Chapter 6

They walked through the forest back to the lake without saying a word. The whole place was deadly silent. It was as if the population in this forest was afraid and waiting until these two men were gone to continue with their routine.

It was horrible. Every time the realization of what he'd just done tried to dawn on Nico, the demigod would press his fists against his temple, squint his eyes and count until his conscience blocked this…thing. He was not ready yet.

Eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…. Nico breathed in and out. His heart rate had calmed down by now and he wasn't shaking anymore. His hands hurt and were bleeding, but it was a good pain. It distracted him from the blood on his face and clothes. His face was swollen and Nico knew by looking at him that Percy's face was just as beaten up.

Nico knew before they even saw the lake that they would never ever bring this up. They would talk about what didn't happen or what they would like to have done, but they would never, ever speak about it.

What happened in the haunted house stays in the haunted house.

They arrived at the lake. Nico passed by the fallen tree and began to unbutton his jacket. He felt Percy behind him and turned to him. Percy was leaning against the tree, his hand over his eyes. The hero was shaking and breathing in and out to calm down.

"Did-did that really happen?", he muttered with a shaky voice. Nico didn't know if this question was meant for him or if it was just rhetorical. Either way, he didn't answer. Nico felt a knot in his throat and gulped to get rid of this feeling. Percy ran his hand over his face and forced a smile as he walked past Nico and he too began to undress.

They washed their bodies with the cold water. The coldness was a relief to the aching in Nico's face and he sighed contently as the liquid flowed down his face. Percy had a stony expression on his face and Nico felt bad for him. His chest had many bruises and scratches. His back had those as well. But they didn't heal like they should have. The water washed the dirt and blood of his skin but the wounds stayed.

Nico fixed his gaze at the water, pretending to not have seen anything unusual. It was the damn curse and he wondered distressed what Percy would lose next.

The day passed slowly and neither of them mentioned the haunted house or the two murdered murderers. They acted as if nothing had happened and went on with their daily routine. However both had shaky hands and a black eye from the fight so hunting was impossible. They decided to sit down and cool their feet in the lake while fishing. It was nice Nico decided. He didn't have to move or talk, but he was busy enough to ignore the incident.

And really, for a few hours everything was normal again. Percy was being silent, but he had those phases once in a while. They caught four fish and the firewood and dry leafs burned quicker than normal. It was too good to be true and Nico knew - and he hated himself for being right – that it wouldn't last the night.

Percy was smoking his pipe, turning the fish as the fire cooked them while Nico set up the tent. He thought for a moment to have heard something coming from the forest, but he dismissed it and went back to work. When everything was ready for the night he kneeled next to Percy and licked his lips as he stared at the roasted fish. Percy put one on his friend's plate, but before Nico could even take a first bite they were interrupted by a figure, which rolled down the dune and landed on her arm. The two demigods jumped to their feet their hands on their weapons.

The figure turned out to be a woman. She groaned and just lay there for a few moments. Nico approached her slowly. If she was the person he thought she was then he had to be careful. And yes, Nico was right, because the woman was no one but the famous heroine Clarisse la Rue.

Great!, Nico thought bitterly. Just what we needed.

He kneeled and studied her face, but it was definitely her. She opened her eyes and they widened a little when she saw him.

"Nico?"
Nico sighed and stood up, wiping his hands on his pants. "Yep, it's her", he said loudly as he went back to eat dinner. "Let's eat!". He pulled Percy closer to him and gave him a pointed look. "Try not to look at her in the eye", he whispered. "She might recognize you if you're not careful"
Percy nodded curtly and took a bite of the roasted fish. The two men had their eyes glued to their meal, trying to ignore Clarisse's presence.

Clarisse huffed, clenching her teeth as she stood up. She ached everywhere. She stumbled to the two men and stayed in front of them with her arms crossed over her chest. She tapped her foot impatiently.

"Care to explain?".
Nico looked up. "Nope" and went back to eating.
"Who's this punk?", she jerked her head toward the other man, who was familiar to her.
Nico felt Percy tense up and decided to answer for him. He sat up straighter and swallowed the last bit of the fish. "This punk is my friend, Clarisse."
"He looks familiar"
Nico laughed nervously. "Why do you think that, huh?"
She shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know. I just do"
"Well, you know I think you're-"
Suddenly Percy stood up, throwing his plate to the ground. Nico mourned over the lost pieces of the meal, but he quickly focused on the developing scene.

Percy stepped forward. "I'm Percy, Clarisse"
There was a short silence in which Clarisse stepped back. Her face was shocked, she couldn't or wouldn't believe it and her moth was open. And then she took another step back and frowned.

"That's- that's….". Her eyes narrowed. "Impossible…"
Percy raised his shoulders and looked down, his hands in his pockets. "Well, it is me."
She fell silent. Then she stepped towards him and punched him in the face causing Percy to fall down. Nico jumped to his feet.

