After detention, as Harry and Nico walked back to the common room, Harry growled under his breath.

"I can't believe her, doing this, having us carve into the back of our hands. I hate her so much!" Nico halted, causing Harry to look back. He had his arms crossed, his 2nd best scowl on his face.

"Listen, I'm still kind of new to this whole thing, but I know about you. When you were a baby, you survived a killing curse. You had to live with your horrible aunt and uncle. Your first year you faced off against a possessed professor. Your killed a basilisk in your 2nd year. Third year, well, let's just say that I have a source that told me what went down that year. And just last year, you went through the Triwizard Tournament, watched a friend die by the hand of a reborn Dark Lord. Surely, after all that, you came live through this." His expression changed to be a bit softer, like the difference between steel and rock. Nico started walking again.

"I know that, other than the unforgiveable curses, this is the first form of real torture that you have to endure. But people look up to you. You have to stay strong, no matter what is thrown at you. I once knew a kid in a similar position as you. He had a hard time staying strong, but he did, until the very end." Nico then picked up his pace, leaving Harry behind.

Time skip

Nico staggered a bit as he landed at the ruins of Camp Halfblood. He had shadow traveled here to get supplies for his Defensive Arts class tomorrow. Looking around, Nico sighed at the desolate view around him. The fleece still sat on Thalia's tree, the dragon still curled around it. But it didn't really protect the camp anymore. The monsters that had come out of Tartarus were strong enough to break through it like paper. The camp was abandoned, no longer a safe haven for demigods.

Nico trudged through the remains of the cabins until he found the weapons shed. It still stood, luckily for him. Carefully opening the door, Nico looked through the weapons left here. The camp had never had a good supply of weapons, not as far as Nico knew. But there were still some usable things here. Rummaging through, he was able to find 30 swords. Many of them were bent at strange angles, but nothing that a night at the forges wouldn't fix. Nico didn't know where he'd find the forges, but he'd deal with this later. Stuffing everything into a bag, Nico headed out the door.

As he left, something came up behind him. In a blink, Nico's stygian iron sword was out. He was turned completely around, hitting his opponents weapon. His arm became numb as electricity surged through it. He jumped back. He only knew one person who had a weapon like that. But he thought for sure that she had died!

"Clarisse?!" Nico looked up and, sure enough, there she was.

"Nico, you're alive?" She responded, lowering her weapon.

"I could say the same for you." They both looked at each other for a few minutes, Nico still breathing in the presence of another halfblood. Finally, Clarisse turned around and started walked into the woods.

"Follow me."

They came to a stop a Zeus's Fist. Clarisse did a series of knocks and the boulder slid to the side, revealing that the rock entire thing was really hollow.

"Welcome to Cabin 0." Inside, people milled around, sorting through many different things or walking through stairs and doors. "The Hephaestus Cabin made this as a last resort after, you know… what went down at the Empire State building." Clarisse looked away. The surrounding kids slowed in their tasks, solemn looks on their faces. But it didn't last long. Clarisse snapped back quickly.

"Now keep up, this tour it going to be short, I've got things to do." Her walk quickened. Nico followed her through a series of doors. In one of the rooms they went through, Nico saw a group of kids, probably Hephaestus cabin, working on a giant robot dragon. As they passed, the dragon looked up, it's teeth wiring and creaking as if it was speaking.

"That's the Bronze Dragon. Nobody knows what to name it, or wants to for that matter. Beckendorf found him, and when he died, it went crazy for week. Then it became even more devoted to protecting the camp." They didn't stop walking while she said this. Finally, they came to a room where demigods were sparing against one another. Upon closer look, they weren't just sparing. They were training. By the look of it, in fact, the majority in the room were new recruits. Clarisse turned to Nico.

"Nico, I don't know where you've been or what you need all those swords for. I have a feeling that I don't want to know. But the satyr's have been working overtime to find the last remaining demigods before the monsters can get to them. We need you to take at least one." An underlying please that Clarisse would never say out loud was hidden in the sentence. With a sigh, Nico started around the room, looking from demigod to demigod, trying to decide which one he could live with. It was easy to tell the Veteran's from the newbies, as the newbies were the ones that were beat up. The Veteran's weren't holding back their Spartan teaching methods as they passed their war into the hands of this young, inexperienced souls.

