A friend seriously let me down today. She said 'not bad for a kid'. So if you guys know better, then DON'T treat me like a kid. Judge my writing on quality, not age. I don't care if I'm sixteen, or fifty two, I jsut want to know if I'm good. If you judge soft me because you think I can't take a few harsh flames, then Avada Kedavra, buddy! Nuh-uh, I'm one tough nut of a girl, so STOP TREATING ME LIKE A 5 YR OLD.

Thanks!

WWW: Your wish is my command!

Nico was surprised to see how thick-headed wizards could be. Heck, they were even worse than demigods!

At least demigods knew when to stand together. At least they knew when to drop their suspicions and fight together. From what Nico could tell, wizards considered demigods vicious and barbaric. But at least them half-breeds had more sense than those stick-wielding idiots.

Nico hadn't know why Hermione had called him then, but when her reasons were clearer, he signed his name in as fast as he possibly could.

But what really changed his opinion of several wizards was when Zacharias had asked Harry about Cedric Diggory. Of course Nico had heard of his death. But like wise, he didn't ask any questions. Harry would have had to seen death to see a thestral, so he knew he had. But the thing about death was, no one liked to speak about it. It was naturally an unspoken rule in the demigod word; you never , not under any circumstances, mention death. And Zacharias had done exactly that.

Of course Nico had been angry. Of course he had been. It reminded him too much Bianca, He hadn't even been there when she'd died (of course, that had been made up for later) but it still hurt.

Nico snorted silently as he walked across the snow-sewn paths of Hogsmeade. The word 'hurt' was a horrible understatement.

Nico, stuck in his thought, bumped into someone. He sighed, then stared up. And he almost had a heart attack once he found out who he'd just bumped into.

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Tskia knew Tom Riddle though high of himself, but not to this extent. He'd arrived at Voldemort's throne room, where the big cheese himself sat on the throne, petting his pet snake.

Tskia was an assassin, a hunter of souls, and a seeker of revenge. Yet all he could think of once he saw what this 'Lord Voldemort' looked like; Where's the creep's nose?

Of course, he didn't voice that, though. Bad beginning for a business and all that. The snake hissed at Tskia, as if that was supposed to scare him.

The three cloaked wizards immediately bowed to their master. They kept looking at him expectantly, but Tskia just stood his ground.

"Bow to the Dark Lord," the nearest one hissed. Tskia rolled his eyes. Arrogant snakes, these wizards were.

"I bow to no one." Tskia said aloud. To his absolute amusement, Voldemort didn't look annoyed by this. Instead, he petted his snake even more, and his smile grew wider.

"Rise," Voldemort told his followers, and they obeyed. He turned to Tskia, sizing him up with new found interest.

"I see," Voldemort said. "I have heard a lot about you."

Tskia's black eyes narrowed. He could sense a strong desire, an untamed anticipation roaring from within Voldemort's soul. Oh, he wanted revenge, alright.

"As I'm sure, you have." Tskia replied calmly. "I, on the other hand, have heard that you need my assistance." Tskia stared at Voldemort to confirm. When Voldemort didn't react, Tskia assumed he was correct. "I give anyone my assistance, Tom Marvolo Riddle."

Voldemort's snake-slit eyes narrowed. "I have my limits when it comes to patience and mercy, Unseen Assassin." he hissed.

Tskia smirked at how mad he was making him. Obviously, he was trying to hide it, but Tskia knew how he really felt. He knew everything.

"I need neither." Tskia said firmly. As soon as he'd said so, three wands were pointed in his direction. Voldemort did nothing to interfere.

Tskia laughed at their attempt to intimidate him. "I have seen things much more scarier than the tips of your wands." he assured.

"My Lord?" One of the Death Eaters asked, looking quizzically at Voldemort. Voldemort nodded slowly.

"Crucio!" the wizard said. Tskia did nothing to dodge the curse. When it got him straight in the chest, he did nothing but laugh. The occupants of the room gaped at him in absolute shock.

Tom Riddle, too. But of course, the expression on his face only stayed for a second or two before he completely veiled it.

Tskia dusted his shirt. "Before you can even get to the question, I'll take the honor of answering." he said, smirking. "As you know, I'm a special...wizard, of sorts. And my mother, being the goddess of revenge, shields me from any of its wandering blunders." Tskia smirked, knowing they had no idea what in Hades they were talking about.

"It's revenge on the wizarding world you want, not on me. Whatever anger you take out of us children of Nemesis won't be valid. We charge revenge, Tom Riddle. It gives us power." Tskia glared at the people in the room, daring them to say anything else.

"But I believe," Tskia said, "that we must get to our business. I believe you wanted me to complete a certain task?" Tskia looked up at Voldemort. Voldemort, still at loss of words, said: "Indeed. Fight in my army. And give me information; anything you know of that's been occurring at Hogwarts." Voldemort said, his voice still commanding.

Tskia raised his eyebrows, then smiled. "A simple offer, then. Though I must warn you, my prices are not financial. I wouldn't care for a mountain of galleons, or drachmae, for that matter."

If he had any, Voldemort probably would've raised his eyebrows. "Then what interests you?" he asked, looking at Tskia like he was an unsolved puzzle.

Tskia's lips twitched. "A certain price," he drawled. "something important." Tskia faced Voldemort. "Do we have a deal then, Riddle?"

Resentfully, Voldemort inspected Tskia one last time. His cold eyes swept through his expressions, and studied him carefully. Tom Riddle was a coward, yes. But he was not a fool. No, not always. He was careful about who he recruited. And also who he didn't. Just looking at Tskia, anyone could tell that no one owned him, or ordered him around for that matter.

"We have a deal."