"Hey! Wha- why the fuck did you do that?", he yelled angrily as he helped his friend up.
"That's for Annabeth", she spat. She threw a breach at him. "And that's…". She searched for words. "And that's for…. Ugh forget it you ass!" Then she sat down and stared angrily at the fire.

Nico helped Percy to sit down. "You okay?", he asked worriedly.
Percy wiped his hand from his shoulder. He chuckled. "I'm okay, Nico. I'm not that old yet". He said this in an amused tone, but Nico wondered if he was the only one, who noticed the bitterness in his voice. Nonetheless he smiled forcedly and sat down to continue eating.

"What happened to your faces?", Clarisse asked. "And can I have something of that food?"
"No"
"Yes". Percy gave him a look and Nico crossed his arms and shrugged.
"Okay", he said. "But only the half"
Clarisse ate the whole fish and no one complained.

"We… were attacked", Percy said coming back to her first question.
"Yeah. We almost lost"
Clarisse scrunched her eyebrows as she chewed on her food. "Really.."
"Yes… it- it was awful". Nico's voice broke and he looked away.

They were quiet for a few moments, each one of the busy with their own thoughts. But then Clarisse broke the ice.

"Were you attacked anywhere near a ruin or-or a house?", she asked suspiciously. The two male demigods stared at her. They didn't answer, but it was enough for the daughter of Ares.

"One of the men was big and tall, the other skinnier"
The two boys continued to stare. Clarisse closed her eyes and leaned back on her arms.
"Oh my gods…", she sighed. "Why did you go into that haunted house? It- everyone knows that you never ever step into haunted houses". She spat. "You only find monsters in there". She studied them. "What happened in there? There was a lot of blood"
Percy and Nico exchanged a glance, before looking away quickly.

"Fine". Clarisse rolled her eyes. Then- "Why do you look so old, Percy?"

The mood changed from bad to worse. Nico glanced at his friend, whose composure was stiff. The son of Hades looked at Clarisse and shook his head slightly, but Percy sighed and looked at Nico. he understood immediately.

"You don't have to tell her", he said. "It's none of her business."
But Percy shook his head and replied: "I know, but she deserves to know"
Nico sighed in defeat. He stood up and sat on the ground with his eyes fixed to the flames.

And Percy told Clarisse. He told her about the curse, the envious god, who had damned him to this life, and why he had to leave. Clarisse was a good listener, something Nico didn't expect. She nodded encouragingly and the son of Hades watched how her face darkened as Percy continued with his story. She shook her head as he was finished.

"But-but why didn't you tell anyone?", she asked. "We- someone could have helped you."
Percy averted her gaze. "I- I felt so…so humiliated", he whispered in a shaky voice. Nico didn't know if it was because he was angry or sad.
"We could have-"
"What? Put in a good word for me to the gods?". Percy laughed. "They could've lift up the curse when I asked them for help!"
Clarisse had nothing to say. She looked at the fire and to Nico. "You knew about this. Why didn't you tell us?"
He rolled his eyes and looked at his friend. "I swore not to tell anyone"
"Oh and of course you kept that promise"
"Yes I did"

They glared at each other. Clarisse turned to Percy.

"You have to tell her", she said determinately.
Percy jumped to his feet and turned away. "No."
The demigod frowned. "Why?"
"She- I don't want her to see me like this", he hissed turning to the other two demigods. "I- Look at me!". He gestured at himself. "See? It's- This is going to get worse!"
Clarisse shook her head. "She won't mind."
"Oh really?". His eyes narrowed. "Can you promise that she won't leave when I'll need help with walking? When I can't stand up anymore? Can- Look at me and tell me she will not leave."

There was a short silence. Percy smiled bitterly and sat down. His whole energy was gone and he looked older.

"I can't go back, Clarisse", he said quietly. "You heard my story. You know what will happen to her if I come back"
"I know", she muttered. She stood up and wiped the dust off her pants. "I'm going to sleep" . She didn't get far when Percy raised his voice. She turned around frowning.
Percy looked at her intently. "Don't tell anybody"
"I won't"
"Promise it"
Clarisse put her hand on her chest. She stared back. "I promise no one will find out about you". Then she turned back and crawled into Percy's and Nico's tent.

Nico frowned and was about to yell at her to get out, but Percy shook his head.

"Let her", he said. "She'll be gone tomorrow".
Nico huffed and lay down on his back. "I'm not comfortable". He heard the hero chuckle.
"I'm leaning against a tree, Nico. I'm not comfortable either."

Okay, I don't like this chapter but it was necessary. Still, please tell me if there is something I could make better.

I also won't be able to update for a few weeks because I'm going on vacation.

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