Shadow of the Jedi
Chapter 21: What's with all the Harry Potter references?
A golden arrow whizzed through the air, a golden tail, almost like the tail of a comet, coming from the end. It flew until it struck a target, splitting the arrow that was there previously. Again and again, the golden arrows flew through the air, striking the target in the same spot every time.
Apollo was firing arrows rapidly, his golden bow, shining with an immense amount of light. Carved along the sides of the wood, orange beams of light burst like rays of sunlight. The thread glowed silver, opposing the rest of the bow as well as Apollo's domains.
His bright blonde hair was matted with grease, that it almost seemed like dirty blonde hair. Sweat dripped from his forehead and face, showing the amount of time he had been practicing. His bright blue eyes were dull and pale, swirling in them were many emotions. Sadness, anger, and hate were the most prominant. The God of Archery was flickering with golden light, as he seemed to be struggling to control his true form. His sclera was bloodshot. His usually tan skin was very pale and seemed almost translucent.
Thunder boomed behind him, causing the God to roll his eyes and continue to fire at his target. His golden bow suddenly vanished from his hand, only for a small golden knife to replace it. With deadly speed and accuracy he let the knife fly from his hands.
It sailed through the air hundreds of metres before striking the target in the exact center, splitting the arrow and embedding to the hilt. His eyes glowed a brilliant blue before fading quickly, and he muttered angrily.
"Stupid son of Hades," Thunder exploded behind him, louder than normal and would have exploded his eardrums had he not been a God. Apollo turned towards the target and, suddenly, his face contorted into a scowl and he screamed in immense rage.
An orange beam of power shot from his chest like a laser, hitting the target with a huge explosion. The light so bright even he had to avert his eyes. When he turned his attention back to the target he let a small smile spread out on his face. Before his eyelids dropped and the small fire vanished.
All that was left was black soot and a huge crater.
The God quickly turned around as a bright silver light erupted behind him. A young girl around the age of twelve appeared. Her eyes shining like twin miniature moons.
Apollo forced a small smile, causing the young girl to frown. "Artemis, what brings you here?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.
The Goddess of the Moon's frown deepened as her brother used her actual name instead of one of his irritating little nicknames.
"Father demands your presence, the ship is nearly prepared for the trip to the new galaxy." She replied curtly.
"No, he can go shove it up his ass. I'm a little busy here." Apollo snarled, his expression turning into a scowl. Artemis' eyes flashed and she slapped Apollo across the face. The God hardly seemed affected as his pale skin turned red.
"Language." She scolded. At the sight of his eyes, her face softened. "What troubles you brother?"
Apollo frowned heavily and sighed as he turned away, "You know, I thought I would never have to deal with that son of Hades ever again after he was exiled. I thought I would be able to relax once he was gone. But even now, over three thousand years later, he's still causing me trouble." He finished, his lips thinning.
Artemis cocked her head. "How is he still causing you trouble?"
Apollo turned towards her furiously, and Artemis flinched at the heat his gaze held, it had been a long time since her brother had looked at her with such anger. "He's taking you away from me!" Before Artemis could give a highly indignant retort about him not owning her and no man being able to take her away, Apollo continued. "On Earth, I know all and see all, despite what you may believe. On Earth, I am able to keep an eye on both you and the Hunters. I am able to keep you safe on Earth, to make sure you don't run into any trouble that you or your Hunters can't handle alone. But in this galaxy that you're going to, I won't be able to protect you. All I'll be able to do is sit by and watch."
"Apollo, I can take care of myself. I'm a Godde-"
"Yes, I know." He interrupted heatedly. "Your a Goddess. But its going to be different in that galaxy Artemis. You won't be able to simply turn a man into a jackalope if they anger you. You won't be able to turn a ship into a flock of ravens and that'll be the end of it. You won't have any of your more powerful godly powers. You will have, essentially, the powers of a half immortal child of Artemis. If you die in that galaxy Artemis, there won't be any second chances to reform in Tartarus. If you die there, you stay dead. You fade out of existence." He looked at her with a desperate gaze. "You have to understand how serious this is."
Artemis sighed, "Of course I understand. Hephaestus has created armour for me and my girls that will keep us safe. And besides, I am not some helpless little girl Apollo. I can take care of myself well enough even without my godly powers, I still have my skill after all."
Apollo scowled, "I still don't understand why you want to go to that damn galaxy! If it wasn't for that son of Hades, you wouldn't be going there at all!"
Artemis frowned, "I concede your point that it is because of the son of Hades that I am able to go to this galaxy, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't have gone if it was anyone else either. I have been looking for an excuse to leave this planet and hunt more dangerous prey for Chaos knows how long, and this is the perfect opportunity."
Apollo's scowl deepened, "But-"
Artemis held up a hand, staring up at her brother sternly, "We don't have time for this brother. Father has ordered you back to Olympus, and we both know how he gets when someone doesn't follow his direct orders."
Apollo opened his mouth to argue but thought better of it and closed it. He took a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly through his mouth, calming himself. And as he calmed down he noticed that a circle of grass around him had burned to a crisp.
Apollo released the rest of his breath in a huff, and without a word, he flashed out of the forest, heading back to Olympus.
Artemis shook her head with a sad sigh. She was about to flash back up to Olympus as well before she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She quickly turned, but there was nothing but shadows.
Artemis scowled at the darkness as she summoned her bow and aimed into the shadows.
"Reveal yourself." Artemis ordered.
A deep chuckle reveberated from all the shadows around her as the shadow she was aiming at melted into a human form. Artemis didn't know whether to relax or tense even more when the Lord of the Underworld stepped out.
Hades raised an eyebrow when he noticed that Artemis hadn't lowered her bow. "It's lovely to see you as well Artemis."
The Goddess of the Hunt reluctantly lowered her bow, but didn't will it to disappear.
"Lord Hades." Artemis acknowledged with a nod. It was best to be respectful to the God who can control shadows with a flick or his wrist, especially when its night. "May I help you?"
Hades tilted his head to the side, "Can I not come and visit my lovely niece from time to time?"
