Hey everyone,
Well, so far the option that Harry and Annabeth grow closer is winning as the score is: Remain Friends 7 votes, Become Rivals/Enemies 5 votes, Grow Apart, But Remain Civil 3 Votes. There is still time to vote as I don't really think Annabeth will play an important role in the next few chapters to come.
These chapters will be mostly about Nico and Bianca arriving at CHB and about Harry growing closer with his sister, Percy and the Hades kids. After that, it will be back to Olympus, where the HB kids will discover about the new Hogwarts and after this Harry will probably make a short trip back to England to see the teachers tested.
That is that,
Venquine1990
Chapter 09
The Hades Kids
Nico's POV
"I really don't get this, sis? We've been living in that Casino for so long and now suddenly someone shows up to pick us up, but after taking us out, he goes and ditches us in the middle of nowhere. I mean, did we break a Casino rule without knowing?" I ask my sister while turning on my axis and looking around.
We have been in the middle of this strange forest for over half an hour now, moving around, finding some footpaths and then losing sight of it again and the worst of it all is that a few times either my sister or I believed that we heard something that sounded dangerously similar to the growling voice of some kind of creature.
Because of those growling sounds did we move even deeper into this strange forest and thanks to the last one, did we lose sight of practically any and all footpaths, which made me ask the question I just did, my eyes trying to find something familiar as I look between all the trees surrounding us and then my sister says:
"I really don't know, Nico. I – I'm just glad that we managed to get away from that last voice as that sounded more dangerous than Elaine." To this I nod as – as peaceful and fun as the Casino was – there were still a couple of bullies who often believed themselves the King/Queen of the place and Elaine was definitely the worst of them all.
I sigh, not seeing any paths or signs of civilization from between the trees, but when I move back to my sister, does my nose suddenly pick up on a scent I would have never expected to smell when in the middle of the forest and I ask: "Eeeeh Bianca?" My sis looks at me and I ask: "Am I the only one smelling strawberries?"
My sister looks at me weirdly, but I close my eyes to improve my nose and take a deep whiff, again smelling the sweet scent of strawberries and then hear Bianca gasp as she must have followed my lead and she says: "You're right! I smell it too! What are strawberries doing in the middle of a forest like this? Could they be wild berries?"
I shrug at this and say: "I don't know, but let's follow the scent. Maybe those berries are the reason they dumped us here." To this my sister nods and we again start walking, stopping every now to close our eyes and sniffing up the scent, yet about ten minutes after we started walking again, do we get another shock.
Standing somewhere next to a large hill that has a huge pine tree standing on top of it, do I say: "Wow, the smell is stronger than ever here. We must be close, right sis?" Bianca nods at me, but then, to my great shock does a boy with black hair that lies down to his shoulders and is spiked at the tips and with sharp blue eyes appear.
The boy is standing on top of the hill next to the pine tree and smiles as he sees us before he says: "Awesome, you made it!" Making Bianca and me share a shocked look before the boy motions us over and says: "Come on, you'll be much safer once you get over here. We wouldn't want them to find us, do we?"
And because Bianca and I have no doubt that the boy means the growling voices that we heard, does she grab my hand and help me run up the hill, the boy with the strong blue eyes putting one hand against the pine tree to reach for my sister with the other and helping us up the last bit of the hill – when it happens.
A creature with the body of a black panther, who has the head and feet of a raven, who has amazingly long wings on the top of its back and who has sleek black fur growing under these wings and from the shoulder blades where the feathers end appears, its beady red eyes looking at us from on top of its long, sharp beak as it appears.
The boy in front of us curses in a language that makes me look at him strangely and then he says: "A bloody Gryphon. Get over here, now. You'll be safe from it here. Hurry!" And while I have no idea how being a few feet further up the hill will protect us from this flying beast, does the boy's voice convince me.
I strengthen the hold I have on my sister's hand and run past the elder boy, getting shocked as I suddenly feel as if passing an invisible line of mist or something and when I turn around, do I see something that looks like a barrier of magic or something shining for only a short second before it disappears again.
Bianca gasps as she too sees it and then the creature caws, the sound alone making me slap my hands over my ears in pain before it flaps its wings, lifts off and flies straight at us, but the only thing the boy with the blue eyes does, is take a step back, his face passive and his hand no longer held onto the large pine tree next to us.
Wondering why he was willing to help us up the hill, but not against a monster as dangerous as this, do I gaze between him and the ever closer approaching monster, but just when it is only inches away from the boy, does the same amazing barrier as I saw before appear yet again, the gryphon crashing straight into it.
