Back once again. I did forget to mention that I was going to be out of town this weekend. In my defense it was a last minute plan that got made on Tuesday, so technically I could have given no warning to you guys. Anyways, excuse any oddness in my posting schedule until I get home. I'm still not sure if this will be 20 or 25 chapters. It might be somewhere in between. I do however know what I'll be doing after I'm finished with Choke. I have a new story idea that I want to get to work on, so it'll be picked up immediately after Choke. I'll have the sequel premiere when I finish Sola Amor, partly to draw out the gap between the stories. On a completely unrelated note, starsandtwinkles17, how the hell did you change your name? Is that even allowed? I know that came from nowhere, but you just popped into my head as I was writing this out and I looked and noticed the name change.

I got asked the question about my inspiration, and while it was in a review, it is a super long answer. I'll just announce it to everyone. So if you were ever curious, this is the origin of Choke. The original idea sparked from the bar scene from the Matrix where Neo met Trinity. I know, you're all probably wondering how I got from that to all of this. But that was the original idea and you saw it in the first chapter of Choke. The actual plot was originally this: I had a vision of these two groups of people looking for Percy. Percy would meet Nico, and be like an enigma to him. He would never quite be sure if Nico was real or not. The world was originally much different. It was going to be set in a world like the movie Aeon Flux, where the people live in a contained city while the rest of the world has fallen into ruin from a virus. That was going to be the original world. And I wanted there to be something special about Percy for why these people were looking for him. And at the same time, I wanted Nico and his group to be unique people as well. Originally it was going to border more along the concept that they could 'bend' reality to their will. I just had a hard time working a plot out in my head. So Bragi helped me, and it developed into a Marvel like world. I still wanted to keep a sense that the world is a normal world, and these people can do all of this stuff that they do. So, that is a short run through on where I came up with Choke. Shout outs.

Reining: You were. I suppose that is. Lol. You love insane Nico. Hmm. You might be on to something important there. Well, if he doesn't drink it, he'll either become permanently insane, or he'll destroy himself. Either way, Percy couldn't be with him if he were either. Have no fear, he'll still be badass.

Morgoth: I'm glad you liked it! Yes, crazy Nico is a total badass. I used to watch that when I was younger, I think. I remember the name Evangelion. It's ok. I'm lazy too.

Jywy: Lol. I'm hoping you come back even though you told me it was dark. I'm glad you thought it was interesting, though.

RestlessHeart182: Tough call. Um. He won't be able to go into crazy mode anymore. He'll still be an Omega, have no fear. He will just not be able to keep going past his limits like that berserker mode allowed him to. But now he can use his powers more freely without the risk of going insane. He just can't push as far. It sort of will dampen his powers, but only by a small percentage. He'll still be on Percy's level when Percy becomes his total badass self. Lol. I was too. It took them long enough.

Luckyducky: I know. About time. They really are. Lol. That he does. I do have lots of plans for him for the rest of this story, as well as the upcoming sequel. Thank you so much!

myrddin767: I did! Yes, when he was little his body rejected his DNA, causing his family to have to alter his DNA, making him the perfect Special. Athena is one of my favorite characters in this story. Mainly because I love Cortana in the Halo series. I will confirm they will play a part in the final battle.

Happykid44: That you were! Haha. So forceful. That would be weird. What a twist. I know :D. Percy will force it down his throat.

AzucenaXshadows: Haha. That's how it sounded in my head when I wrote it. Yes, even on his insane level, Nico wanted to end the obstacle keeping him from Percy. I did not even think about that when I fired Chiron, but true. They did!

DarkLove: Or will they? Mwhaha. They are super cute together. Lol. Thank you for sharing your dance. Yes, 4 is a lot to handle. That is why I'm refusing to start my new story idea until I finish this one. I feel like dying :P. Not literally, but you know. Yes, Zeus will be an important character down the line in this saga. Is it called a saga if it is only 2 fics?

RobinsArt: Lol. As I said, if you want him to be crazy while he dates Percy. That and destroy himself. Remember, I said his powers would eventually cause him to destroy himself. That is why he had those cracks on his body. He has more power than his body can handle, see the Dark Phoenix for reference. She has unlimited power, but she often destroys herself using it to extreme levels. The problem with Nico is he can't regenerate his body like the Phoenix. Have no fear, Nico will still be a total badass.