Artemis' face nearly fell flat at that. Instead, she merely raised an eyebrow.
Hades smiled slightly, "Yes, I suppose that is a rather poor excuse." The smile fell from his lips and his face turned cold, a dark glare forming in his eyes. Artemis flinched, then immediately scolded herself for showing weakness. "I am here to warn you Artemis. Do not think that I do not know of the orders that Zeus gave you of killing my son if he gets in your way."
Artemis' eyes narrowed. "Are you threataning me Lord Hades? I have the backing of the King of the Gods, he gave me the orders and I will do what I must. You cannot stop me."
A small smirk worked its way onto Hades' face. "I am not threatening you Artemis, I am warning you. You act as if it will be an easy feat to kill my son." Hades paused, the smirk on his face widening slightly, a manic gleam in his dark glare. "You underestimate him, niece."
Artemis bristled slightly, her pride stung, "You presume that that boy is stronger than I?"
Both of Hades' eyebrows went up into his hair. "I do not presume anything Lady Artemis, I know he will be stronger than you. It is a fact that you will end up in that galaxy with your powers lowered considerably. And while your powers will do nothing but lower, Nico's power has done nothing but thrive. You Olympians have done nothing but underestimate my children. A good example is Revan; Zeus exiled him because he was afraid that Revan would betray Olympus and try and takeover. When he was exiled to that galaxy with the daughter of Athena, Bastilla Shan, he became the galaxies greatest warrior and tactician. He defeated the warrior race known as the Mandalorians when the Republic could not."
"He also betrayed the Republic." Artemis said, though it didn't have much conviction. She remembered the little baby Revan. This was just before her hate for men would come in and at the time she had thought the Demigod child of Hades was kind of cute. Apparently, he was supposed to be turned into an immortal when he grew older and...well...become Artemis' betrothed. At the time Artemis didn't know what to think of the idea, but now, she was actually thankful that Zeus had exiled him. After he was exiled Artemis had immediately taken her Maiden Oath because she absolutely hated the feeling that her heart made when she was told the news of the exile, and she didn't want to have that horrible feeling ever again. Although, she honestly can't help but wonder how different her life would have been if Revan had never been exiled.
Hades' eyes narrowed on her. "And Athena had theorised that he was being brainwashed. But that also brings me to another point. Revan nearly single handedly toppled the Republic, he nearly conquered an entire galaxy." Artemis overheard a hint of pride in his voice, and in all honesty, she couldn't blame him for it. "But when those Jedi captured him, removed his memories and replaced them with new ones so that he would fight for the Republic, the tide of war started to turn. It was because of Revan that the Republic won that war. His intellect and charisma won him two wars."
"Another example is Adolf Hitler." Artemis' eyebrows went up in surprise and her expression turned a little disgusted. "I know what your thinking. But, despite his disturbing goals in life and being one of the least powerful children of Hades, it doesn't change the fact that he nearly conquered half of the planet. And he scrounged up all of his followers using nothing but his silver tongue, his charisma."
Artemis sighed, "Your point being?"
Hades just stared at her for a couple of seconds before he shook his head, and Artemis was pretty sure she heard him mutter 'Prideful brat' under his breath. He then locked eyes with the Moon Goddess.
"If you do not understand what I am trying to tell you then I will not explain it further. But before I leave I will give you a small amount of advice; Nico's memories are volatile at best. Before his exile he may have been able to reign in his anger and not try and attack you or your hunters, but now, he will see you at a great disadvantage. He may not let that chance slip from his grasp."
That being said, the Lord of the Underworld stepped back into the shadows, leaving the Goddess of the Moon to contemplate on his words as she herself flashed back to Olympus.
What Hades didn't realise was that Artemis did take his words into account, and she herself realised that with every child of Hades, be their intention good or evil, they have all nearly achieved the impossible.
In Artemis' thoughts, if Nico were to try and kill her, the outcome would be the same. He would try his hardest, the battle will be long and bloody, and it will take everything for her to survive, but in the end, he will not succeed.
Line break
Leo Valdez, the Minor God of Fire and Forge, looked upon his pride and joy. The Gryffindor (Hephaestus looked at his son weirdly at the name and Leo just shrugged, he was going through a phase). The Daedalus-class warship.
Unlike Nico's exile ship, this baby was outfitted with so many weapons and upgrades that even Annabeth couldn't keep track. Unlike the exile ship the Gryffindor had defensive shields, sensors, a hyperdrive and some weird laser thing his father had called 'Asgard weaponry'. (Leo still didn't understand why his father called all the cool stuff 'Asgard technology'. They were freaking Greek not Norse!)
The Daedalus-class ship was also much larger in length and width than the exile ship Chaos. Perhaps a ten to twenty percent increase, the design is also much sleeker. For thrust the Gryffindor has two large cylindrical engines, flanked by four additional smaller ones which sit on the rear of the hanger bays. And for hyperspace, there are four engines spaced on both sides of both main engines.
With the recent upgrade in technology that the Gods had, they now had the ability to travel in hyperspace. So now, instead of three thousand years, it will probably take about six months give or take. (Thank Chaos, Leo was definitely not going to sit on his ass for three thousand years being insulted by Hunters) In terms of speed, the Gryffindor was blisteringly fast compared to Chaos.
As a warship, the Gryffindor was armed to the teeth. Her primary weaponry consists of railguns situated all around the ship. There appear to be around thirty-two emplacements visible, suitable for both point defense and primary weapons. The railguns are installed in groups of four, and are mounted on turrets to pivot around in battle. Unfortunately, except against small fighters, these things will do nothing against either Seperatist capital ships or Republic Venators.
Which is where the Asgard weaponry comes to play. Outfitted at the front of the Gryffindor were two Asgard plasma beam weapons, which-given-are very, very powerful. Instead of firing pulses of energy like most laser beam weapons, Asgard plasma beam weapons release a narrow, high-intensity beam of superheated plasma. Just one of these beams is capable of overloading and penetrating even the most advanced shields and burning through the hulls and internal structures of an enemy vessel with comparative ease, causing heavy damage. This incredible ship-to-ship weapon might be one of the most powerful ever encountered, though, like everything in life, it has a design flaw. It takes time for it to recharge, around four to five minutes.