My eyes widen at seeing this and while the boy keeps his face passive, does a smirk appear as he turns around and says: "The Barrier only lets through kids like you and me. beings like that Gryphon will not be let through, not unless someone here is stupid enough to give it permission. But don't worry, that rarely ever happens."
I nod, indeed feeling relieved and then the passive look on the boy's face gets replaced with the happy warm smile he had on his face earlier as he stretches his arms out to us and says: "Come on, I'll show you around." And while he puts one hand on my back and the other on my sister, does he move us down the hill and say:
"Welcome, children of Hades, to Camp Halfblood." And while I have no idea what he means calling us kids of Hades, do I look down this side of the hill and do my eyes widen. Two amazing rows of giant cabins that all look different and that are standing in mirror U-form from each other are the first thing I see.
Next to that, do I see the strawberry fields that Bianca and I smelled earlier, an actual Fighting Ring, a Pavilion standing on top of a lower-placed hill, all kinds of trees and bushes around the paths that lead to everything I see, a giant house with blue-colored roof and the most amazing view of the Long Island Sound I have ever seen.
"W-Where are we? I – I have – I have never seen something like this and I know I saw a map on the side of the road before we got dumped here." Bianca then says and the boy smiles at her as he says: "Just follow me to the cabins and everything will become clear." And while my sister looks wary, does she nod.
We then follow the boy to where the many amazing cabins are located and when we arrive at one end of the left U-shaped row, does the boy motion for the large, golden-colored cabin with white-colored pillars and with lightning bolts on the top front of the roof before he asks: "Who does this cabin remind you of?"
Bianca and I share a shocked and confused look and then I look closer at the cabin and tentatively ask: "Eehm – Zeus?" The boy nods and then motions for another, this one having flowers, a few rose bushes and several different kinds of fruits growing over the walls and he asks: "And who does that cabin remind you of?"
To this Bianca asks: "Demeter, Goddess of Harvest and Agriculture?" The boy nods and then his earlier words come back to me and I shout: "NO WAY! We're actually a son and daughter of Hades, God of the Dead?" The boy nods and says: "Yes. Yes, you are. And that over there is your new home and cabin."
And the Cabin he points at looks both dark and looming as well as if it was build just recently. The cabin has dark black walls, dark blackish blue pillars on either sides and has all kinds of scenes of people dying or getting attacked by either the elements or all kinds of monsters shown on the large set of double doors.
There are also two statues on either side of the doors, yet the closer I look at the two statues of warriors with dangerous looking spears in one hand and their other on the handle of their scabbard swords, the more I feel that these two are not really statues and then my belief is proven true as one of them actually turns to me.
The eyes that show from under the Y-shaped slit for vision are blood red and actually make me think back to the one time I saw a boy break his leg in such a way his bone actually stuck out of his lower leg and the hole bled terribly, yet while its color reminds me of this, does the gaze make me actually feel safe and protected.
Then, while I cannot see if the statue has a mouth or not, do I still hear a voice coming from the other statue as it almost whispers with a deadly promise sounding through its voice and it says: "Do not worry, milord and lady. Your father ordered us here and while we stand here, no mortal or otherwise shall ever harm you."
And just by the deadly promise that I can hear sounding through his voice, do I smile, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that the warrior will do everything it can to protect me and my sister and while the boy besides me tilts his head, do I move over to my sis and say: "You know what, sis. I think we're finally home."
And while my sister still looks at the two statues with a slightly wary look, does she smile at me at hearing this and nod before the boy turns to us again and says: "Hey, what are you waiting for. Go check out your new cabin already. We have lunch in about ten minutes. Just wait for the horn sound and then head for the pavilion."
And with that does he leave us behind, moving back to the Cabin of Zeus and opening the two doors which allows me to see that there is actually another person, a girl, already inside before the doors close off again and then Bianca draws my attention back to her as she lies a hand on my shoulder and says: "Let's go, Nico."
I nod at her and while some of the other kids that are now leaving their cabins stop for a second to look at us, do we move over to our new cabin, the warrior statues slamming the bottoms of their spears onto the stone slabs under them as we pass them and after Bianca spares one last glance at me, does she open the doors.
The inside, as I see it, is absolutely breathtaking and looks like a darker version of what I always wanted my bedroom to be like. Lava-colored stone bricks for a floor, dark cave-like rocks making the walls, an actual furnace in the far back wall, four giant statues of the same man standing in the four corners of the room.
There are two beds showing in the room, one of them Queen-sized, the other King-Sized and both of them canopy beds and the left one has dark blue comforters and pillows, while the one on the right has a mix of black and brownish-black with spots on the comforter and one of the pillows that look like actual eyeballs.
