This is the longest chapter I have written until now. More than 8k words. I hope they make up for the long wait and for the fact that I haven't managed to edit this story yet.

I tried writing many different POVs in this chapter and I hope that I have always stayed in character. All the characters from whose POV I have written in this chapter are from now on main characters in this story.

Please leave a review.

Summary: Death gained a whole new appeal the moment I became a daughter of Hades. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert]

Have fun.


Chapter 17

Figures Of Legends


"Even death has a heart."
― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief


Camp Half-Blood was everything Bianca expected it to be; A home for children who would mostly never reach their adulthood. One last save haven and a temporary reprieve for those who knew what it meant to live on the run from monsters. Fantastical and in many ways too good to be true.

Their father had informed them about this camp more than once, but Bianca was still surprised by the happiness this whole place seemed to radiate.

The girl could not fathom how no one noticed that Camp Half-Blood was just a thinly veiled slaughterhouse.

Children were brought here to learn about their heritage and then taught how to fight. Later, the gods chose the strongest ones to fulfill quests for them.

Quests most did not survive.

The sad thing was that those who did not manage to reach camp lived even less than those who did. There was no life outside of the camp for demigods, there was only survival. And inside the camp most children came to believe that they needed to prove their worth to their godly parent which was something Bianca could not truly comprehend.

None of the di Angelo siblings ever had to doubt their father's love. It was one of the consistencies in their life.

''Are you alright, Bianca?'' asked her brother while he sat down on a cot besides their sister. Nora seemed to be completely lost in her own thoughts, not even reacting to the suddenly broken silence.

''I'm fine,'' answered the oldest living child of Hades. ''You shouldn't worry about me. Nora and you suffered worse injuries than I.''

Her gaze slipped towards their sister and a worried expression appeared on her face. Bianca knew exactly what was happening to the younger girl, just as she knew that there was nothing she could do to help her sister.

There were some things in life that a person needed to do by themselves.

Accepting herself and her powers was one of those things Bianca could not help her sister with.

''The ambrosia healed most it. I'm more worried about,'' he spoke each word a little quieter than the previous one. ''you know.''

His gaze never strayed from his twin and he was fiddling nervously with the hem of his shirt. At any other time, Bianca might have described his behavior as endearing. Her brother, for all his craziness and apathy, loved both of his sisters dearly.

Nora rolled her eyes, her siblings' combined worry piercing through whatever thoughts she had been trapped in. ''You do know that I can hear you.''

''Well, of course you can,'' Nico begun. ''It's not as if you're deaf.''

Bianca almost sighed as she watched her siblings squabble. It was such a common sight that she could not even bring herself to feel annoyed. Nico and Nora might have loved each other more than the world itself, but that did not change the fact that they were two completely different individuals. This became especially clear in the last few years. Where Nora was soft and merciful, Nico was harsh and unforgiving. They butted heads due to their differing morals and more than once Bianca had to calm their rising emotions.

Though the truth was that ultimately one of them always gave in. It was Nora more often than not, but Nico also knew when a fight was lost. In many ways he reminded his older sister of their father. The son of Hades had not only inherited most of their father's looks, but also his personality.

Bianca wasn't blind to the faults of her own family. She had seen what being a god truly meant and knew that there was nothing good about being compared to one.

Gods were selfish and cruel. They took what they wanted without caring about the consequences. The fate of mere mortals did not interest them. Oftentimes even their children suffered from their disinterest.

Receiving the love of a god was a privilege not many were granted. Even less saw what a curse this privilege truly was.

Not even their father was exempt from that. Bianca had seen the things he was willing to do for them. Had felt all the dead souls that entered the Underworld in the wake of their mother's death.

Bianca, not even an hour ago, had been a witness to Hades' ambition.

And no matter how much the god might have claimed otherwise, the girl knew exactly that it was due to their father's ambition that they were to stay at Camp Half-Blood. Nora wasn't mistaken in her anger, for their father truly was following a rather selfish agenda.

Hades might have been proud of them, but that wasn't enough for him. He wanted the whole world to feel that way. He wanted his brothers and sisters to see the strength of his most favored offspring. Wanted them to envy him.

Bianca had no illusions when it came to her father. The god was using them to stroke his own ego and the only thing that made him different from the other gods was that he would interfere if the need should arise.

If there was one thing she was certain of, then it was that their father, unlike the other gods, would not sacrifice his three children's lives for his own ambition. When the situation called for it, Hades would save their lives just like he had done it that day.

There was no doubt in her heart when it came to her small family's safety. What she did regard slightly fearfully was her siblings' long term happiness.