FireAngel5683: Well, your wait is finally over!

Lucy: Did you choke on Choke? Humor. I was gonna have it a few chapters back, but your fellow readers had to demand another Nico and Will scene. Yes, the sequel is being planned out. The basic idea is together, but I'm still working on plot and stuff. Thank you! Well, I put your answer up top for the inspiration that started Choke. As far as where do I come up with my ideas for my other stories and the chapters in them, I really don't know. I don't have a muse or anything. Bragi's whip on my back perhaps. I just sit down and start writing, and things come out. I don't plan my story way in advance, I just write it as I go. Bragi has been super helpful with making sure I write good stories, I really can't thank him enough. I was just very imaginative growing up. I was an only child and I live in the woods. My imagination was my favorite toy. I ran around in the woods pretending I was Legolas from Lord of the Rings and stuff like that. I grew up on Marvel comics and the cartoon shows. Just a large imagination I suppose.

HeyItsAmber: I figured you would. Lol. Well, it would have been back around chapter 11 if you people hadn't wanted that extra Nico and Will scene. Well, in the process of being established. I'm not sure if I want Percy to actually ask him out, or just have them have an understanding that they are together. I must decline to answer that question.

LizziDaughterofHades: Sister! Cause we have Son/Daughter of Hades in our names...Anyways. I don't know, I'm actually a pretty dark person, yet cheerful. But I do love Nico.

: Too bad we're out of those cookies. I do have pickles, which I made myself. Good job! Stalk is such a strong word. Thank you! I'm sure they enjoyed it too.

Veerayne: I'm glad that you think so. I'm glad you enjoyed. More insecurity this chapter. Good. Cause I demand that it be worked on.

Make-It-Now: Don't worry, he's gone forever in this fic. Yes. I'll talk more about Jason in the next chapter probably. Yes, finally!

IPineapplePants: Go right ahead. Is that you admitting to being gay, cause if so you just came out of Narnia.

Awesome older sibling: So I may have almost skipped over your shout out. I wrote all the other stuff really late and there were so many reviews, but then I was going to comment on something from your CoL review and was like...wait...he reviews everything I post so I know there should be one but I have nothing down. Yes, but I asked you to do it before I said I'd reward. Besides you get separate rewards from everyone else. Nerf? I'm not WoW. I do not nerf things simply because things are too hard for players. Yes, it is a lie. Yes, just a little bit. Which is also a good way of showing that even given his personality, he's still a complete bottom. Like someone else I know. I do love Athena. Meh. I'm just old fashioned. That word gets tossed around too easy now a days. Using it so easily just loses its meaning.

Jesus Christ. I feel there might come a day that I only start doing shout outs that are for detailed reviews. There are a lot of them now. Not complaining, I actually love it. More people should review. It would be like Christmas came early. Before we start the story, I have something to say. While it is going to be put next on my write list, before anyone asks, I really can't post an extra chapter this week. Why? Because chapter 16 hasn't been written yet. I'm capable of writing really fast, but I've been slacking I guess recently. That and the stories have started wearing me down. Bragi wants me to take a small hiatus, but I love posting new chapters too much. But yes, I will be working on the next chapter as soon as I get back from my weekend. So don't expect anything at the end saying, next week in Choke... Cause there won't be anything like that. I've just ended up being pretty busy I guess lately. Been taking a lot of trips out of town, and that's really slowed down my writing. Then there are days I just don't want to write. But I promise 16 will be done before next Sunday.

Also before we begin, I have a request. Hopefully the author doesn't see this to see that I'm playing dirty :P. Well, if he/she does, then they can see that I'm dedicated to this cause. Anyways, I want you all of you to go read Oceans and Underworlds by acirejacksonmellark57. After you read it, I want you to post a review including the fact that Percy should be the top. Before you say I shouldn't try to force an author to do what I want, you should understand something. They said they were going to leave it up to the reviewers, so that is why I ask this. Do this for me and you shall be rewarded. I'll keep an eye on who does it and take one-shot requests from everyone who does it, or something. I'm finding the story interesting, I just want to see Percy come out on top, pun intended. I posted a long review stating why I think Percy is the top, which can be found on their reviews. I don't put them in their positions just because I want them there, I put them there because it makes sense. It makes sense to me as a psychology major and as a gay guy, no offense to girls(because I know there are a lot of you reading this probably), but there really is no arguing with a gay guy when it comes to gay sex. It's sort of easy to identify which guy fits the bill for a top and which the bottom. Anyways, go review that. I realize I'm using my powers for evil, but it is a good cause. Is it wrong of me to use my fans in such a way?