Though, the greatest offensive arm of the Gryffindor weren't the beam weapons, they were the hanger bays, which can carry roughly up to five planet-jumpers and ten F-302 fighter-interceptors in each hanger.
The design of a planet-jumper is a small, roughly cylindrical shape with an angled front and rear, they also feature retractable thrusters, as well as powerful energy and drone weapons. The front section contains the cockpit of the vessel with all control functions, four seats for passengers, and a large view port at the front of the ship. The aft section contains a passenger and storage area with a hatch in the back to access the ship.
The craft is split into two sections, the cockpit and the cargohold, with a bulkhead door to separate them. This door is quite strong, capable of holding back the pressure of deep ocean water and retaining atmosphere in space. Entry and exit to the planet-jumper is provided through the use of the cargo bay door in the rear.
The F-302 was the Gods second attempt at constructing a combat-capable spacecraft (We don't like to talk about the first attempt). The F-302 is a crescent-shaped vessel with wings stylized to look like a birds (Zeus wanted that, not Leo), making their tips the lowest point of the vessel. It was powered by a pair of jet engines modified with aerospike boosters for high altitude manoeuvers. It also possesses a rocket booster for additional thrust in outer space. Unlike other Earth jet fighters the F-302 was designed with inertial dampeners, allowing the pilot to accelerate and manoeuver much more quickly than would ordinarily be possible.
F-302s are armed with highly effective dual railguns and modified AIM 120A air-to-air missiles. The warhead on said missiles have been enhanced with Naquadah and are capable of inflicting damage upon any ships shield generator. The F-302 can also carry tactical nuclear missiles. This is not a normal feature of the craft, but they can be retrofitted with them.
There are two hanger bays on the Gryffindor, situated to the left and right of the rear of the vessel. The bays face forward, with forward slopes around the hatch. The hatch is two parted, opening towards the top and bottom. An energy field can be deployed around the hatch to prevent the decompression of the hanger bays.
The living compartments are similar to a modern navel vessel. Everyone has their own room, though with the Hunters there are two to each room. (apparently they "Don't trust the male scum on this ship")
The bridge is located on the top of the forward section of the Gryffindor. The front of the bridge is dominated by a large viewport, broken down into panes with angled spars. To the immediate left and right of the viewport are two standing computer stations with several sets of computer monitors. Facing the forward viewport, there are three primary bridge officer stations. In the center is the 'Supreme Commanders' chair AKA Leo's chair. To his immediate left is the helm officer AKA Jason or Annabeth, and to his immediate right is the weapons officer AKA Frank or (Gods help us) Percy. Both officers would have large computer stations before their chairs, with touchscreens and hand controls. On the walls alongside the weapons and helm stations are large flat screen monitors that tie into the ship's systems.
With engineering Leo was pretty sure he could rely on his sisters from the Hunters to keep the ships engines from blowing up, if they do run into trouble however they are told to call Leo immediately, or one of the automatons that Leo had built to help around the ship.
Other things like a briefing room, infirmary and a mess room were in the ship, as well as simulator rooms for the planet-jumpers and F-302s so everyone could train with the the small ships. There was also a training room for the Seven and an archery range for the Hunters. Leo even had time to install an A.I into the ship as well, it wasn't as sophisticated as the 'Athena' one on the exile ship, but it'll do.
Oh, and the ship was painted red and gold...
("I've started to get into an old book called Harry Potter," was his response to any question)
Thinking of the Hunters, Leo turned his head ever so slightly to see the forty girls waiting for their mistress to come back. Most of them were admiring the new armour that he and his father had built for them and the Seven.
The armour was a full suit of armour, complete with greaves, vambraces, spaulders, and a full front and back body plate. Now, normally the Hunters would never wear armour since it would just slow them down, they usually preferred speed rather than strength, so Leo could kind of understand their distaste for the armour when they first saw it, but that didn't stop him from feeling offended. However, when the Hunters and the rest of the Seven tried the armour on, they found it to be impossibly lightweight. Even though they were wearing spaulders and a full body plate, they felt like they were wearing nothing heavier than boiled leather armour.
The part that Leo was most proud of was the fact that the Hunters actually approved his creation when they tried doing some acrobats in the armour. Obviously they fully expected the armour to resist there movements. However, thanks to the interlocking plates and the precise positioning of the plates, their armour twisted and flexed with their bodies, matching each motion perfectly. This was largely due to just how light their armour was.
Another thing that Leo had created were the new arrows that they use. It is a well known fact that the Hunters of Artemis are the greatest bowmen (bow-women?) in the world, despite what the children of Apollo say. But the fact remains that silver tipped arrows will do fuck all when they are facing a giant super-tank, so Leo had created some new, high-tech arrows for them. Like Hawkeye from the Avengers with all of his different arrows. For example; explosive arrows, those will be useful for going up against tanks or ships and stuff like that, though the Hunters still wanted to carry around their own good old fashioned arrows as well, electric arrows, net arrows, and, Leo's personal favourite, the boxing glove arrow.
Though the Hunters aren't the only ones who got upgrades. It was agreed that it would be best to be prepared for this galaxy, so the Seven have been learning how to use weaponry like blasters and stuff like that (Under Frank's stern and somewhat overprotective supervision). Unlike Nico, these guys don't have the Force, so it would be ridiculous to bring a sword to a blaster fight. Though, that doesn't stop them from bringing their usual weaponry with them anyway.
Leo grinned, he had really gone all out this time. He had been doing nothing but work and work with the armour, the ship and the weapons and now he can take pride in his creations.
Leo looked back at his ship and pursed his lips as a sudden thought came to mind.
Nico...
Leo sighed, his good mood darkening slightly. He had never really been close to the son of Hades, none of them had been actually, but that didn't mean that he didn't feel sad when he was told the news. Sure, his reaction wasn't as overly dramatic as Percy's but that didn't mean he didn't care. He never really had time to mourn for his sort-of friend though, he was just given Godhood after all and he was able to get Calypso off of that stupid island that he's still having trouble with pronouncing the name of.