Neither of them wanted to be trapped in the camp and Bianca did not feel too pleased about their current situation either. The three of them were trapped in a time they knew nothing about and in a camp full of prejudiced children. There was nothing shameful about being a child of Hades, but looks the other campers sent their way made it seem as if there should be.

The thing that worried her the most though, was the change in the twins' relationship. Nico was not one to hide such things and this could cause them many problems. Bianca did not care about what her siblings did. Unfortunately, the campers would most likely not share her opinion.

That might not have been a problem if it were not for Nico's volatile temper. Should anyone insult Nora, then the boy might actually try and succeed at killing them.

Sometimes Bianca wondered if such a realization should have scared her. As it was, she was just worried about the uproar such an action would cause among the campers.

The children of Hades were strong, but not strong enough to take down the whole camp.

''Just let him bandage you, Nico.'' Nora sounded immensely annoyed as she waved her hand at the young son of Apollo who was treating their wounds. The boy had already taken care of her sisters leg and was now looking sternly at her brother.

Bianca felt as if she should commend him on his bravery. Not many mortals opposed her brother nowadays.

Shaking his head with a scoff, Nico muttered, ''Why? It's almost healed.''

This time Nora did not refrain from hitting their brother's arm, hard. ''Because as you said yourself, the wound is almost healed. I let him bandage mine as well to make sure that nothing aggravates the tender skin. Why can't you just once follow someone else's example for once?''

Before her brother could form a derisive answer, Bianca decided to interfere in Italian. Perhaps this would work better to persuade him. ''Nico, just this once, listen to us.''

It was then that he finally seemed to notice how the shadows were swirling around their sister. Bianca saw the exact moment he came to the conclusion she herself had come to a while ago; Nora was not in full control of her powers.

''Fine, fine.'' He threw an arm over Nora's shoulder. The shadows calmed marginally. ''Will, was it? Just do it fast. I don't want to spent the rest of the day in the infirmary.''

''You won't have to. Your sister, on the other hand, might not have a choice in that matter.'' The blonde started wrapping a bandage around her brother's naked torso, covering the thin red line marring his skin.

Nora rolled her eyes. ''I'm perfectly fine.''

''And I wasn't talking about you.'' This was said without any bite, however, it still caused a narrowing of Nico's eyes. ''Bianca suffered a concussion. The ambrosia probably healed most of it, but one can never be sure.''

He turned his head towards the oldest di Angelo sibling. ''You should stay here for observation at least until tomorrow. It's better to be save than sorry.''

Instead of letting her brother answer for her, as he was certainly ready to do, Bianca shook her head to show her denial. ''This is not the first time one of us has had a concussion, so we know how to deal with it. Should anything be wrong, you can trust my siblings to drag me back to you.''

''I don't think this is a good idea,'' Will uttered after regarding her thoughtfully. Although it was clear that the other demigod felt wariness in their presence, he still wanted to perform his duties as a doctor perfectly. That was something Bianca could reluctantly respect.

''Well,'' Bianca smiled a little too widely, showing off her pearly whites. ''I do think this is actually a great idea. Besides, we've been waiting to finally see this wondrous camp of yours for a long time.''

''I really...'' He stopped speaking as soon as he saw her smile widening even more. A loud sigh followed. Bianca loved how scared people could get just after seeing her displeasure. ''How about you come back for a check up after dinner and in the morning. A little cautiousness certainly won't hurt you.''

The youngest child of Hades decided to interrupt. ''That's reasonable.''

Knowing that her sister would not give in, Bianca just sighed and slid down from her cot. ''Fine, we'll come back later, but for now, wasn't someone meant to show us around?''


Someone did come to guide them through camp. A young Son of Hermes to be more exact.

Nora, despite her normally patient nature, found herself very quickly irritated by the boy's jittery behavior. The other campers' constant staring did nothing to alleviate those feelings. After all that had happened that day, the youngest di Angelo sibling just wanted to lie down and sleep. Sadly, no one seemed to have gotten that memo, so she was being forced through a tour of the whole camp and was expected to come to dinner afterwards.

The only thing that did manage to heighten her mood was the bed that had been prepared for the three of them in the Hermes cabin. Nora had some blurry memories about some initiation traditions at camp and she for once felt gratefully for the fear the children of Hades naturally inspired. Because of it most of the campers would probably leave them alone.

''It seems Papa is trying to make our stay here as pleasant as possible,'' Nico mused as he let himself fall backwards onto the king sized bed.