Sitting in the corner, trying not to be noticed, sat a boy with curly black hair and ears like an elf's. His hands worked furiously and rapidly on some strange device in his hands. For a moment, Nico was a different boy there, trying to stay out of people's way as he ruffled through a deck of Myth-O-Magic cards.

"That one will do." Clarisse looked at the boy.

"Him? That's Leo Valdez. Him and a girl named Piper McLean came in just today; Hey, Valdez, get over here!" Leo looked up before stuffing the device in his pocket and running over, a grin stretching from ear to ear.

"Yeah, what is it? Because if it's about me not sword fighting, I swear that I have a really good explanation."

"Leo, meet your new leader, Nico di Angelo. You are to follow his every command. Pack your things."

"Done packing," Leo patted his pocked. Clarisse then turned to Nico.

"Nico, I'm sorry if your little visit has been short and not so sweet, but things have been heating up down here. We have plans to move across the country from rumors of other halfbloods, rumors of an entire other camp. If we can combine forces… but the trip will be dangerous, I may not make it there alive." Clarisse put out her hand. "Good bye Nico di Angelo. I hope to see you again."

Nico put his hand in hers. When they pulled away, a single golden drachma was in Clarisse's hand.

"If you're ever in any trouble, don't be afraid to give me a call. I'm at a place called Hogwarts. You won't be able to find it, but that should be enough to give me a message." As Nico and Leo left Cabin 0, Nico turned to Leo, looking him up and down. Shadow traveling was never easy business, traveling with luggage, such as swords, was worse, and with an entire other person… Nico was going to need a big meal and a good rest after this.

"Come on Leo, we need to get you enrolled."

A few minutes later, Nico and Leo sat in Dumbledore's office, sitting in a rather uncomfortable silence as they waited for Dumbledore to return with the sorting hat. Nico had earlier briefed Leo on where they were going. It had been decided that Leo could stay as a new student. Dumbledore hadn't pried a whole lot, that twinkle in his eyes never leaving throughout the entire conversation. Finally, he came back with the tattered black hat in his arms.

"Now then, Leo, just put this on and your house will be decided. Usually we do this at the beginning of the year in front of the entire school but both you and Nico seem to be special cases for many things." Leo picked up the hat and looked at Nico skeptically before placing it on his head. A handful of seconds late, the brim of the hat opened up and cried "GRYFFINDOR!" before going silent once again. Nico and Leo thanked the Headmaster once again before leaving, heading towards their dorm. People gave them strange looks as they passed, but both of them had gotten used to that many years ago.

They reached the common room and went into the 5th year dorm. It seemed they would have all of the same classes. Sitting on the extra bed that had magically appeared in the room and was destined to be Leo's sat a letter and a wand. The wand was rather plain and simple, the most decorations being a flame carved into the side. The letter read:

Leo Valdez,

I am more than please to allow you to attend my school of magic; although there are a few traits that you have you must keep to yourself and not share with others. I'm sure you know what I mean. You also must understand that by being here, you accept that things may not go the way you expected them to go. Lying on top of this note is your wand. It's wood is that of an acacia. The core is I got for you is specifically to help channel your power. It is the hair of a god, though he made me promise not to tell.

~Hecate, goddess of magic

"Hm, nice to get such a warm welcome." Leo idly spun his wand in his fingers as he read the note. He looked up to see Nico leaving, still lugging around the swords. "Hey, shouldn't we be going to class or something?"

"Well, I haven't been there all day. And I really need to deal with these swords. I don't have any solid plans of where I'm going to find a forge but, I need to train you up in everything about being a demigod. Want to come?" Nico wasn't really big on company in general, but he needed to get to know this guy and try to figure out some of the things that Hecate had talked about in the letter.

"Sure!"

A/N: Hurray, another chapter! They're really just popping now! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review!