Warning: Today we are going to draw the Queen of England, jumping out of a helicopter, cause that was badass. I'm aware it wasn't really her, but I can dream.

Disclaimer: I may need to get a haircut before I am able to put my hair in a ponytail...dammit I already can. Again, reminder that I'm a guy.

Chapter 15

Nico held the antigen in his hand, staring at the green liquid inside the beaker. He looked at Percy's form outside the room as he stood with his back to Nico. If he did this and lost his powers, he would no longer have a purpose. Everything he had been fighting for the past few years would go down the drain. He had been content with destroying himself just to kill Kronos. Then Percy had had to come along.

How could one boy change his life so much? Ever since Luke, Nico hadn't felt the need for the affection of others. Now Nico craved Percy's attention. Nico had told himself he would never let himself fall for another guy, but here he was, wanting Percy. He was willing to risk his powers so they could be together.

Nico looked back at the beaker, popping the cork out of the top. Percy was worth the risk, he told himself. He opened his mouth, screwing his eyes shut, and drank the green antigen. Immediately, he began coughing.

Percy spun back around upon hearing Nico's coughs. "What's happening?" Percy asked as he and his parents went into Nico's room.

"There was a small chance that he would have an adverse reaction to this," Poseidon informed him.

Percy clutched Nico's face. "Nico? Are you alright?"

Nico's head started to droop. A chill ran down Percy's spine as he felt the warmth leave Nico's body. "Percy, I don't feel so good," Nico mumbled, collapsing on the bed.

"Nico!"

"Shit, Sally, get me an IV," Poseidon ordered. Sally nodded and ran out of the room.

"Nico, you have to stay with me," Percy whispered to Nico, caressing the boy's face. "You're gonna be alright."

Sally ran back into the room with an IV, which she hooked up to Nico. Athena projected herself into the room. "Athena what's the problem?" Poseidon asked, taking Nico's pulse.

"His body is having an adverse reaction to the antigen. It's rejecting it. Try getting him to relax," Athena advised.

Percy nodded. He held onto Nico's face. "Nico, I need you to calm down," he said. Nico just groaned and let his eyes shut. Percy shook his shoulders. "Nico, please."

"You can use your telepathy," Athena informed him.

"But I-I feel like that's invading his privacy."

"We need him to calm down, Percy," warned Sally.

Percy bit his lip and nodded. He looked back at Nico. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He leaned over Nico and pushed into the boy's head.

Nico was younger, around fourteen. He sat on a swing in the backyard of a house. A younger Luke stood behind Nico, gently pushing the boy from time to time. A raven in a tree had caught Nico's eye. He watched the bird with much fascination as it cawed on its branch.

When Nico stopped swinging, Luke rested his chin on Nico's head. "What you looking at?" Luke asked.

Nico pointed up at the bird. "That bird is watching me," Nico said with a frown.

"I don't think it's very interested in you." He felt Luke's arms wrap around him.

"It's been there for hours."

Luke sighed. "I'm sure it's nothing." Luke released Nico and sat in the swing beside him. "Do you want to talk about it yet?" Nico shook his head. "Nico, you're going to have to tell me eventually. I know it was traumatic, but everyone is just curious at how you made it out of there."

"I told you, I don't know." Nico stared down at the ground, chewing on his lip.

"My parents want to know. That man keeps showing up looking for you, Nico. Can't you at least tell us who he is?" Luke asked.

Nico looked up at Luke with wide eyes. "They aren't going to let him see me, are they?" Luke shook his head. "I don't know how, but he did it."

Luke tilted his head to the side. "Did what, Nico?"

"Killed my parents."

"The police report said they careened off a cliff."

Nico waved his arms wildly. "Because there were rocks all over the road! He put them there somehow to make my parents wreck."

"That still doesn't explain how you got out."

Nico bit his lip. "I-If I show you something, do you promise not to freak out?"