But that was a really long time ago and Leo had actually forgotten about Nico. He had to seriously think about what was happening when the Council started talking about some random son of Hades that was exiled. You can't really blame him though, it had been over three thousand years after all. The only reason Leo actually managed to remember the name was because of Hazel. She had immediately shouted her brother's name in shock when she first saw him on the Iris Message, loyal to the end.
One of the reasons why Leo agreed to come on this trip was not only out of a sense of loyalty to the rest of the Seven, but also because, to put it bluntly, he was bored. Godhood was great and everything but it wasn't as fun as the Olympians made it out to be. Sure, Leo has visited other worlds in this galaxy, met different Godly pantheons (his favourite definitely being Asgard, that place was just so cool and so gold. And he definitely had no trouble picturing Nico and Loki being friends), and had been involved in several pantheon wars (that one against the Japanese Gods was a right pain in the ass). But immortality wasn't that great when you have Ancient-screw-it-all-Laws to think about. No, Leo wants to do this cause he wants another adventure, bring the old gang back together.
And if that means we have to go to a galaxy that's at war, then so freaking be it.
Line break
Jason had mixed feelings.
Don't get him wrong, he was happy that Nico was alive and well, but he was also a little reluctant to go to another galaxy to help the son of Hades. He and the son of Hades had never been close, especially when they had to get Diocletains sceptre. When Jason had figured out one of Nico's little secrets...
*Flashback*
"Stop it!" Nico yelled. "It's me you want. Leave him alone!"
Jason's ears rang. He was dizzy from getting smacked around. His mouth tasted like limestone dust. He didn't understand why Nico would think himself the target. Cupid agreed however.
'Poor Nico Di Angelo.' The God's voice was filled with disappointment. 'Do you know what you want, much less what I want? My beloved Psyche risked everything in the name of Love. It was the only way to atone for her lack of faith. And you, what have you risked in my name?'
"I've been to Tartarus and back," Nico snarled. "You don't scare me."
'Oh but I scare you VERY much. Face me. Be honest.'
Jason pulled himself up. All around Nico, the ground shifted. The grass withered, and the stone cracked as if something was moving the Earth beneath, trying to push its way through.
"Give us Diocletian's Scepter," Nico said. "We don't have time for games."
'Games?' Cupid struck Nica slamming him into a granite pedestal. 'Love is no game! It is not flowery softness! It is hard work-a quest that never ends. It demands everything from you-especially the truth. Only then does it yield rewards.'
Jason retrieved his sword. If this invisible guy was love, then Jason was beginning to think that love was overrated. He liked Piper's version better-considerate, kind, and beautiful. Aphrodite he could understand. Cupid seemed more like a thug, an enforcer.
"Nico," he called, "What does this guy want from you?"
'Tell him Nico. Tell him that you are a coward, afraid of yourself and your feelings. Tell him the real reason you ran from Camp Half-Blood and why you are always alone. It wasn't just because of your sisters death, was it?'
Nico let loose a guttural scream. The ground at his feet split open and skeletons crawled forth-dead Romans with missing hands and caved in skulls, cracked ribs and jaws unhinged. Some were dressed in the remnants of togas. Others had glinting pieces of armour hanging off their chests.
'Will you hide among the dead, as you always do?' Cupid taunted.
Waves of darkness rolled off of the son of Hades. When they hit Jason he almost lost consciousness-overwhelmed by hatred and fear and shame...
He saw Nico with his sister on a snowy cliff in Maine, with Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace protecting them. Their weapons gleamed in the dark. He observed the girls eyes. Electric-blue. Her eyes were beautiful. He couldn't understand his feeling of attraction to her though. It made him disgusted. He thought a girl was pretty? Gross!
Later, at Camp Half-Blood, Nico is sitting on the beach and hugging his legs. Thalia finds him and they talk. Nico confides with Thalia that he is afraid, he doesn't like that Bianca is abandoning him. Thalia makes a promise to Nico that she will be his friend from now on. That she won't abandon him.
The scene shifted to when Percy told Nico of his sister's death. He was truly heart-broken. Not only because Percy broke his promise, but also because joining the Hunters killed her. Joining the Hunters was the whole reason why she died, and yet, Thalia had the nerve to not only break her promise of abandoning him, but also become Lieutenant and recruit more, as if his sister was replaceable. In his anger for both his sister's death and Thalia's 'betrayal', he called upon the Earth to swallow the skeletons that were about to kill Percy. He then ran away, terrified and disgusted of himself.
A moment in the Underworld. Percy is knocked out and Nico and Thalia surround the unconscious son of Poseidon. They were both talking to each other. Nico's face becoming more and more red while Thalia didn't seem to notice as she continued talking, telling him how cool she thought his powers were, she even gave him a small affectionate punch in the arm at some point.
During the start of the Battle of Manhattan, the Hunters of Artemis were getting into the best spots for defending Lincoln Tunnel, Nico was forced to go with them. The Hunters were all currently wondering what to do against the world-war two era Sherman Tank. As they were all arguing, Nico just rolled his eyes, slammed his fist into the ground (gaining the rest of the Hunters' attention) and when he brought his fist back out from the ground, in his hand was an RPG rocket launcher, causing many widened eyes. Nico looked cooly at Phoebe, and asked 'You know how to use this?' the girl just nodded dumbly before she was nearly being weighed down by the heavy weapon that she was forced to catch. Nico turned back around to give his skeleton warriors orders, but not before seeing the incredulous look on Thalia's face that was slowly turning into a smirk, which in turn, made Nico smile slightly.
Jason saw the end of the battle of Manhattan when Thalia was pinned under the statue of Hera. Nico had clashed with Kronos' army and immediately came to her aid. He glared at her, trying to keep his face an impassive mask. But he couldn't be angry at her as her beautiful electric-blue eyes stared into his pleadingly. So he had some of his honour guard help move the statue.
