Chapter 22
~Nick~
I had no idea what time it was. Late. I knew that. Rachel might even be mad I had disturbed her so late at night. I knew I looked like a mess. I didn't need to see myself to know. My coffee-with-too-much-milk like complexion was probably streaked with tears. My hair was a mess. Always between straight and afro, it must have looked worse than Medusa's. If Nico was anything like Nia I would need to win him back. Show him that I was the same person he fell in love with. Despite being born under a different name and living at a Camp the Gods had deemed must be hidden. With the tension between Greeks and Romans the Primordial Gods did not want to risk a three sided war. Or worse Nyx worried we would all choose sides and that would further divide the gods and their demigod children.
The Big House was creepy at this time of night. Luckily I was the Son of Nyx and creepy was my element. Darkness, secrets, mystery, the night was all part of that package. My mother often got a bad rep but she wasn't worse than most of the 'major' Gods I had met over my adventures. In fact she was easier to read, converse with, and even understand her motivations behind things. She was still crazy as shit. She was a Goddess after all. But perhaps being crazy myself, was what allowed me to understand her. That was a disturbing and sobering thought.
Rachel was shuffling down the stairs. She wore a simple white tank top and matching pajamas. She a blue hairbrush in hand, trying to tame the unruly red hair. Her eyes were blurry and she walked right past me.
"Coffee. Follow," She said. I'm assuming to me.
I followed her into a large kitchen. She busied herself with making the coffee and placed to mugs on the brown counter in front of her. She yawned. I stood there uncertain of how to begin. The only sound in the silence was the soft hiss of the coffee being filtered into the pot.
"I'm sorry." I blurted out.
Rachel looked at me, "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. I knew this would happen. Nico thinks it was done in some misguided attempt to protect him. But you and I know that Nico does need protecting."
I swallowed hard, "From himself."
Rachel nodded and poured to steaming cups and handed one off to me, which I took gratefully. It had been awhile and I needed to be awake and alert for what I had to do next. Whatever that was.
"Exactly. I'm glad we understand each other…or rather I'm glad you know Nico enough to know that."
I bristled at her comment.
"Oh calm down, Son of Night. I know you love him. And I know where he's going."
I almost choked on my coffee. Did she know everything?
"Where is he?"
"Wrong question. I thought you were smart. Annabeth suspects you have an intelligence that would rival some of her siblings. I'm reserving my judgment."
"You are so infuriating!"
"Thank you," she smiled at me over her cup of coffee with cream and sugar. I preferred mine black. I wasn't a sweets kind of person.
I drank from my own cup and felt the caffeine begin to work its magic. What is the right question?
"What do I need to do to fix this? I know why he's mad. The Fatal Flaw of children of Hades. It will be working against me as I try to reestablish what Nico knows to be real."
Rachel looked like she approved of my line of thinking. She raised her cup to me and sipped.
"Very good. But what does Nico know to be real?"
"Us," was my only reply.
"Why are you here Nick? You know what you have to do. Are you here just because you need confirmation?"
I was silent a moment.
"No…" I admitted. I wasn't entirely sure why I was here. I just needed to talk to someone.
Rachel looked at me in what looked like pity.
"You don't have anyone else to talk to…do you?"
I didn't respond and her eyes took on a glazed far away quality.
"You've lived a hard and lonely life. Many demigods have, but your isolation was even more complete than most I have seen. Nyx and Hades further drove you from others. Your life became what the Gods willed. You have given up happiness, friendship and so much more in their quest to heal rifts. To hold the tide of monsters back. To keep Gaia sleeping. You're always helping from the shadows. Just like our Son of Hades. No wonder you two get along so well."
Her words while true did nothing but make me draw further into myself. The mask I used so often was snapped into place.
"Thanks for the re-cap. I wasn't sure if it was all a dream or a just a hallucination. At least now I know the truth."
My tone was sarcastic, my posture stiff. I turned away setting my coffee cup on the counter and walking away.
"When the time comes," Rachel called after me, "break the rules to save them."
I continued on and out the front door. I had no idea what she was talking about. None whatsoever. I willed the shadows around me and focused on Nyx and her Dome of Space. The Underworld was where I would begin my journey. Camp Half-Blood would be where my journey ended. But one thing was for certain. Nico would see me for who I was. We would be together. And nothing the Gods or monsters could throw at me would stop it. Children of Hades often had hard lives and terrible stories. But I would change that. At least for Nico. No matter how long it took.
A wall of muscle and force slammed into me just as the shadows whisked me away.
As soon as the rushing of travel and movement ceased. I thrust out my hand. Throwing whoever had hitched a ride away from me. To my surprise Percy was just trying to stand on the other side of the cavern. I took in the stars and planets surrounding me. Everything was moving much too fast. This was a representation of the actually galaxy that we inhabited. Space was something where everything appeared to be moving slow, but in actuality never really was. It seemed that somehow that concept had just been…reversed. Something was wrong. Something besides the intrusion of one Son of Poseidon.
Percy flew to his feet, riptide in hand, His eyes were completely black. No whites were visible. No sea-green I had come to hate. Something was very, very wrong.
"Percy?" I asked tentatively.
"There's only one way to rid yourself of an infection. You have to destroy it at the source. Ever since you came to camp everything has gone to shit. Nico has spent more time with you and less time doing his duties around Camp. Demigods are attacking demigods and I think it has to do with you…and your timely appearance."
Rid yourself of an infection? Destroy it at the source? He thought this was all my fault? No…there was something else at work here. I could sense ancient magic. Evil. Two things Percy Jackson was not.
Percy charged.
A/N: So hope you liked the update. I have decided that Nico's perspective will be phased out starting now. There is so much mystery that will soon be clouding the Son of Hades and I feel that, you, as the reader will enjoy it much more if you don't see what's coming from his perspective. It will add an extra layer of mystery that I feel is lacking from the story. Also I'll try not to keep you in suspense for too much longer. I know I often don't update quickly or even regularly but I'm trying to do better. I'll hopefully be starting on the next chapter soon. I'm hoping to have it released asap but definitely before Halloween. I have today off, so I will use that to write and I have a week off school coming up. So hopefully I can pound some of this story out. Hope you are all enjoying the story. And for those of you waiting for the world to be recreated for you. It will happen, but things like that take time. And the story can't just stop to explain what hasn't been said yet. With time all will become clear. So for now, enjoy the ride!