The furniture was made of a dark mahogany colored wood in which the abduction of Persephone had been artfully carved. Whether it was meant to work as a decoration or a warning Nora did not know. Oftentimes, it was hard to guess what their father was thinking.

Her older sister snorted as she deposited one of their bags inside the Stygian Iron chest that stood in front of their bed. Considering that no one besides the children of the Underworld could touch that metal, the siblings would not have to fear those brave enough to steal something from them. ''Or he is trying make us stay here by keeping us happy.''

Nico rolled onto his side. ''That's also an option.''

''Of course it is.'' The female twin sat down next to her brother and closed her eyes tiredly. ''Knowing you, you will just up and leave the moment you're bored.''

Throwing an arm slightly awkwardly around her waist, he pulled Nora towards him. ''I don't think I'm the only one Papa is worried about. He did tell Bianca to look after the two of us.''

''She is the oldest.'' Even Nora herself could hear how petulant that statement sounded.

''No,'' voiced Bianca. ''It's just that currently, I'm the only sane one in the family. You, Nora, after your outburst, don't belong to that category anymore.''

More than a little amused, Nico hummed. ''That's something I can't deny.''

''Why do you two always have to gang up against me?'' the younger of the two sisters asked once some of her irritation subsided. She never did manage to stay angry at her siblings for too long.

In answer, Nico tugged her body down, half of it falling onto his chest. ''You're amusing when you're angry. Your accent is always more pronounced then. It's endearing.''

Nora squirmed in her brother's arms until she could lean her elbows against his chest and put her head into her palm. Then she dug her elbows perhaps a little too harshly into his body. ''It's not as if you haven't got an accent. Each of us does.''

Running a hand through her by now tangled curls, Bianca looked down at them. ''Please, just don't start an argument about whose accent is more pronounced now. We don't have the time for this.''

''We don't have the time for this.'' Nico imitated their sister's voice. ''You're no fun, Bianca. Perhaps that's why Papa thinks that you're the responsible one. I don't fault him, of course. Even gods make mistakes.''

The older girl smiled sweetly. ''Don't be jealous, fratellino.''

A grimace appeared on her twin's face, though he wisely chose to not continue that conversation. Still, dissatisfaction thrummed through their bond. It wasn't the only negative emotion the three of them were forced to feel due to their connection.

''Great, now that we've settled this, I believe that we should just go to the Dining Pavilion.'' Bianca had moved so that she stood next to the twin's dangling legs. She poked their knees with a finger and when they did not react she started rattling them violently.

''Do we have to?'' Nora questioned and tried to burry her head in her brother's chest. ''I'm tired.''

And she truly was. After letting go of her restrictions and fighting a horde of monsters, the teen felt utterly drained. Even though a few hours had passed, she could still hear the tortured screams of the dead. They were causing her a headache, thus only worsening her mood.

As if that wasn't already enough, the girl was also cold. No matter how hard she rubbed her hands, her skin just did not get even marginally warmer. A chill had taken a hold of her since the fight and Nora feared that it would never let go of her.

Her biggest problem, however, was the way the shadows kept moving around her. It signified how little control she had over her own powers right now. For normal people or even the children most gods and goddesses it would not haven been a problem, but it was for the offspring of the Big Three. A loss of control among them could cause severe earthquakes, storms and other natural catastrophes.

In other words: a high death count.

''We're here to represent our father, as such we can't appear weak.'' The conviction in Bianca's voice left no place for arguments. Nora knew that they would be going no matter what she said and yet she could not stop herself from uttering her displeasure.

''So we are to represent our father in a camp that neither wants him nor us. A camp that did not even deign to build him a cabin, even though he is the oldest of the Big Three.'' Pursing her lips, she continued her tirade. ''Although they never have and never will have children, both Lady Hera and Lady Artemis received the so called honor of having a cabin at camp. Our father did not. It's as if they all forgot whose realm they'll enter after death. At whose mercy they'll be.''

In this world there was no one Nora respected more than her father. He had taken care of his children even though he did not have to. Most gods did not even bother to pretend that they cared about their sons and daughters.

Hades loved them.

Whether her anger was caused by the shame she felt due to her earlier disrespectful outburst or the madness she could feel creeping upon her ever since then was insignificant. Nora felt very bothered by the lack of respect most gods and demigods showed towards her father.

Hades was the God of the Dead and ultimately each and every single mortal would have to answer to him.

Nico grit his teeth and tightened his arms around. ''What they think doesn't matter. Besides, it's not as if we've got a choice.''

The laugh that escaped the younger twin's lips was unintentional and bitter. ''We rarely do.'' She shook her head. ''Let's just get this over with.''