During the small period of peace, Thalia would sometimes IM Nico and ask if he would be able to Shadow Travel her and the rest of the Hunt. Nico, wanting to say no but couldn't, would immediately say yes. It annoys them. The Hunters. Him doing them favours. That's why Nico keeps doing whatever Thalia asks, as he looks at the daughter of Zeus' smiling face, just to annoy the Hunters.
Nico finds out about Jason and he's excited. He can't wait to tell Thalia. Maybe she'll see him as more than a friend if he brings her her long lost brother. Then, Hera comes into play, making him swear on the River Styx not to tell anyone about the Romans for she has some kind of great plan. Nico, grudgingly, swears.
More and more scenes of Nico stubbornly helping Thalia from the shadows, just so the daughter of the King of the Gods didn't know it was him. She always thought it was her father helping her out. They left Jason stunned.
Meanwhile, Nico's Roman skeletons surged forward and grappled with something invisible. The God struggled, flinging the dead aside, breaking off ribs and skulls, but the skeletons kept coming, pinning the Gods arms.
'Interesting!' Cupid exclaimed. 'Do you have the strength after all?'
"I left Camp Half-Blood because of love," Nico said. "The Hunters...they-"
'Still hiding.' Cupid said, smashing another skeleton to pieces. 'You do not have the strength.'
"Nico it's okay, I...I get it..." Jason managed to say.
Nico glanced over, pain, terror and misery washing across his face. "No, you don't," he said. "There's no way you can understand."
'And so you run away again,' Cupid chided. 'From your friends. From yourself.'
"I don't have friends!" Nico yelled. "I left Camp Half-Blood because I don't belong! I'll never belong!" The skeletons had Cupid pinned now, but the invisible God laughed so cruelly that Jason wanted to summon another bolt of lightning. Unfortunately, he doubted he had the strength.
"Leave him alone, Cupid," Jason croaked. "This isn't..." His voice failed. He wanted to say it wasn't Cupid's business, but this was EXACTLY Cupid's business. Something Favonius said kept buzzing in his ears: are you shocked?
The story of Psyche finally made sense to him - why a mortal girl would be so afraid. Why she would risk breaking the rules to look the God of Love in the face, because she feared he might be a monster.
Psyche had been right. Cupid was a monster. Love was the most savage monster of all.
"I-I had a...a..." Nico's voice was like broken glass. "I h-hated myself." Nico's voice faltered. "It was bad enough that I had feelings for my cousin, but for a Hunter? I was terrified of what Artemis would do."
'Oh really!' Cupid exclaimed gleefully. 'Which cousin would this be Nicholas? You have had plenty of cousins who have joined the Hunters in the past after all. I want a na-'
"I had a crush on Thalia!" Nico exploded. "THAT's the truth. That's the big secret..." Nico glared at Cupid. "Happy now?"
"Oh, I wouldn't say love always makes you happy." Cupid's voice was smaller and much more human. "Love cannot always make you happy. Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad. It cannot stay on one emotion. But at least now, you have faced it. That's the only way to conquer me."
Cupid dissolved into the wind. On the ground where he stood lay an ivory staff three feet long, topped with a dark globe of polished marble about the size of a baseball, nestled on the backs of three gold Roman eagles. The sceptre of Diocletian.
Nico knelt and picked it up. He regarded Jason, as if waiting for an attack. "You don't have to go all 'protective brother' on me Jason, I got over it. But if the others find out, if your dad found out, if Artemis found out..."
"If the others found out," Jason said. "then it wouldn't matter. Our opinion on you won't have changed. You have a crush on my sister? So does Leo."
Nico shakes his head. "I shouldn't have had a crush on her. She's a Hunter after all, they took my sister away from me."
Jason felt slightly uncomfortable. He never thought he'd be having this kind of conversation with Nico of all people, let alone about his sister.
"It's your call to share or not." Jason says, the awkwardness of his sisters love life getting to him. "I can talk to Thalia for you if you'd like. And-" Jason was interrupted.
"I don't feel that way anymore," Nico muttered. "I was young and impressionable. Thalia joined the Hunters of Artemis...so I can't...I can't have..." Nico cringed. "Don't tell Thalia. Artemis will kill me."
Jason doesn't know what to say at this moment in time. He's far too confused to help Nico with this right now and he can already feel his senses coming back to him and feeling his protective brother mode coming back online. So, before he says anything he can regret, he just nods his head slowly.
Nico looked up, ashamed. "We should get back to the ship."
"Yeah, I can fly us-"
"No," Nico announced. "This time we're shadow-travelling. I've had enough of the winds for now."
*End flashback*
At the time, Jason didn't really understand what all of the drama was about. So what if the kid had a crush on his sister? A lot of boys had a crush on her, even Leo had a crush on her. Nico was a teenage boy, he was allowed to have a crush on girls, it's all a part of growing up. Thalia was a pretty girl and way out of Nico's league, every teenager has one of those crushes, all Nico had to do was get over it.
But the more Jason thought about those memories that he saw, the more he began to understand. Nico has had a crush on Thalia since he found out he was a Demigod. That's four years of allowing his infatuation with the daughter of Zeus to grow, a simple crush turned into something more. Jason doubted very much that Hades had given Nico 'The Talk', or told him anything about love and how sometimes you just have to get over it.
Looking over Nico's memories, Jason could see that Thalia never judged Nico on his creepy powers. Instead, she seemed to be more in awe of them then anything else. Unlike the rest of Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, she saw past the creepiness of Nico's powers and saw how much of a great help he could be. She respected him.
And that was all Nico really wanted; Respect. And it seems Thalia was the only one who ever gave it to him.
Mix in the fact that the girl he has a major crush on is the second in command of the group of girls that took his sister away and the group he blamed for his sister's death, Jason could definitely understand his disgust.
But, it wasn't any of Jason's business, so he acted like nothing had happened. He still laughed at the jokes Leo came up with about the son of Hades behind his back, he was still reluctant to trust him as well. While Jason may have said a few complimentary words to him back in the temple, he hadn't really changed his outlook on the son of Hades, and the kid had still remained a mystery, not exactly a person he could come to trust.
