My Mate chapter 12

Do not own anything; au; ooc; thanks beta DarkLadyIreth

"Luke, you're home!" May shrieked as she threw her arms around Nico. Nico tensed as May hugged him, after she let go he smiled at her feeling sorry for her.

"Come in! I have lunch ready!" May grabbed Nico's shoulder and steered him inside.

The living room was filled with mirrors and candles. Above the mantel, a little bronze Hermes flew around the second hand of a ticking clock. Nico then noticed a picture on the mantel and he froze. It looked weird, but Luke around nine years old stared out of the picture, with blond hair, a big smile, and two missing teeth.

"This way dear!" May steered him toward the back of the house. "Oh, I told them you would come back. I knew it!"

She sat Nico down at the kitchen table. Nico eyeballed the hundreds of stacked Tupperware boxes with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches inside. The ones on the bottom were green and fuzzy, like they had been there for a long time. Nico's nose wrinkled at the smell, it was hard not to pass out. His eyes rolled over to the oven on top of it were a stack of cookie sheets. Each one had a dozen burned cookies on it. In the sink was a mountain of empty plastic Kool-Aid pitchers. A beanbag Medusa sat by the faucet as she was guarding the mess.

May got out the peanut butter and jelly and started making a new sandwich. Nico could smell something burning in the oven; he got the feeling it was more cookies. Above the sink, taped all around the window, were dozens of little pictures of Hermes from the FTD Flowers logo and Quickie Cleaners, pictures of the caduceus from medical ads.

Nico's heart went out to the women, but he could not help be relived that he did not bring Percy here. Even if May kept smiling at him as she made the sandwich, but instead of comfort it felt like she was trying to make sure, he did not bolt.

Nico coughed. "Um, Ms. Castellan?"

"Call me mom, dear." May said as she put jelly stripes in the peanut butter.

"Okay…Mom I was wondering if you could tell me about Luke?" Nico said uncomfortable.

May's eyes lost focus.

"He was so young when he left." she said wistfully. "Third grade. That is too young to run away! He likes peanut butter sandwiches, cookies, and Kool-Aid. He'll be back for lunch very soon…." Then she looked at Nico and smiled. "Why, Luke, there you are! You look so handsome. You have your father's eyes."

She turned to the pictures of Hermes above the sink. "Now, there's a good man. Yes, indeed. He comes to visit me, you know."

"Ma'am," Nico said, uncomfortable with calling her mom. "What, uh…what happened to your eyes?"

Her gaze seemed fractured, as if she was trying to focus on him through a kaleidoscope.

"Why, Luke, you know the story. It was right before you were born, wasn't it? I'd always been special, able to see through the…what-ever-they-call-it."

"The Mist?" Nico helpfully supplied.

"Yes, dear." She nodded encouragingly. "And they offered me an important job. That's how special I was!"

"And what was this job?" Nico asked.

"Why to be the new oracle of course. However, things did not go as plan and now I cannot get those images out of my head. Would you like some cookies?" May asked as she dumped so onto the table.

"Luke is such a nice boy. He left to protect me from monsters you, know. But, they don't cross the sidewalk do they Mrs. Medusa?" She beamed at Nico. "I'm so glad you're home, I knew you weren't ashamed of me!"

Nico shifted in his seat and asked, "Ms. Castellan,"

"Mom," she corrected.

"Right, have you seen Luke since he left?"

"Well, of course!"

Nico leaned forward excided, "When?" he asked. "When did Luke visit you last?"

"Well, it was…Oh goodness…" A shadow passed across her face. "The last time, he looked so different. A scar and his voice so full of pain…"

"Did he ask anything of you?" asked Nico figuring if Luke's eyes were gold, she would have said…On Second Thought, she probably would not be here.

May frowned as she tried to remember. "My, my blessing. Isn't that sweet?" She looked at Nico uncertainly. "He was going to a river, and he said he needed my blessing. I gave it to him. Oh course I did."

Nico felt conflicting emotions; on one hand, Kronos would be defeated. On the other, he had to swim in the river Styx.

'It's to protect our mate.' Growled his beast and Nico found himself agreeing.

Nico stood up from his seat, "Thank you, and ma'am. That's all the information I-"

May gasped, she doubled over, and her cookie tray clattered to the floor. Nico feeling concern rushed to her side. "Ms. Castellan, are you alright?"

"AHHH!" She straightened and Nico recoiled. May's eyes were glowing green.

"My child," She rasped in a much deeper voice. "Must protect him! Hermes help! Not my child! Not his fate...no!"

She grabbed Nico by his shoulders and started to shake him. "Not his fate!"

Nico let out a strangled scream, and jerked himself out of her hold. "I'm s-sorry, but I-I have to leave." Nico stammered as he backed away.

May collapsed, Nico stood there warring with himself. Part of him wanted to go help, but he other part was to scared to go near her. I mean just because he was the dominant does not mean he did not get scared.

"Ms. Castellan?" Nico asked as he looked at her crumpled form. Her eyes fluttered like wings.

"Oh? How did I get down here?" She asked as she sat up, she looked around her and saw the burned cookies scattered on the floor. "MY COOKIES!" she shrieked, "Oh, don't worry Lukey; mommy will make a new batch!"

"T-That's okay mom." Nico Stammered feeling sick about calling her mom. "I-I have to go anyway. I'll tell Luke you said, hello."

May shakily got to her feet and said, "You can't leave! Hermes will be here soon," she promised. "He'll want to see his boy!"

"M-maybe next time." Nico said getting control of himself. "Thanks for the food."

Nico showed himself to the door with May following. Just as he was walking out the door, she grabbed his arm.

"Luke, at least be safe. Promise me you'll be safe."

Nico swallowed and even though it left a bad taste in his mouth, he said. "I will…mom."

She smiled and closed the door behind him. As soon as the door was closed Nico ran, but he could still hear her behind him.

"He promised he would be safe. I told you he would come back." It went on as Nico raced to the shadows of trees.

The only feeling he felt as he gathered the shadows was relief and a bit of dread. Relief that he was leaving, relief that he did not bring Percy here and dread that he had to bath in the river Styx.

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