you're there son of Hades."
She broke his concentration as she stood slowly and turned, her cold eyes looking straight at him regardless of the fact he should be invisible to anyone including demigods.
He walked out of the darkness, unsurprised when she didn't react. Who the hell was she?
"Are you responsible for all the recent killings in this neighborhood?"
"Yes,"
She shrugged upon seeing his reaction. "They went after civilians. I do not allow that in my neighborhood."
Nico nodded as if he understood, keeping his body loose.
She relaxed slightly when he didn't react and he used that moment to lash out.
He grabbed her elbow, shadow jumping them both. In the second before true darkness enveloped them both, Nico would later swear he saw fear in her eyes.
They appeared in Hades throne room and the woman lashed out, fingernails tearing open the flesh around Nico's eye. A scant centimeter spared his eye from meeting a miserable fate as blood began to flow.
"What is this!" Hades half stood from his throne as Persephone looked on in surprise. The flow of spirits around the room stopped, all watching.
Nico flipped the woman around, pinning her to the ground on her stomach brutally, holding her there with a knee.
Normally he didn't fight girls but Hades that hurt!
"She's the one that has been killing your people father."
People was a loose term but Nico knew better than to call them monsters to his father's face. And to a certain extent no all that dwelt in Tartarus were evil, they just lived by different rules with different priorities.
Beneath Nico, the woman ceased to struggle. She shook her head slightly, moving a loosened strain of hair from where it had fallen across her face.
Her gaze met Hades' for a split second then she disappeared.
Nico fell forward as empty air appeared where she had just been, face smashing into the smooth stone of the floor. Above him, Hades swore violently.
Olympus:
Percy looked up as a god teleported into the throne hall. When he saw who it was he jumped back based on pure instinct. Hades stalked past him without a glare, strange even by Olympic standards.
"Hades, how dare you..."
Zeus stood from his throne, snarling, lightning flickering in his dark gray eyes as thunder rippled shook the foundation of Olympus itself.
"She is back." Hades voice was deadly serious. Zeus' eyes widened a fraction and the other gods and goddesses in the room fell silent.
Percy felt himself be thrown in the air and he landed outside the throne room with a thump, skidding on the smooth pearly marble Annabeth had chosen when rebuilding this section of Olympus.
Stunned, he stood slowly, making it to his feet as Annabeth walked up, supporting a wobbly Rachel.
Percy had known the gods for too long to be insulted. All he wanted now was to get off Olympus before one of the gods decided he was somehow responsible for whatever had happened. They always did.
"Ready to go?" He looked at Rachel who shook her head.
"They're going to need you in a minute. She told Percy quietly, earning a confused look from both demigods.
"What's going on?" Annabeth spoke after a moment.
Rachel shrugged. "I have no clue and for some reason, that scares the crap out of me."
After several moments Hermes appeared in front of the demigods and Delphi.
"In."
He disappeared and they walked into the throne room.
Annabeth had redesigned it using elements of an amphitheater. The gods' hearth sat at center of the floor, Hestia sat by it in her adult form while Hades stood near her. The twelve thrones stood in a wide semi circle around it while the lesser thrones rose upward from there, filling level after level of the arch.
Percy couldn't even see where they ended. The room was fuller than he had ever seen it.
Hades stood by Hestia who was in her grown form by the hearth. While the others sat upon their thrones.
The room was silent as Percy, Annabeth, and Rachel knelt in front of the King of the Gods.
"Rise." His voice was quiet and contemplative. Percy had learned from past experiences and held his tongue, waiting.
They didn't have long to wait. After a moment Nico appeared by Hades who spoke quickly and quietly to his son.
Dried blood coated fresh gashes around his right eye. Percy wondered if Nico could even see out of it. What had happened?
Silence fell again as they apparently waited for someone else broken only by the tense crackling of the fire in the hearth. Even the lesser gods high above were silent.
Light bloomed in the doorway and a group of campers from Camp Halfblood appeared.
Percy recognized them as the head councilors of each cabin as well as a handful of others. They were silent, many of the younger ones had never been on Olympus before, and were simply in awe.
"Sorry for the delay Lady Artemis."
A voice Percy recognized broke the silence. The hunters of Artemis walked forward from behind Percy lead by Thalia, daughter of Zeus.
Athena stood and walked forward, acting as the voice of the gods.
"You are here because there is an individual we need found. She is hidden to us and must be found as quickly as possible."
"Who?" Percy interrupted against his best intentions.
Athena nodded to Hades who placed a hand on Nico's forehead.
In the brief instant before anything happened, Percy realized how exhausted Nico was beneath the blood and tough guy persona he wore around most people.
A picture formed above the hearth. A woman, in her early twenties. Tall, muscular, long red hair, Percy memorized her appearance knowing he would need the knowledge.
The picture changed to the same woman, hair bound back wearing what looked like armor, wielding a wicked looking blade against a lamia.
The vision blurred and disappeared as Nico dropped to the ground like a rock, unconscious. His body vanished, teleported somewhere by Hades who turned his attention back to the room.
"Find her." Zeus' voice was emotionless. "Perseus, Thalia, you are in charge of organizing your forces. Once Hades' son awakens he can give you information on her previous location and anything else he learned."
The world tilted and the group appeared in the dining pavilion of Camp Halfblood.
So? What do you think. Please let me know if you like where the story is going. I promise there will be more action soon.