Luke looked at Nico with concern. "Of course, Nico," Luke said, nodding his head. Nico sighed and held out his hand. The metal of the swing creaked as shadows pulled up from the ground to form in Nico's hand. Luke's eyes widened. "Ni-Nico, how did you do that?"

"I don't know," Nico whispered. He opened his hand, releasing the shadows. "Please don't tell."

Luke grabbed Nico's hand. "I'm not going to tell anyone, Nico."

"If I'm a burden, I don't have to stay here."

Luke smiled at Nico. "Nico, you're not a burden."

Percy gasped and fell backwards, into the wall. He glanced up, sighing in relief when he saw that Nico seemed better. "How long was I in there?" Percy asked.

"About fifteen minutes," Poseidon informed him, looking at his watch. "He seems to be alright now."

"He should wake up in a few minutes," Athena reassured Percy. Percy nodded. Poseidon's phone went off. He flipped it open and stepped out of the room.

Percy arched an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

Sally looked behind her at Poseidon. "We called in for some...assistance while you were at U.N.I.T.," Sally told him.

Percy gave her an odd look, but she didn't answer. He picked himself off of the ground and sat next to Nico on the bed. Percy reached over and grabbed Nico's hand. Nico gave his hand a squeeze, putting a small smile on his face. "Percy," Nico whispered.

"Hmm?" Percy asked, leaning in.

"Stay out of my head." Nico rolled over, facing his back to Percy. Percy let out a chuckle and stood back up. He and his mother left the room.

Percy looked up as he walked out of the door, stopping in his tracks. "Annabeth? Grover? What are you guys doing here?"

Poseidon, Grover, and Annabeth all looked in his direction. "We called them," said Poseidon.

"What have you told them?"

"Everything." Percy stared at his father in shock.

"I still think you all are delusional," Annabeth said. She looked over at Percy. "He says there are people with superpowers, and that you are one of them."

Percy chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yea, about that," Percy mumbled.

"You guys can't be serious," Grover said.

Poseidon pointed at Percy. "Percy, a demonstration," Poseidon ordered. Percy sighed and focused on a chair nearby. The chair shot off the ground and Percy spun it around in the air as it circled around the room. Annabeth and Grover's eyes widened.

"Holy sh-" Annabeth started.

"Dude, that's so cool!" Grover exclaimed.

"Well, they are taking it better than we thought they would," Sally said with a smile.

After giving Annabeth and Grover a detailed rundown of Specials and the organizations, they all sat in the lab in silence. Grover had yet to take his eyes off of Percy, which were widened to the size of saucers. Annabeth sat next to him, rubbing her head in frustration. "So let me get this straight. Percy needs to fight this Kronos guy, or the world could possibly fall into a state of vast corruption," Annabeth summarized.

"And I can't count on U.N.I.T. to help me anymore," added Percy.

"We have some sentinels that Athena can assist with, but we felt that we could use couple extra pairs of hands durring this operation," Poseidon said, looking between Annabeth and Grover.

"You want us to help you fight people with superpowers?" Annabeth exclaimed.

"You'll be protected here in the lab the entire time," Athena reassured her.

"We are actually working on a new project," Sally said, standing up. "Athena, if you would?" Athena brought up a holographic image of body armor. "This is a battle suit we are working on. It is made to be able to combat most off the Specials, taking into account all powers that are on file."

Poseidon stood up. "Our only obstacles are these Omegas, the suit cannot hold enough power to combat them effectively," he added. "The suit could give them a run for their money, I have faith in that, but they are called Omega for a reason."

"On the bright side, there is only one Omega in the Consortium, and that is Kronos," Athena said cheerfully.

"And he is Percy's responsibility to take down."

"I feel such comfort knowing the fate of the world rests on Percy's shoulders," Annabeth said sarcastically.

"Hey!" Percy exclaimed, pouting at Annabeth. "I can handle K-" Percy stopped talking when the door to Nico's room opened. Nico stood in the doorway, once again looking full of life. Percy let out a sigh of relief. He was about to go hug Nico when he noticed the fearful look on Nico's face. "Nico, what's the matter?"

Nico's eyes darted to Percy, inching forward until Percy he was next to Percy. "I can't use my powers," Nico mumbled.