Bianca looks around shocked, her eyes wide as she seems a little fearful of what she sees, but then I look again at one of the statues and says: "That must be our actual dad, don't you think Bianca? Lord Hades, God of the Dead. That must be him, right?" And while my older sister looks at the four statues, does she nod tentatively.
I nod back and then, as I take another look around the room, do I smile and say: "I don't know about you, sis, but I think this place is just awesome." And while I can see a clear sense of fear shining in my sister's eyes, does she still smile as she looks at me and I say: "I'll take the King's bed, okay? You okay with that?"
Bianca nods and when I move over to the bed, do I suddenly notice how there is an actual large cabinet, made out of black wood that is so dark it almost looks as if it's made of shadows standing on the other side of the bed and when I open one of the large double doors of the cabinet, can I not help but scream: "WOW, COOL!"
Shirts, pants, jeans, jackets, coats, robes, t-shirts, short-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved shirts, vests, leather pants, cloaks. All kinds of cloths in black, dark brown, dark blue, purple and other dark colors are hanging and folded up in the cabinet and at closer look, do I even see shirts that have all kinds of prints on them.
Grabbing one of the black shirts that has a fluorescent skull on the front and a pair of black jeans with leather pockets at the front on the side upper legs and on the inside of the lower legs, do I lie the pants on my bed before taking off my shirt and jacket, which got torn at small places in the forest, and then put on the new shirt.
To my shock and elation is the shirt exactly my size and is it skin-tight as well and after putting on the awesome set of pants, do I close the doors of the cabinet and pull open a drawer under it, my eyes widening happily as I see several kinds of shoes, sneakers and boots in the drawer, again all of them in different dark shades.
I pull out a set of black sneakers with dark sky blue laces and sit down on my bed, the bed itself feeling amazingly soft and slightly dipping in to shape itself to where I am sitting and while smiling widely, do I put on the shoes and tie the laces before I turn to Bianca and ask: "What do you think, sis? Pretty cool, right?"
And while Bianca has moved herself to her own side of the room and her own shadow-colored cabinet, does she smile and nod at me before looking at her own cabinet with a curious look and when she opens her own doors, do I smile widely and happily as I see that it is just as filled with new cloths as mine was.
Dresses, skirts, tights, jackets, vests, shirts, t-shirts, long-sleeves shirts, short-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved dresses, short-sleeved dresses, coats, robes and cloaks. The colors are a little different than mine, but are still all dark-colored, but instead of dark blue or brown, do I also see dark red, green and brownish orange colors.
The sight of all these cloths seems to be exactly what my sister needed to finally feel as at home in this new place as I do and then she says: "You know what, Nico? I think you and I are really going to feel right at home here." And while I happily nod in agreement with my sister, does an older male voice shock us both.
"That's what I wanted to hear. Glad I still know my kids as well as ever." And when we both look back at the doorway, do both our eyes widen as we see a man standing there, his black robe looking as if it's constantly moving in an unseen wind, while he has albino white skin, intense black eyes and sleek black hair.
The man has a very muscular body and the way that he stands tall in the softly shining sun of the late Long Island morning makes him look amazingly imposing, yet the way that his eyes shine as they look at first me and then Bianca makes me feel as if I am being held by a really large and really happy St. Bernard puppy or something.
Bianca gasps as she sees the man while at the same time his words register in my mind, my eyes widening as I realize what he said and I ask: "Dad?" The man nods and moves deeper into the cabin, the doors closing behind him and making the fire in the furnace ignite instantly, making Bianca look at it in shock.
I, however, keep my eyes on the man I thought Bianca and I lost before we were send to the Casino and I ask: "What – what are – what are you doing here?" The man smiles at me, yet his eyes look serious and strong and he waves his hand behind him, causing for a chair made out of lava-rocks to appear behind him.
Bianca and I both have wide eyes now as we see the man sitting down in the throne-like chair and he says: "I'm here because of three reasons. One, the Ancient Laws that prohibit us Gods from contacting our kids has been revoked a few days ago, so I have an eternal free pass to come and see you whenever I feel like."
This makes me smile, the idea that my dad was prohibited from seeing us making me understand why we were send to that Casino all those years ago and the man goes on: "Second, there is something you should know about the Casino you have been staying at. Something that you will find very, very hard to believe."
This makes me look at my sister and I say: "We just got told that one of our parents is an actual god and faced a monster that most people believe nothing more than a myth. I think we can take it." The man smiles and nods, his eyes showing a pride I haven't seen on any of the faces of the people working at the Casino ever.
"The Lotus Flower Casino, as I am sure you know, houses many, many different kinds of teens and adults of all kinds of lands and ages. However, have you ever – and I mean ever – seen any of the newly arriving people age?" The man asks and my sister and I again share a look, both of us deep in thought.