Jason wasn't entirely sure, but by the end of the war, Nico may have gotten over his crush on Thalia and moved onto Reyna, but that's a story for another time.
"Jason?"
Opening his eyes, Jason saw his beautiful wife standing in front of him, a look of concern on her face.
"Are you alright?"
Jason smiled lightly, giving her a small peck to the cheek, "Of course I am." He replied, lying through his teeth easily.
Piper pursed her lips, but let the subject drop, her excitement overcoming her concern. "Its nearly time to get on the ship," She said, grabbing his hand and dragging him in the direction of Leo's ship, the Gryffindor, being named that cause, well, Leo's been going through a phase recently, and he won't stop reading some old book called Harry Potter.
Jason smiled at her eagerness. No doubt about it, she was excited about going to this other galaxy. Even Jason had to admit that the prospect of flying around in a spaceship, shooting at robot things did sound exciting and terrifying at the same time.
Though, the fact that we're spending eight months in a ship filled with Hunters is somewhat daunting.
Line break
Frank didn't like the idea. Period.
Don't get him wrong, he held no ill will towards Nico. In fact, he'd go as far as saying that he was somewhat friendly with the son of Hades before he was exiled, getting a handshake and his blessing to date his sister was a one up for Frank.
No, it was the fact that, unlike his friends, Frank held no fantasy or illusion of what was waiting for them once they arrived in the hell that was the Clone War.
A galaxy-wide war is not something you should be excited about joining.
The only reason why Frank decided to come along was because Hazel was going, he would not let her go to this galaxy-wide-hell-hole alone. In Frank's opinion, he thought that they should leave it all alone. It wasn't any of their business, and he very much doubted that Nico will be entirely ecstatic about seeing them again, Hazel maybe, the rest of them, not so much.
Also, Frank wasn't entirely sure how much help they would be in this war, whether or not they would be a hindrance remains to be seen. Frank could see the people of that galaxy being rather impressed with Percy's power over water, but he'd read that Force-Users are able to do the same thing as Percy and then some.
Frank tried to bring this point across as tactfully as possible, but he was immediately brushed off. 'Don't worry Frank,' they would say, 'we won't get hurt.'
They just can't see the risks of what they were doing. They were going up against beings that used fucking blasters! These things were faster than bullets! They can't be blocked by a fucking sword! YOU WILL FUCKING DIE!
Thankfully, Frank got a little of his point across on that occasion, and the Seven agreed they would train to use a blaster and had Leo craft some armour for all of them, including the Hunters and Artemis.
The only person who seems to be taking Franks precautions to heart is Hazel, but she was determined to get to her brother. She has never forgot about the brother that had given her a second chance at life. Whenever children of Hades come to visit her, she always tells tales of Nico, whether they are true or not is something that Frank will never know (One tale was about some Egyptian girl, something Kane or whatever, mistaking Nico for Anubis and kissing him, giving Nico his first kiss and making Nico the first Greek Demigod to find out about the Egyptian Pantheon).
Hazel took all of his precautions to heart, but she always got irritated when Frank tried to persuade her from going. Frank may not have known Nico for that long, but he had no doubt that, once the pleasure of seeing his sister again wears off, he will become furious once he realises that his sister is in a galaxy-wide-hell-hole.
Line break
Nico watched from the corner of his eye as the two mercenaries continued to go over the plan with each other while he piloted the Twilight in hyperspace. HK had been informed of the plan as well. The assassin droid will be leading the undead army in the separate ship, while he, Brutus and Harloth will infiltrate the Sith planet. The holocron had told Nico everything he needed to know about the planet and the Sith that had colonised it, and he learnt that the Sith sacrificed defence for stealth, so they don't have any sensor arrays that would catch his ship coming out of hyperspace and land on the planet, all he'll have to do is stay out of sight of the temple and lower his Force signature. He had to hope that the two mercenaries will be able to lower their own Force signatures as well, or he'd have to do it himself, and he didn't need the extra strain at the moment.
The temple wasn't completely without its defences however. There was a shield generator that has a three mile radius around the Sith temple. Once they land, Nico's going to have either Brutus or Harloth go out ahead and sabotage the generator to allow the drop ship HK will be piloting to land close to the Temple. (It'll most likely be Brutus, as he's the one with the jetpack.)
Nico was broken out of his thoughts when a red warning light started flashing, giving the three minute warning that they were about to come out of hyperspace. The son of Hades turned his head toward the two mercenaries, his shadowed hood following his movements.
"Brutus, Harloth, we are three minutes to the destination, have you reviewed the plan?" Nico questioned with the deep, filtered voice that the helmet of Reaper gave him.
Harloth got up from the floor of the cockpit and tossed the pyramid shaped holocron back to Nico, "In all honesty, it's a little ambitious." He said cautiously as he sat in the co-pilot seat.
Brutus gave a grin as he sat down in the seat behind the pilot's chair, "I like the plan."
Nico ignored the two bantering mercenaries as the Twilight came out of hyperspace over the forest planet Riunda. Nico just stared at it for a moment. He could feel the dark aura surrounding the planet. Nico immediately suppressed his own Force signature and then immediately did the same with the two mercenaries, who immediately turned to Nico.
Nico didn't take his eyes off of the planet before him. "We have arrived, suppress your Force signatures." The son of Hades could feel their curiosity about how he could use the Force, and Nico had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. Nico wasn't about to attack a temple filled with Sith with nothing more than a freaking blaster after all.
The son of Hades felt the two mercenaries lower their own Force signatures, allowing him to focus on his own signature. Nico breathed in deeply, allowing the darkness of the planet to pour through him, to fuel his power. He held the anger and rage that he had held in since the Jedi had warranted his arrest on a short leash, ready to be let go.
"Do you feel it?" Nico breathed, his eyes closed, relishing in the power.
Harloth was inching away from the very strange, cloaked, individual. "What?" he asked nervously.
Underneath the Reaper helmet, Nico's eyes opened. His pupils were a blood red while the whites of his eyes had gone black.