Percy gaped at Nico for a moment before turning his attention to his parents. He gave his father a pleading look. Poseidon let out a sigh and ran a hand across his chin. "We said it was a possible side-effect," Poseidon reminded him.

Percy pulled Nico to his chest as the boy looked distraught. "It'll be ok, Nico," Percy whispered in Nico's ear. He looked up at the others. "I'm gonna take him back to his room for a minute." Poseidon nodded and Percy led Nico back to his room. He sat Nico on the bed and stared at the glass door. Stupid lack of privacy, he thought. He slid the door back open and poked his head out. "I don't suppose this thing has a privacy setting does it?"

Everyone raised an eyebrow at Percy. "Do we need to have you leave the door open?" Sally asked.

"Not like that!"

Athena chuckled. "Here, let me," she said. The glass whited out so that it was no longer transparent. Percy smiled and thanked her before shutting the door again.

Percy sat beside Nico on the bed, letting the boy rest his head on Percy's shoulder. "You're gonna be ok, Nico."

Nico looked up at Percy as the green eyed boy brushed some of his bangs out of his face. "That's easy for you to say, you still have your powers," Nico mumbled.

"Hey, I got by just fine my whole life without powers. Plus you still have me."

Nico rolled his eyes. "That's so comforting."

Percy smiled at Nico. He rested his head on top of Nico's. "Yet, it was enough to get you to take the antigen."

"And look where that got me, powerless and stuck with you."

Percy frowned until he saw the smile on Nico's lips. "In all seriousness, are you going to be ok?" Percy asked.

Nico shrugged. "I don't know, Percy. I can still fight, but I relied a lot on my powers." A look of horror spread across Nico's face. "Oh god, now I have to walk everywhere!"

Percy laughed and lay back on the bed. He pulled Nico on top of him and the dark haired boy rested his head on Percy's chest. "You know I'll take care of you, right?"

Nico frowned. "I've never needed protecting before."

Percy brushed some of the hair from Nico's eyes. He pulled Nico down for a quick kiss. Nico hovered over him for a while after they broke apart. "Nico?"

"Hmm?

"What happened between you and Luke? How did it get from that moment at his house to the night on the roof?"

Nico rolled off of Percy, propping himself up on his elbow. He ran a hand through Percy's hair as he seemed to reminisce on something. "It was a series of events," Nico began. "He first developed his powers about two months after the memory you saw. After that, he thought he could protect me. He was stupid. Kronos showed up at his house one day while his parents and I were out. Luke decided to hear what he had to say."

"Why didn't he just punch him? Luke is strong."

"Kronos would have blown up the house. Though, we didn't know that at the time. I just had warned Luke to be cautious of him."

"What happened?"

Nico let out a long sigh. "Kronos convinced Luke that it was in my best interest that he hand me over. He said that with my help, he could make the world a safer place for people like us. Kronos said that people would one day find out about us, and when that day came, we would be treated no different than the people of the Holocaust. He said we would be butchered in our homes, treated like experiments, and hunted like animals."

"Not to sound like Luke or Kronos, but I could see why that would scare him," said Percy.

Nico nodded. "I know. Honestly, I've thought about it a lot since Luke told me. I do fear that people would treat us like that if they knew. It's why I'm glad that the U.N. wants to keep us secret."

"Anyways, what happened after that?"

"Luke told me what Kronos had said. He told me that he wanted me to run away with him, that we should go help Kronos."

"Even after he killed your parents?"

"Kronos fed him a bunch of bullshit. Saying that it was for my own good and that he didn't mean for them to die. I didn't stick around, though. The look in Luke's eyes had started to change. He started looking at people like he was better than them because of what he was, even his own parents. I watched him for a while after that. I think Kronos had kept in contact with him, maybe thinking that Luke was his best bet for getting to me. Luke just slowly morphed into this person that I didn't even recognize anymore." Nico let out a sigh. "The roof incident happened shortly after that, and you know what happened from there."

"So, if Kronos wanted your power so bad, why did he stop trying to get you?"

"Who says he ever stopped? He would jump at getting another Omega on his side. Honestly, I don't think they have the file on all of the Omegas like U.N.I.T. does. If he did, I think he would have been going after them, but he hasn't."

"But he seemed to shift his focus at some point."

Nico bit his lip. "That's when we found out about you, or rather, the point in time where we knew you would make a difference. We searched for about two years for you."