Getting up from the bed was easier said than done. Just to irritate her little more, Nico kept pushing her against his chest until Nora decided that she had enough and just bit his arm. The childish action prompted him to let go of her with a loud yelp.

''Can we go now?'' asked the youngest di Angelo sibling impatiently.

Standing up after rubbing his arm, Nico took a hold of her hand. ''Gods, you did not actually have to bite me, you know.''

''Would you have let go otherwise?''

He laughed a little sheepishly. ''Probably not.''


Nico loved his sisters equally, though in different ways.

While he trusted Bianca to always make the right choicesUnlike him and Nora, she knew what it meant to neutralNora was the one who stopped him from letting go of his own rather meager sanity. Both of his sisters were the only mortal beings that could actually influence his actions and whose lives meant more to him than his own.

Still, none of that truly showed the difference between his feelings towards his two sisters. Though, to be honest, Nico did not believe that any words in world could. The easiest way, perhaps, was to just say that the love he felt for Bianca was one people felt for their family; warm, protective and all-encompassing. Nora, in turn, he loved like one should never love a sister; possessively and destructively.

She was his twin and his world and for her he would not mind burning down the entirety of humanity.

The Son of Hades knew that not many would accept those feelings. Knew that most would see them as a sin. And yet, at the end of the day, he just did not care.

Just like he did not care about the fearful stares immediately directed at him and his sisters once they entered the Dinning Pavilion. If the campers were too bigoted to look past their heritage, then Nico did not need any of them.

As their father did not have a cabin or dinning table at camp, the three siblings were forced to move towards the one assigned to the Children of Hermes. A rather large space had been left free for them, the other children and teens making sure to stay out of their way.

Expertly, Nico ignored how obviously uncomfortable everyone felt due to his presenceAnd it was his presence that caused most of the discomfort. Nora might have had a hard time controlling her powers, but it was Nico consciously radiated an aura of fear and death.and sat down near one of the older daughters of Hermes. Nora was pulled down alongside him, while Bianca lowered herself onto a seat opposite of them.

The silence that had befallen the room once they entered it dissipated. Slowly, chatter filled the room and teens from all tables stood up to burn the sacrifices for the gods. Nico himself decided to follow that custom for once and after thinking of pasta and seeing it appear on the plate before him, the boy picked up his dinner and stood up from his seat.

As he expected, Nora followed his example, probably not trusting him to not start a fight without her there to intervene. Bianca just watched the two of them with curiosity shining brightly in her dark eyes.

The queue to the fire was a short one. Only four blonde kids stood before them and they finished the ritual with a visible haste. For moment, Nico had to forcefully stop himself from snorting in disdain. Weren't they all meant to be brave heroes?

By the time they reached the open flame, Nora's attention had already left him and moved on towards her food. Sometimes Nico wondered where his twin's priorities truly laid because chocolate seemed to be unnaturally high on that list.

And he wasn't even exaggerating, considering that the youngest di Angelo had just finished moving all of her chocolate topping from the part of the waffle she would sacrifice for their father onto the part she would still eat.

This time he did not even try stopping himself from snorting in amusement.

''Are you quite finished?'' He asked.

Nora smiled earnestly as she started moving some strawberries with her fork. ''Almost. I just have to move the strawberries, I doubt Papa would have liked them anyway.''

Chuckling, the male twin put a hand on his sister's back and led her a little closer to the fire. ''Of course.''

Amusement coursed through their bond and Nico knew that he wasn't the only one amused by Nora's antics. Their father unsurprisingly shared his feelings.

He was the first to put a part of his food into the fire and was immediately rewarded with a warm wave of air and the smell of a freshly put out candle and pomegranates. It seemed as if their father was either getting pretty nostalgicFirst, the carvings on their new bed and now came the smell of that fruit.or Persephone had finally forgiven him his last indiscretion.

Maybe it was a mixture of both.

After making sure that all the things she wanted to eat were put to the side, Nora also slid half of her waffle into the blazing flames. Once again the comforting scent assaulted his nostrils and the feeling of father's presence filled the room. It accompanied them back towards their seats and allowed all three di Angelo siblings to relax minutely.

The rest of their dinner was a rather standard affair. They did not feel the need to exchange too many words in front of strangers and all three of them actually just wanted to leave and sleep, thus it was quite understandable that not only Nico but both of his sisters as well felt pretty irritated when Chiron interrupted them before they could stand up and go.