Nico never answered Harloth's question as he reach for the controls and headed for a clearing away from the Sith temple.
Okay, first I need to get something out of the way because this really pains me that I have to do this. But I have received some VERY disrespectful reviews over the past two years. If your anonymous review isn't there, it's because I deleted it.
Let's start with this, to the people who demanded I ship tease Anisoka instead of NicoxAhsoka...no. If you want Anisoka, then go read an AnakinxAhsoka fanfic. There are several AnakinxAhsoka fanfics here on fanfictiondotnet! Go read and review one of those. Don't expect me to cater MY STORY to YOUR WHIMS AND WISHES! Don't tell me my story would be better if I had a different pairing! This is my story, if I want to ship two characters that I like, then that's what I'm, going to do! You can write your own story as well if you aren't purely satisfied.
Next, to the anons who kept demanding I need to update and that I owe you an update and I must be some evil author withholding this chapter from you and blah blah blah blah blah. I have had a lot on my plate for the past two years! I would've thought that much was obvious seeing how I haven't updated in the last two fucking years. The more you heckle me about updating isn't going to make me want to update! But I have a life of my own! I can't churn these chapters out like some factory machine! I have a life with several priorities! And the last two years have been especially hard for me!
Lastly, constructive criticism is fine. That kind of advice is acceptable. Like if I have a typo, that's okay to point out. If I made a grammar mistake, that's okay to type out. You know what isn't acceptable "advice" from a reviewer?...just a review saying "hey i got a new chapter 4 u. while Nico fights Vorn, Nico ask Vorn why he wanted to ruin his life badly. Then Vorn tell him why he wants him dead so badly. will how about that, u like it? upload if you like or not. when r us gonna upload next page? u said gona do it."
Let's break this one down shall we? First off, as the author, I have ideas of how my story is planned. I would've ignored this message, except this particular anon has a habit of telling me what I should put in my plot and demand I update six times every fucking month. That doesn't make me feel like you actually like my story. I feel like you'd rather just insert what you'd want because my say as an author doesn't matter. Oh and it clearly doesn't matter to you because you flat out said if I liked your idea or not I should update! YOU ARE ISSUING AN ULTIMATUM! I could not believe my eyes when I saw this! You do not issue such immature ultimatums like that to authors! "Hey you should do my idea, hey you should update when I say so, hey I'm going to ignore how you said you hit a writers block in the last chapter and how likely it is you hit another one with this chapter and ignore how you have a life outside of writing fanfiction, hey remember my idea-well you should only update your fic if you like my idea. I mean my idea is great so of course you'd like it, but if you had any other idea that was not my idea-like your own-then don't update your fanfic." THIS IS WHAT I AM HEARING WHEN I READ THIS STUFF!
Look, a review is supposed to be you leaving your thoughts on the current chapter you read. You are not doing anything for me as an author when you make comments like this! I need to know your feelings on what I currently wrote. Any grammar or typo mistakes? Did the chapter make you laugh or cry or want to punch something? What was your favourite part? FEEDBACK! THOSE ARE IMPORTANT THINGS FOR AUTHORS! WE NEED FEEDBACK! THE STUFF ABOVE IS NOT FEEDBACK! That doesn't even remotely help me as an author!
And I was getting these rude anons literally one after the other after the other! There were like five or six in a row at some point! I was already stressed out from all of the shite that was going on in my college then I keep seeing these disrespectful anon reviews in my inbox!
Look guys! I do NOT want to rant against my reviewers, that is the last thing I want to do! I write because it is my passion and my hobbie. I write because it relaxes me and helps me with my stresses. And I adore these fanfics I am writing, I am expressing my passion and love for some of my favourite series and characters with these fanfics, as well as exploring my creativity and ideas!
This is supposed to be a positive thing, please. do. not. turn. writing. into. a. chore.
This fanfic is mine. If you don't like my direction then that's okay, there are several other authors out there who I'm sure maybe have that exact thing you are looking for and deserve love and attention too, But what I do with it is what I do with it. I do write to entertain, but I mostly write for myself! This is free entertainment, you are not paying for this, so no, fanfic authors don't owe anyone anything. They put time and effort out of their lives that probably has other priorities, and they set aside said time just to write you these free pieces of entertainment. There is a human behind these monitors and keyboards, not machines. And these humans have lives to live and so many other priorities, please try not to forget that.
I apologise to the majority of my readers. Most of you have been so fantastic and delightful and helpful. I was just really stressed out when I got several of these disrespectful reviews back to back and I got a wee bit emotional. I still appreciate you guys who have shown me support, given me advice, and respected my limits. Thank you.
Anyways, a few things to note about this chapter.
I had fun writing about Apollo and Artemis. I needed to get Apollo's reaction on all of the stuff that was happening. Don't get me wrong, Apollo is not going to be a big part of these stories, but he is the reason on why Nico is in another galaxy in the first place. Apollo needed a reaction to everything that was happening.
The favourite part that I liked to write about was the talk that Hades and Artemis had. People keep writing fics where children of Hades are anti-social jerks who can't talk to anyone, who can't lead armies. The only known son of Hades in history that has been mentioned was Adolf Hitler and he managed to conquer half of the Earth. He built an army with his charisma and he was an incredible strategist. The guy may have been an evil bastard, but he was incredibly smart evil bastard.
With Leo, well, the ship is from a T.V. show called Stargate Atlantis or Stargate SG-1. Look up the Daedalus class ship. The planet-jumpers are also called puddle-jumpers in the show and those other ships are exactly the same (I forget the name and I can't be bothered scrolling up).
Now, with Jason. I know what most of you are going to write in the reviews, "Nico is homosexual, you are not going by canon. Nico wasn't in the Battle of Manhattan until the end, he didn't go with the hunters, that wasn't canon. Nico has a crush on Percy, not Thalia. That's not canon.". To all of these people, I'm going to tell you a little secret. *ahem* A quantum super computer, calculating for a thousand years, could not even approach the number of fucks I do not give, all right? I mean, seriously. I'm pretty sure I moved away from canon when I blasted Nico off into space and into the Star Wars universe.