"Oh, I almost forgot. I found out why you guys couldn't find me."

"Really? Why?"

"Some medication my parents had me put on. They said it was for depression, but it was a suppressant for my powers."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Makes sense. Remind me to never get on your parents bad side."

Percy chuckled. He sat up and pulled Nico into his lap. "I think I've distracted you well enough."

Nico buried his head into the crook of Percy's neck. "Yes, and you played dirty. Do you have any idea what is going to happen with Chiron and the others?"

"Jason, Leo, Apollo, and Rachel are going to work on getting a bunch of files out, after that, Leo is going to pull all of their digital copies so that U.N.I.T. won't have any data on us or the Omegas."

"And Chiron? What are they going to do after they get the files out?"

"Leo said he was going to call me," Percy answered. "I thought about asking them to come here, but I need to ask my parents first."

"Well go ask them."

Percy rolled his eyes and pushed Nico out of his lap. He hopped off the bed and exited the room, with Nico following behind him. Everyone looked over at them as they approached, Annabeth and Grover had seemed to have calmed down. "Mom? Dad? I had an idea that I'd like to run by you guys."

"Alright, what is it?" Poseidon asked.

"Well, Chiron and the others quit U.N.I.T., and they are still planning on helping me. I was kind of wondering if we could bring them here and work together?" Percy asked nervously.

Poseidon and Sally looked at each other. They both shrugged their shoulders. Percy smiled to himself. "I don't see why not," Poseidon said. "We could use all the help we could get, and something tells me that U.N.I.T. isn't going to be doing as good of a job with Chiron gone."

"Great!" Percy exclaimed. "Let me call about that now, actually." Percy reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone Leo gave him. He went through the contacts and dialed Leo's number. "Remind me to merge my contacts with this phone," Percy mumbled to himself.

It rang a few times before Leo finally picked up. "Percy? What's up?" Leo asked. Percy could make out whispers in the background. There was a sound of something banging against metal, followed by a muffled yelp from Jason.

"I was wondering how things were going," Percy replied.

Leo whispered some things to the people in the room with him before returning to Percy. "We're almost done here. We were going to drop it all off with Chiron. Why?"

"I have a better idea. I'll call Chiron and have him meet us at the location I'm going to send you shortly. Make sure you're not followed." Percy hung up the phone and opened up a text message, sending the address to Leo. He turned back to his parents, who were looking Nico over. "What's up?"

"We were just inspecting Nico," Poseidon replied. "I think we're going to do another cortical scan."

Two cars pulled up outside the lab. Chiron stepped out of one, while Leo, Apollo, Jason, Rachel, and Lou stepped out of the other. Percy eyed Lou as the group approached. "She wanted to help," Leo explained. Percy nodded.

"So, what is this place?" Apollo asked, looking up at the building.

"That's sort of complicated. I'd prefer to talk about it inside," answered Percy.

"Is this where Nico is?" asked Chiron.

Percy nodded. "He's downstairs. He's...well, he's ok, I suppose."

"That doesn't seem to be reassuring," said Jason.

"There's been a slight complication with his powers."

"What do you mean?" asked Chiron.

"He doesn't have them anymore." Everyone stared at Percy in shock. "We gave him an antigen to help with the insanity, but it had a slight side-effect."

"Is he alright?" Lou asked.

"He's taking it better than I expected him to. My parents are examining him now. They want to do a cortical scan, just to make sure."

"Your parents?" asked Chiron, raising an eyebrow.

"It's a long story," Percy said exasperatedly. "I think we should go downstairs." Everyone nodded. They followed Percy back into the building. The guard waved them through and they boarded the elevator.

"What is this place, Percy?"

"My parents have a secret lab, and they've sort of been monitoring the situation between U.N.I.T. and the Consortium for a while now."

"And you didn't tell us about this, because?" Apollo asked, crossing his arms.

Percy was saved by the doors opening. Everyone gaped at the lab. "Awesome," whispered Rachel. The group walked into the room, immediately spotting Nico on the examination table.

"Nico!" yelled Jason. Nico gave them a small smile and a wave.

Chiron stepped up to the table and placed a hand on Nico's shoulder. He turned his gaze to Percy's parents. "I do not believe we have met. I am Chiron," he said, extending his hand to Poseidon, who shook it.