''I would like to ask all of you for some silence,'' the centaur started. ''As most of you know by now, today, three new special campers arrived. Due to the extenuating circumstances of their arrival, we have unfortunately not managed to greet them properly and as our custom dictates.''

Everyone was looking at Chiron and Nico could feel a slight curiosity settling in his stomach. Whose it was, he did not really know.

''Hades,'' said Chiron, his voice echoing through the whole room. ''The Rich One. The Silent One. The Lord of the Underworld. Hail, Bianca, Nico and Nora di Angelo, the Children of the God of the Dead.''


Hades had watched his children since the moment he found out about the newest prophecy. He knew that the time had finally come for them to leave their hideout and join the world once again.

More than once the god had to stop himself from interfering.

Watching his eldest being held hostage tested his patience almost as badly as his hastily bleeding out son. His youngest facing certain death ended up being the final straw.

Knowing that his actions would surely have unpleasant consequences did not deter him from saving Nora's life. It was an easy choice to make and one he did not regret, even when he was faced with the fire in his daughter's eyes and her partly true accusations.

There were many rumors about Hades. Most of them dark and true. Very few people ever uttered something good about him and they were not wrong in their judgments.

Because for all that he loved his only living children, Hades was still a god. And gods were very selfish and cruel creatures that always got what they wanted.

This was a universal verity even his children had to suffer from.

For years now Nora had tried to escape the darker aspects of her heritage. She kept running from whom she truly was or least needed to be. As a child of his no happy future awaited his daughter. The girl needed to be strong enough to protect herself in case he could not.

Hades would not lose one of his children because of Nora's morality and reluctance.

If he had to force her to survive, force her to fight, then so be it. The god would not regret protecting his child, even if it meant making her temporarily unhappy.

When Nora finally grew up one day, she would come to understand his reasoning.

Until then he would make sure that no foe could ever strike her or her siblings down.


Fascination was not something Percy Jackson often felt.

Curiosity, yes, but almost never fascination. As such, it was almost worrying how intrigued he was by the newest additions of Camp Half-Blood.

Bianca, Nico and Nora were so very different from anyone else he has ever met that Percy could not help feeling perplexed.

For one, the three siblings obviously did not belong. During their second day at camp clothes had been provided for them. Percy would never forget the scandalized look on Bianca's face when she saw the shorts a daughter of Aphrodite had chosen for her. The skimpy bottoms were discarded within seconds and replaced by at least knee-length skirts and dresses.

Unlike her sister, Nora adjusted to the modern fashion more easily, though she still did not wear anything too short or too revealing.

There was no denying the fact that the di Angelos were lost in time. To them it must have seemed as if they had suddenly jumped from the 1940s to the 21st century. They were granted no time to adjust, instead a whole new world had been forced upon them.

Confused probably wasn't a strong enough word to describe how the three demigods felt. None of them knew how to operate modern appliances. Technology was something they knew very little about.

The only thing they most likely knew even less about was the history of the last few decades.

Percy could not even begin to imagine how it must have been to travel from a post-war world into their current one. Although he was not the best student to exist, the Son of Poseidon knew enough about World War II to realize that the other teens' childhood could not have been a too pleasant one, especially if they grew up in Italy.

And yet, despite living during times of war as children of one of the Big Three, the di Angelo siblings survived. They survived World War II, monsters and the Lotus Hotel. They arrived at camp and were capable of completely ignoring the fear and dislike of the other campers directed at them. Nothing seemed to phase the other demigods, not even the disgust thrown in the twins direction.

He had not noticed it at first; the touches and glances Nico and Nora shared. After a while, however, it became hard to ignore reality.

Siblings did not look at each other that way.

Percy wasn't the only one to notice their unusual behavior. Surprisingly though, he wasn't truly bothered by what he was seeing. In truth, he did not really know what he should think about the whole debacle.

Had he been a normal mortal, then there would have been no doubt about what he should think about them. The problem was that Percy Jackson was not a normal mortal.

He was the demigod son of Poseidon and as such he was aware of how real certain myths actually were.

Though, in all honesty, the boy could not have cared any less about what the gods were doing with their eternal lives. If they all wanted to go around sleeping with each other, he had no right to tell them to do otherwise.

As for the twins, in Percy's humble opinion, their lives were too short to worry about what others considered to be right or wrong. The sons and daughters of the Big Three rarely had happy lives and if those two made each other happy, then Percy would not be the one who tried taking that small slip of happiness away from them.

Knowing the Fates, neither of them would live long enough to actually do anyone harm with their relationship.

Nico and Nora di Angelo were fated to die young. The least they could be given was the freedom of choosing their loved ones by themselves.