Yet, when I look past her and see a shirt that is blood red-colored, do I again remember the same boy with his broken leg as before and to my shock do I say: "Justin Crestern. He broke his leg when he was nine, but that was a good four years ago. People really don't age when in there." And dad nods before he says:
"No, nobody who lives in the Lotus Casino ever ages. And neither do they realize that they spend more than a few weeks, days or even months in there. I'm sure both of you think you have been there for maybe 2 or 3 years, my children, but the truth is that you were brought there in 1945 – which is 50 years ago."
Looking at my dad in absolute shock, do I see him whisk his hand in midair, causing for a newspaper to appear there and with a simple hand-motion does he move it over to us, me catching it and my eyes widening as I read the date: 19th of August, 1995. Looking at the date with my eyes wide, do I hear Bianca ask:
"But – but – but – but how?" And dad calmly answers: "The Lotus flowers. The simple little candies that are flower-shaped and fed to all those that live in the Casino on a Daily Basis. They're covered in a special kind of drug that makes you forget everything you care about and everything you think you want to do."
This shocks my sister and I ask: "So – what's the third reason, dad?" And the man sighs, seeming to suddenly show that he really is immortal as the thousands and thousands of years of his age suddenly show on his face as he sags down in his chair and says: "I really, really wish I didn't have to tell you this, I really do."
Bianca and I share a worried look at this, me wondering what could be so terrifying that even the God of the Dead would not want to speak about it and then he raises his head and says: "I don't know how much you know of the mythology of Greece, but I am pretty sure you both know who my father used to be, yes?"
I nod and Bianca answers: "Kronos, Titan of Time." The man nods and says: "After Zeus cut him up and threw him into Tartarus, did this help him win the war between the Gods and the Titans. Since then have I been practically the ruler of all Underworld creatures and those reborn in the depths of the Underworld and Tartarus.
However, it has now happened twice this very year that two of my more loyal creatures attacked one of your Demigod Siblings. Your cousin, Percy Jackson, who is a Son of my brother, Poseidon. The attackers were a Minotaur and a Fury. It is the Fury's attack that worries me most as she and her sister are supposed to be my most loyal."
This info alone makes me understand why dad seems worried about telling us this and while I go over and sit down on the floor near him, does the man sigh and say: "I got my – sort-of – answer for this mystery a few days ago, when a son of Nemesis, the Goddess of Revenge, spoke words that still haunt and worry me to this day."
Bianca and I share another glance, Bianca now looking quite fearful, while I just feel a lot more worried than I did earlier and dad says: "He said that the two monsters now serve another force. One who is planning – or hoping – to have something that will allow him to conquer us and who also resides in my domain.
I don't think I need to tell you who I fear this being to be." Bianca and I share yet another glance at this and then we both shake our heads at the man, who smiles and says: "I know you both only just arrived here, but I would very much like it if you could train your hardest and do your best to protect your Fellow Campers.
The ones I worry for the most are indeed Percy as well as a girl named Thalia Grace and a boy named Harry Juno Black, who are both the son and daughter of Zeus. I fear they will be the biggest target of this being and that he will try and hurt – or worse kill – them the first, because they are children of those who struck him down."
At this I nod, understanding without any doubt why dad would worry about these kids and then dad sighs in relief and says: "The good news is that you have already met one of them; the boy that helped you into camp is Harry and the girl you saw in my brother's cabin is his sister Thalia. Percy you will meet soon enough."
At this we both nod and then Bianca says: "I – I won't deny that – that all of this really – well – shocks and frightens me, but – but on the other hand does it make – make a whole lot of sense and – and if training can help me protect Nico as well as these other kids then – then I'll make you proud, dad." And I nod in agreement with her.
Dad smiles at the both of us, his eyes now warm and smoldering like a warm fire and then suddenly Bianca and I get shocked as we hear a loud horn, making us turn to the back of our cabin and I say: "That must be the sound Harry was talking about." But when I turn back to the door of our cabin – is my father suddenly gone.
And that is the chapter!
Nico and Bianca have arrived at Camp and Hades has spilled his worries with his newly reunited kids. But will Nico and Bianca be able to get comfortable at this new environment when they already know of the threat that is looming over everyone's heads? And how will they respond to meeting Percy and Thalia?
Next chapter will surely cover that and after that will we have the first Cabin of Campers moving to Olympus to meet with their Divine Parent and discovering the surprise that made the Gods decide to cancel Capture the Flag for just a little while longer. Do know that, after this first visit we will be making a time jump of several weeks.
Hope you enjoy,
Venquine1990
For Rules, check Chapter 01