Also, if you want to complain about Nico not being gay, because he is in canon, make sure that you have unfavourited all of the stories that pair Nico with any male in the PJO series that isn't Will or a God, and make sure that you delete the stories that you have written that pairs Nico with any male in the PJO series that isn't Will or a God. Do you want to know why? Because I will go on your profile, and I will find out if you are being a hypocrite or not.
Anyway, with Frank, I like what I have written. Frank is meant to be a minor God of War, so, while the rest of the Seven will see this as just another adventure, Frank actually sees what this war could do to them. He sees that, while their demigod powers are impressive, they are nothing when it comes to advanced technology. I mean, just look at some Star Wars lore and you'll see how powerful these Jedi are. I've had people telling me that if Anakin and Percy went up against each other, Percy would win. I ask why and they usually answer with "because he is the greatest swordsmen in 300 years.". And while that may be true, Anakin is in a whole different ball park. Anakin is one of the most powerful Jedi in a thousand years. His skills in lightsaber combat is also amazing. Most people seem to be blind with all of these fanfics that have Percy as an amazing, invincible soldier who can't be beaten, which he isn't.
In my fic, because Percy has had the experience of three thousand years of training, he'll be able to hold his own against the Jedi and the Sith. But demigod Percy vs Anakin Skywalker, Anakin would win. I honestly don't understand what it is with people that they think that Percy is some unbeatable warrior. I had some people who hated the fact that I had Nico beat Percy, despite the fact that Nico is, in my fic at least, obviously more powerful than Percy. People are hating how I've made Nico very powerful. I have a feeling that you people may have skipped chapter nineteen. Read about who the hell Nico is fighting. He is going up against an immortal who can suck the life, the light, the colour and the very Force from a freaking planet! Of course he's got to be powerful! If Nico were to go up against Vitiate now, he would be utterly destroyed! I don't care what people think, Nico's power has to grow even more if he is to ever go up against Vitiate.
Sorry about that, anyway, when it comes to Frank, he is going to be the cautious one. He's the only one that understands that this galaxy should not be underestimated. People seem to think that I am going to give the Seven power over the Force. Sorry to disappoint you, but that's not going to happen. I am not going to have a bunch of overpowered demigods running around my story, one demigod with the Force in enough for me, thank you very much.
Lets move onto the reviews, shall we?
Zhia chapter 20 . Dec 24, 2014
I'M SORRY!
*fake sobs*
Seriously though, I said I was going to get an account around the time you updated (*slight eyebrow raise*) and I still haven't! D: I'm honestly trying though, you see. Onto the um.. Whatever it is that I'm going to say.
I honestly loved this chapter. Good job! And also. I used to ship Kataang, but honestly it doesn't make much sense. Aang would work better with someone like Ty Lee, don't you agree? I can just seeee it lol. *writes this in new Christmas loft bed with feet on the Celing*
Thanks SO MUCH FOR UPDATING! *slaps for not updating, but then relizes she hasn't written a proper story chapter in about 5 months* oh well. Cya next time! AND IF YOU TAKE THIS LONG NEXT TIME, you will get a KICK IN THE SHIN. *innocent smile* :D
*Slowly moves hands to cover shins*
Hello. How have you been? I'm good and PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!
I'm not entirely sure who would be good for Aang to be honest, and maybe if Ty Lee was a little younger then, yeah, I could see it working, but I don't think Ty Lee is into younger... boys.
IAmSuchANerd chapter 20 . Jan 3, 2015
will nico be raising decrease jedi oris he just raising decrease siths? great chapter btw
I have no idea, he may raise an army of Jedi at some point, though it'll be in a separate story to this one.
sunlitveins chapter 20 . Apr 2, 2015
I'm loving it so far. Truly, madly, deeply loving it and it's getting to the point where this is fast becoming possibly even more awesome than your first story which was bloody brilliant. :)
Please, please, please, please, PLEASE update soon! I'm holding my breath waiting for the next chapter and turning blue, so please, PLEASE update soon! Seriously! I'm begging.
Sorry if this sounds kinda pushy, I'm just so into the story and it's amazing and you've done such an excellent job, so thank you as well for posting it in the first place. :)
*Raises eyebrow* Are you dead? If you are then I'll have Nico visit you in the Underworld to thank you for the compliments.
Guest chapter 3 . Jun 17, 2015
I'm sorry but no matter how awesome I can't see nico ever beating percy in a sword fight
I like you. At least you don't try and piss me off with swear words and mocking me. I'm just thankful that you are civil about it.
Guest chapter 3 . Jul 7, 2015
the fights are really good but i wonder why didn't Percy use his hurricane powers as he did with Hyperion
Well, you have to think about it really. Do you truly think that a hologram simulation would be able to replicate the immense powers of a powerful demigod? I mean, look at the Apollo that I have wrote in this chapter compared to the one that was in the simulation. There's a big difference in power, isn't there?
nightmarehunter676chapter 20 . Sep 28, 2015
I've read both of your stories for this universe, and I love them! I really wish you would write more. But, I'm not one to tell you how to live your life.
Hope you're ok!
You. I like you.
FairyTailShinigami
Sorry dude, but I'm no longer accepting OC's, and, no offense, but yours sounds like that he may be a little overpowered for a character that wasn't created by the creators of PJO and Star Wars.
Prince of darkness 44chapter 20 . Jan 13
Lou Ellen could have a heroes crush on nico
Very true, don't know why I didn't think of that.
One more thing I want to let you guys know, I've started a new course in college with ICT and I am redoing my English and let me tell you, the college English teachers are so much better than the ones in high school. I actually know the difference between there, their and they're now. So, that being said, I had a read over this story and I can read it properly any more because of all of the goddam grammar errors in it. When I finish this story, I'm going to go over both of my stories and sort out all of the misplaced full stops and apostrophes and correct the really bad grammar that I had been dealing with.
Also, anyone else watch the Force Awakens yet. I don't want to spoil it for anyone by writing anything about it.
Thank you or reading and if you have any questions just ask them in the reviewers box or PM me. Please review.