''You should probably do some damage control, Percy,'' stated Grover as he pointed in the direction of the training fields. Even from afar, the Son of Seas could see the crowd that was slowly gathering around what seemed to be Annabeth with one of her siblings and the Children of Hades.

For a second guilt flooded Percy's chest. Only a few days ago Nico di Angelo had murdered Annabeth's brother in cold blood and now here he was being intrigued by the madman and his sisters.

Standing up from his seated position on the grass, Percy stuck his hand inside his pocket and instantly started fingering the pen inside of it. Before the whole situation could escalate, the dark haired teen begun walking towards the crowd. In the middle of it stood Malcolm, a sneer on his lips and a sword in hand.

''You're a fucking psychopath,'' the blonde hissed as Annabeth took a hold of his arm.

The statement did not seem to have its intended effect on the person it was meant to insult. Nico di Angelo just smirked in the face of the other demigod's anger, smugness rolling off him in waves. ''Why, thank you.''

''Nico!'' It was Nora's displeased voice that most likely stopped her brother from saying anything else. Percy could see how the other boy visibly restrained himself from provoking Malcolm. He could also see that it was already too late to stop whatever was going down here.

''Before anyone does something we all are going to regret, I would like to propose a solution,'' Bianca spoke up, her eyes darting quickly to her sister. ''It's clear that you won't leave us alone no matter what we say. For obvious and understandable reasons, of course. I think that it would be wise to settle this conflict now. How about a duel between you and myself?''

It was quite obvious what the dark haired girl was doing. She was trying to move Malcolm's attention onto herself and thus away from her brother. Personally, Percy thought that this wasn't such a bad idea. Nico was obviously the less merciful and more impulsive one of them, so it would be wiser if Malcolm fought one of the sister rather than him. The daughters of Hades would at least know how to restrain themselves.

''I don't want to fight you.'' Malcolm pointed at the male di Angelo with his sword. ''He killed my brother.''

''Well, yes.'' As Percy watched Bianca scratch her head, he came to realization that he had never seen a more socially awkward person before. This was certainly not the right answer to give to someone who was accusing your brother of murder. ''I doubt you want to be the next one.''

Sighing loudly, Nora pinched her sister and stepped in front of her siblings. ''What my sister is so eloquently trying to say is that alone because of our heritage each of us has an unfair advantage over you and that we should try evening the wining chances slightly.''

Those few words sounded well enough in Percy's ears.

He should have known that they would cause him an immeasurable amount of problems. Why did he always get dragged into such situations?

Considering that the Fates seemed to hate him, one thing just had to lead to another until someone proposed that he should fight Nico di Angelo.

''That would be a fair fight,'' Annabeth agreed and her gaze moved towards him, a questioning glint appearing in her eyes. Percy knew how much this meant to her. A fight between him and Nico wasn't just about getting revenge, it was about making sure that someone at camp was actually strong enough to challenge the di Angelo siblings. Without that knowledge many campers would not feel secure, especially due to the rumors that kept resurfacing about the Children of Hades each day. None of them painted his cousins in a good light.

Seeing the pleading look on Annabeth's face and Malcolm's posture, Percy knew that something needed to be done. A fight between Nico and him would at least be a fair one.

''Fine, but the fight stops as soon as one of us says so,'' the Son of Poseidon finally agreed. Percy took a second to consider the repercussions of fighting with a weapon of their own choice and decided that he preferred having the familiar weight of Riptide in his hand during this fight, even if it meant facing a weapon made of Stygian Iron. Fighting someone with such a weapon now would also prepare him for any future possibilities. ''We fight with a weapon of our own choice.''

The grin that stretched across Nico's face made him almost regret his decision.

''Alright,'' said the Son of Hades as he fumbled with the ring on his finger. It was not hard to guess what that ring truly was.

Curiously, Percy watched how Nora took a hold of her brother's arm and her eyes narrowed. ''Don't do anything stupid, Nico.''

''I promise. You don't have to worry about me.'' The younger boy's voice sounded a little mocking.

Almost imperceptibly, the female twin's gaze shifted towards Percy and the Son of Poseidon found himself quite disappointed when she switched to Italian. ''You know that it's not you I'm worried about. I know you, Nico, and I know what you're capable of. Because of his heritage Percy will be a worthy opponent, perhaps even stronger than you are. Unlike you though, he knows the meaning of mercy. He is not ruthless, so he will not fight to the best of his capabilities.'' She bit her lip uncertainly. ''We don't need you severely wounding their Golden Boy.''

