Chapter 2

Fallen branches and leafs cracked under his feet. He was trying to be as silent as possible. He could imagine that he would be a little jumpy after everything that happened in the past…days, weeks and years. He waved his hand to shoo away some weird insects. That was probably one of the few positive things about the Underworld: no annoying bugs. On the other hand there was no sunlight so…

Nico pondered about whether calling his name from up here or getting closer and then getting his attention. He watched him from the spot he was standing.

He looked the same as yesterday. Okay, he was only seeing Percy from behind, but if his clothes were not torn from behind then his front should look okay. Percy was sitting on a fallen tree. His shoulders were hunched as if he was carrying (again) the weight of the world on his back. He was playing with a stock of a tree, drawing things on the earth. He looked very... lonely.

Nico frowned, wondering if he had looked like this after Bianca had died. If he had then he preferred how he looked now. He was still recovering from the time the giants held him captive and Tartarus, but he felt better. He hadn't felt so alive since Bianca.

He shook his head. Now was not the time to think about his sister. She had said goodbye to him and had chosen rebirth…. She was fine now.

Percy sighed long and sad. Nico's eyes narrowed a little, feeling a little overwhelmed with this situation. He had no idea how to approach his friend, what to say to him. He didn't know what happened; only that he had been forced to leave quickly, if his father's words could be trusted.

Maybe he should head back to camp. This was none of his business. What happened between Percy and the gods was not his concern. The demigods of both camps had finally accepted and respected him as a son of Hades/Pluto. Finally he had a place where he belonged, a sister to take care of. He couldn't just leave all this behind for another demigod! Yes, he was the hero of Olympus and saved the world twice. But he...Bianca died and he did nothing.
Nico was going to leave him. He would see now and then if Percy was okay, but that would be it. He was done. He did what he had to do and now Nico deserved a long break.

He turned around. He began to walk away from his oldest friend, but something was holding him back. He looked back slowly. Percy was in the same position as before. Nico bit his lip. Somehow Percy reminded Nico of himself. He too had been in this position. Only that no one had forced him into that life.

So Nico did what everyone would have done. He turned and approached Percy.

"… Hey". Great way to start, Nico.

Percy jumped and turned his head to where the voice had come from. He relaxed as he saw Nico standing behind him.

"Hey…", he said and smiled genuinely. "Do you want to sit?" He pointed at a trunk. Nico nodded and moved to sit down. He looked at Percy and when he saw that his friend was deep in thought he glanced down. He should say something.

"So… how are you?" Nico mentally slapped himself. He could have said something about the weather.

Percy looked down. "Okay I guess…".

To Nico it was clear that Percy wasn't fine.

"And… how long have you been-"

"What are you doing here, Nico?", Percy asked.
Nico stared at him. Percy was looking at him intently, waiting for an explanation."I… uhm…". Nico was looking for the right words to explain. He gesticulated with his hands. "It's- it's the right thing."
Percy opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it and looked at his feet. He took a deep breath. "You don't have to do this", he said quietly. "This- this is my problem. I'd be a burden to you"
"That's not true!", Nico cut him off, frowning. "You survived Tartarus and faught a million monsters! I'd be stupid if I didn't join you!"
The son of Poseidon kept his eyes glued to the ground. He started playing with the stick again. "I'm not a burden yet", he said, his voice suddenly thick and shaky. "But I will be.".

He looked up, meeting Nico's eyes. His sea-green eyes were glowing and Nico was able to see all his emotions and memories in those depths. They were moving pictures, a movie with no sound. As the background became darker and darker, his eyes grew bigger and the sea-green color glowed even more. Nico saw a large hand coming down, about to judge him. But before he could see the verdict, everything became dark and Nico sat up startled. A dream. He just woke up from a dream.

He wiped his face. His dark eyes got used to the blazing light that shone through the tent.

Percy was looking at him from the entrance of the tent. His eyes, unlike the dream, showed no emotion as he stared down at his friend. Nico shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked at Percy.

"Breakfast is ready", the hero said curtly and left the tent.

Nico shook his head again, wiping the sweat drops from his face. He sighed and crawled out of his sleeping bag and the tent. He blinked. It was a clear day; no clouds covered the blue sky. The forest hid the chitterling birds and other animals worth to hunt. Nico groaned inwardly. The simple thought of having to hunt again made him tired. He should be thankful though; the dream could have been worse.

"Mornin' ", the son of Hades muttered and stretched. "Gods, I'm tired"
Percy chuckled and stirred the stew. "Really? You slept through and you had no nightmare, though"
"Yeah so?" He sat down and rubbed his hands expectantly. "What's in there?". He nodded at the smoking kettle.
"A lot"
Nico gritted his teeth and hid his face behind his hands. "I'm not in the mood for this"
"Me neither", he replied as he filled Nico's bowl with something that looked like soup or stew. Nico sniffed and shrugged. It smelled better than it looked. He took a sip from it and tasted it. He licked his lips and shrugged. He looked up to see Percy staring at him. "It's good", he said. "Better than the last one you made"
Percy smiled and dipped the spoon into the bowl. "Everything is better than the soup from last time"

- Rachel -

Rachel groaned, leaning her head against the wall. Clarisse was annoying her.

"I told you I can't help you, Clarisse!", she yelled angrily.
Clarisse rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "You are the damn oracle", she said, gritting her teeth. "You are here to help!"
"Yes and under normal circumstances I would help you out, but you're asking the impossible!"
Clarisse raised her arms and shrugged. "I'm just asking where-"
Rachel stood up from her armchair. "-Where that thing is you're trying to find-"
"That thing is my father's present for Aphrodite"
"But I told you already I don't know where it is!"
"You always help the others!", Clarisse shouted furiously. "But when one of the Ares cabin asks you then you have nothing!"
Rachel shook her head and stomped with her foot. "It's not my fault!"
"Well, I don't see you trying harder"

Clarisse had a quest from her father. She had to go somewhere 'where blood has been shed' to 'retrieve war's gift to love'. Those were two lines of the prophecy. And as Clarisse had noted a while ago these lines were complete 'bullshit'.

Rachel shook her head again. "I'm sorry, but I have nothing. Maybe you should try looking at those battle places from the civil war. You know, blood, death and all that stuff."
Clarisse grunted and rolled her eyes. She left the Oracle's cave without a word. Rachel fell on her bed and sighed. Thank the gods, she was gone.

So this was the second chapter. I promise this story will get better and the chapters longer. Please REVIEW