"We have heard a lot about you, Chiron, and we are glad to have you on board," Poseidon said with a smile.

"I hear you have been keeping tabs on us."

Poseidon chuckled. "Just precautionary, I assure you."

"If I may ask, how did you manage hacking into our databases?"

Poseidon gestured to Athena's platform which lit up and the A.I. appeared above it. "Her name is Athena, and she is the best A.I. the world has ever seen. Sally and I built her ourself."

Chiron and the others huddled around Athena. "Fascinating," Chiron proclaimed. "I would like to see how she works."

"We can give you a little example. Athena, if you wouldn't mind registering each of them."

Athena nodded and her eyes lit up. Chiron Shriver. Age: Forty-two. Originated from a Bethel, Maine. Power: Selective Kinetic Dispersion, or Forcefields. Omega class. Apollo Summers. Age: Twenty-one. Originated from Los Angeles, California. Power: Pyrokinesis. Jason Grace. Age: Nineteen. Originated from San Diego, California. Power: Electricity. Lou Ellen. Age: Twenty. Originated from Richmond, Virginia. Power: Location. Rachel Dare-"

Rachel cut her off. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare. It's either just Rachel or my full name."

Athena blinked at her a moment. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Age: Nineteen. Originated from New York, New York. Power: Precognition. Leo Valdez. Age: Eighteen. Originated from Miami, Florida. Power: Technopathy."

"This is so cool," Leo said, poking at Athena's image.

Athena just sighed. "Must everyone poke me?"

"So, what's going on with Nico?" Jason asked, turning to look at the boy in question.

"He may have lost his powers," Sally said. "We just want to make sure. We are going to do a full scan."

"Hopefully he hasn't," Chiron said, stepping back over to Nico. "We could use him in the fight."

"Well, if he did manage to somehow keep his powers, he won't be going crazy anymore," Poseidon stated. "He would still be an Omega, just having lost a small portion of his powers."

Chiron nodded. "That would be a bit of a relief." He looked down at Nico. "Let us hope for the best in this then."

Percy walked over to Nico and Nico grabbed his hand. Percy pulled it up and kissed it. Jason, Leo, and Apollo raised an eyebrow. "And when did this happen?" asked Jason, waving his hands in the air.

Percy chuckled and Nico smirked. "Not that long ago," Percy answered.

"Long overdue," mumbled Rachel. Nico shot her a dirty look.

"Now then, let us begin with the scan," Poseidon stated, stepping up to the examination table. Athena lowered the machine over Nico's head, a secondary machine with a long needle coming down to take a blood sample. Nico squeezed Percy's hand and let out a breath.

"No matter what happens, everything's going to be ok," Percy whispered. Nico nodded his head, but bit his lip.

The monitor by the table lit up, displaying Nico's DNA sequence next to cross sections of what seemed to be his brain. Sally and Poseidon mumbled a few things quietly. Poseidon pointed to a few places on the monitor. "Well?" Nico asked, trying not to sound impatient.

The machine rose back to the ceiling and Nico sat up. Poseidon turned to face the group, a serious look on his face. Nico pursed his lips and squeezed Percy's hand tighter. "Your powers should be returning soon," Poseidon informed them.

You can all breath a sigh of relief. Nico still has his powers. However, don't think you're done seeing the crazy Nico. I might not show anything about it in Choke again, but I do have something planned for the future. Since it's obvious, it will be a memory that Percy will see. The idea just hit me the other day and I liked it. The problem was that it wouldn't fit in Choke anywhere, not to mention that I already took away Nico's craziness. Actually, I'm not sure when it will be. It might be at the end of this fic, if not, it'll be in the sequel. You got another look into Nico's past, and you saw what Luke was like before he went to work for Kronos. Now Annabeth and Grover are involved. And Chiron, Jason, and the others are now partnering with Percy's parents. The group has formed, and the end is now coming into sight. The clash of the two big titans is on the horizon. Percy vs Kronos, in a showdown that could completely destroy New York City. I'll probably have one more battle before the final one, just to show that Percy has grown in his powers again. He's reaching that final point right before he becomes the most powerful Special that he was crafted to be. I already have that moment where he 'ascends' to power envisioned in my head. Anyways. I'll see you guys next time.