''And now you wound me, sister.'' The smirk on Nico's face gained a sharp edge. It seemed to make Nora backpedal.

With a pale hand she reached out towards her brother's face and softly put it down on one of his cheeks. ''Nico, we are twins and I trust you to take care of yourself. There is no need for me to tell you to be cautious because I know that you would never leave me alone.''

She leaned forward then and pressed her lips onto Nico's skin. From afar it might have seemed as if she had just kissed his cheek, but Percy could see that it was actually the corner of Nico's mouth.

He looked away, not knowing whether he should feel uncomfortable or like a creep.

Things progressed quickly from then. The bystanders cleared the fighting area and created a big circle around it. For once no one seemed to mind the presence of the di Angelo sisters. Campers gathered around, standing right next to the two girls and already cheering Percy's name. Soon, it was only Nico, Annabeth and him left in the battle ring.

Worry was evident on Annabeth's face. ''You shouldn't have proposed fighting with weapons of your own choice, Seaweed Brain. We have no idea what his ring will transform into, neither do we truly know how the Stygian Iron will affect you.''

''It's too late to change my mind now, Wise Girl.'' He smiled. ''Everything will be alright.''

She nodded her head and left the ring after squeezing his arm. And then he was alone, standing across his opponent with Riptide forming in his hand. Nico smiled in amusementWhat seemed to be so amusing Percy had no idea.and stretched out his arm. His thumb slid over the skull ring and just as Percy had expected a sword appeared in his hand. It was slightly larger than his own and certainly more imposing. Just like Nora's spears, it seemed to call out to the shadows and radiate and an aura of fear and death.

Percy did not have much more time to contemplate the differences between their weapons because suddenly the other boy was upon him, Riptide managing to block his first strike in the last second. Nico was fast, unexpectedly so, but his strike lacked in strength. On nimble legs the other demigod moved out of Percy's range and then attacked once again. Stygian Iron moved towards Percy's left side, its coldness making him flinch out of the way instinctively and too late. While it did not manage to touch his skin, it did cut his orange Camp Half-Blood shirt.

In that very moment Percy knew that he had to create some distance between himself and the other boy. During the first few seconds of their fight Percy was able to discern a few things. First, Nico was certainly faster than him. Second, his strikes were less powerful than Percy's own. The boy might have been faster than him, but he was not physically stronger. Which was not a surprise when one considered his lanky frame.

''You're fast,'' commented Percy, hoping to win some time that way. Watching the boy like a hawk, the Son of Poseidon started moving slightly backwards. With the other demigod's speed, he did not have a chance at winning at such a close range.

Nico tilted his head to the side and regarded him knowingly. ''That's certainly not the best I can do.''

And then he was on him once again and Percy was forced to parry. They continued dancing that way and the Son of the Seas actually found himself enjoying the challenge the other boy represented. Their fight was a constant exchange of blows. One minute Percy had to give in, the other he was forcing Nico backwards with his strength.

Once Percy manged to cut his opponents cheek and it was by chance that he noticed out of the corner of his right eye how both Nora and Bianca immediately moved their hands to their own faces, exactly where Nico's new injury was. This was not the first time he noticed that curious phenomenon. With how much he had watched the siblings in the last week, it would have actually been worrying if he had not noticed that they seemed to be feeling each others pain. Percy wondered what the fact that this wasn't the weirdest thing he had ever seen said about him.

A following blow to his ribs made Nico stagger to the side and wheeze. Percy took advantage of the opportunity and thrust his sword towards the boy's momentarily unprotected side. Just as it was about to connect, Nico's eyes darkened until the pupil became indistinguishable from the iris. The air around them seemed to become heavier and colder, Percy's breath now a visible puff.

Before he could even think of a way to stop the other demigod, Nico just disappeared. A warm breathe ghosted over his ear as his opponent whispered from behind him, ''I told that I could do better.''

Whirling around, Percy was met with an empty space. Nico di Angelo stood more than five feet away from him and Percy suddenly knew that no matter how hard he tried, he could never match the other boy's speed.

''You should have defined more restrictions before the fight started. As it is, no one ever said that we could not use our powers.'' A chuckle followed that explanation and Percy might have actually started to worry if it were not for the lake nearby.

Acknowledging that he could not win against the other boy without using his own powers, Percy focused on summoning as much water as he could. He did it right in time to push Nico away with it during his next attack.

Drenched was quite an amusing look on the other boy.

It also fit perfectly the dozen or so spectators who stood too close to them. That was the least they deserved after getting him into this fight.

Percy grinned. ''You're not the only one with a few special abilities.''