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"Mera!" Nico almost yelped. "What in Hades are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Nice to see you too!" Pallismera said, although she couldn't hide her surprise. She regained her posture, then smirked at her relative. "I've been searching for you! Gods, it's snowing. In October?"

Nico looked at her like: why is that surprising? "Were you expecting flowers and sunshine?" Nico said, smirking at her.

Pallismera looked at her clothes. A shirt, some jeans, and here trade-mark red cloak. She shrugged. "Maybe. Anyway, I've got something for you." Pallismera watched as a little bit of recognition flew across Nico's face.

"I'd ask how your quest is, but unfortunately, I can't. Dad's got a quest for me too, and it's annoying as Tartarus."

Nico looked up at her, amused. "Does it include taming hellhounds or so?"

Pallismera sighed. "Nah." She dug her hand into her jean's pocket and dug out the white pendant. She showed it to Nico. "Here,"

Nico stared at it, bewildered. "Why are you giving me a necklace?" he asked, staring at it warily.

"It's a pendant." Pallismera stressed. Why Nico and Lou-Ellen were so keen on calling Prosedzo a necklace, she would never know.

"It's white." Nico said, feigning disgust. Pallismera laughed. "It's a gift from me, kid. Please, Nico. Promise me that you'll wear it. Always." Her eyes turned so sincere and demanding that Nico had to frown at the unfamiliar expression.

He took the pendant gingerly,and tied it around his neck. Nico smiled at her, and attempted a joke."You make it sound like my life depends on wearing it." Pallismera's face turned stony. If you only knew, she thought bitterly, cursing Hecate in her mind.

"I gotta go," she said firmly, although in truth, she wanted nothing more but to stay and pulverize anything that would threaten Nico.

"What's your quest, by the way?" Nico asked, looking at her curiously. Pallismera smiled grimly. "Oh, nothing important." she assured him.

"Just stalking someone. A demigod called Tskia. I can't say anymore." She gave Nico a small hug. Nico returned it reluctantly. He straightened up, then stared at Pallismera with something like doubt in his eyes.

"In greek," Nico said, frowning, as if trying to remember. "Doesn't Tskia mean..."

Mera sighed. "Yes," she said, biting her lip. She remembered all the titles Tskia had. She took a few steps back.

The unseen assasin. The Shade. The follower.

She waved at Nico, emptily, and tried for a smile.

The predator.

She started to blend into the darkness, feeling her essence fade and her mind calming, until she remember Tskia's most intimidating title. The darkness consumed her, as the words popper into place.

The Shadow.

As the shadows devoured her whole, she had time enough to think: What had Tskia become? How could he turn them- turn her down like this?

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Funny how what you want most is what your fear most. When all your dreams come true, isn't it just intimidating how you're afraid they were just going to fall apart in the end? But oh, it's steadily worse when you know they're going to fall apart.

She tried her best to stay away from him, but she couldn't. Heavens know she's tried! But now they knew. They could see her thoughts, her feelings, her memories. And they were using them against her now.

Oh, his startling smile. The way he would always stand up to her no matter what. She hoped desperately that she would die, right here and then, just so she wouldn't have to see the hurt expression on his face.

But why was she thinking this now? They were hearing her thoughts! They knew, and the more they know, the more people they'll hurt because of her.

Damien gently put an arm around her shoulder. "Hogsmeade is beautiful this time of the year, isn't it?" he asked, staring at the frozen lake. She choked, nodding slowly. Damien looked at her, noticing her discomfort.

His hand slipped into hers. All of a sudden, her worries evaporated, her ind numbed. What did it matter, really? He was still here with her.

"I'm glad you could come with me tonight," Damien said, and she could tell it was true.

"I-I'm glad I could come, too." she said. Her body grew tense. She couldn't see anything but him, couldn't feel anything but his hand in hers.

Damien unconsciously tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear, almost pulling off her ice-cap in the process.

"You're-you're really beautiful, you know?" Damien asked. His cheeks flushed. Vanessa's, too. He just...complimented her? She felt a flicker of happiness cross her mind, and this time, it was extinguished.

"Thanks," she managed to mutter, still flushing. Damien held both her hands and looked at her with his dark, penetrating eyes. He was close, so close, and she asked herself if he was always so much cuter up near. They was so, so near now...their hands were intertwined, their lips half an inch apart. He laughed, and she laughed with him. They were laughing so hard that Vanessa almost fell into the frozen lake.

"Woah," Damien said, chuckling, and wrapping his arms around her waist to avoid her slipping. But she kept laughing, kept cherishing the moment and locking it up where she would never forget. She steadied herself, the marks of her laugh yet to fade.

Then, it came. That painful feeling of her body moving against her will. "I-I really like this, you know?" she managed to say, before they took control. Damien smiled at her. It warmed her heart. And then, it happened. She felt her fingers twitching. She fought it, but she couldn't. They controlled her now. She was no longer Vanessa Starling, neither Briana Jones. She pulled out her wand.

"Hey," Damien said, laughing quietly. "What's that for?"

Her hand twitched. Her eyes filled with tears. He didn't know what was coming...

She smiled, playfully (not really) and pointed her wand at him. Against her will, her face turned stony, but tears poured down it nonetheless.

"I-I'm sorry, Damien." she choked, he face softening. Then, they got complete control over her. She would never be herself again.

Her wand shook, but they managed to force her arms into steadiness.

"Imperio!"

Now wasn't THAT dramatic! I dare you all, to be honest. You DIDN'T see that coming did you! Ha! I'm so darn evil. You should have guessed at least a line of the prophecy by now. If not, then SHAME ON YOU! *snorts at friend* not bad for a kid, eh?

(Again, a chapter longer than usual...but it was FUN! I couldn't help getting a little carried away, you know?)