Without further ado, the Son of Poseidon continued his assault. The water that now drenched the whole area informed him of the other boy's movements and allowed Percy to protect himself from the others teleportation.

Not perfectly though because he still gained a few new injuries which surprisingly the water could not heal immediately. It seemed as if the Stygian Iron had even more side effects than Percy had previously predicted. He found himself regret not thinking properly about the repercussion of being touched by it.

After all, now he could ascertain that there was nothing pleasant about the biting cold of the sword. The fatigue it caused him was even worse.

''There is a reason why Stygian Iron is the only metal capable of permanently killing monsters,'' Nico started as they broke apart, both of them panting heavily. ''It literally sucks out the life of those it touches and stores it inside of itself.''

Well, that certainly did not sound comforting. The shallow cuts on his skin suddenly gained a whole new level of severity.

Throughout their next collision, the earth trembled. Although it was Percy's farther who was known as the Earthshaker, the older boy knew that the earthquake was certainly not of his own doing.

His balance became non-existent, he fell and the water around him rose to protect him from the male twin's next attack. Percy used his chance and threw his opponent onto the ground next to himself.

The Son of Hades landed with a loud splash, mud immediately staining most of his clothes. It did not take him long to gather his bearings and heave his sword to the side.

Having no other choice, Percy let go of Riptide just in time to grab Nico's wrist, thus stopping the others weapon from advancing in his direction. This did nothing to deter the other boy as he chose to use his other fist and smash it straight in Percy's face.

With all his might, Percy squeezed the di Angelo's wrist until he had to let go of his sword, trying to ignore the blows delivered to his face all the while. His endeavor proved fruitful when not even a minute later he could feel something under his hand giving in.

Nico hissed and let go of his sword. It fell to the ground only a few inches away from Percy.

Both of them were now weaponless, though this seemed to matter very little to Nico. The other child of one of the Big Three would have probably continued to fight him if it were not for Chiron's interruption.

From the sound of the centaur's voice, Percy knew that he was in trouble.

''That's enough,'' announced Chiron. ''It's a stalemate.''

And it was as he heard those words that Percy Jackson finally noticed the state of his surroundings. Due to the water he had summoned, a slippery mud now covered the whole training area. Weapons such as swords and spears had fallen from their racks most probably because of the earthquake Nico had caused. Most of the spectators had moved away, only a few of the brave ones staying behind to watch. Still, they did not dare come too close, preferring to stay at the edge of the training fields.

More than one of them was drenched and shivering from the unnatural cold that surrounded them.

Percy could feel the power in the air, crackling and waiting to be unleashed.

Had Chiron not stopped them when he did, this exact power might have destroyed half of the camp.

That thought alone made him grit his teeth. ''I'm sorry, Chiron.''

''As you should be. A daughter of Demeter had been injured during your fight. This is not how Camp Half-Blood works.'' The centaur turned to look at Nico. ''You might be new here, but that does not excuse such behavior. Both of you'll be punished for this.''

Nico smiled wryly. ''Punished? You have no authority over me. Only our father does and if he doesn't show any disapproval at my actions, then I don't see why I should accept any punishment from you.''

''Hey!'' Percy turned his head sharply. ''We did kind of screw up here.''

''Why? Because we did what everyone else expected us to do?'' Questioned the younger demigod. ''Your little girlfriend pitted us, two Sons of the Big Three, against each other. Everyone just let it happen. What else did they expect but this outcome?''

''Still, you should have known better.'' Chiron sounded no less angry.

The Son of Hades smiled mirthlessly. ''You do realize you're talking to a kid who has been raised by his godly parent to not care about anyone but his sisters and himself.''

''Nico, that's enough.'' It was Nora who had finally managed to fight her way through the mud. Bianca seemed to prefer not dirtying her clothes, so she stayed at the edge of the field, her gaze alert.

The female twin turned to Chiron. ''I apologize for the destruction. It won't happen again.''

''Why do you always have to interfere, Nora?'' Nico regarded his sister disdainfully.

''Papa might not care about his fight, but he will care if we are thrown out of camp. There is a reason why he sent us here, Nico, and I've already angered him enough as it is. Don't do the same.'' That seemed to shut him up. Sighing heavily, Nico pushed himself onto his feet and allowed his sister to help him stand properly.

''I apologize.'' There was no true remorse in his voice. ''As my sister has said, it won't happen again. Now, please, excuse us. My wrist is broken, it's quite painful.''

With the help of his sister, Nico left them in the mud, his head held high and shoulders straight.

Percy Jackson still had no idea what he should think about the di Angelo siblings.