Half-Blood Academy of Super Powers
Chapter Four
Nico woke up to piercing screams, and deviled eggs. Hazel was violently shaking him, telling him to get up.
"Nico! Wake up!" She yelled, tugging on his arm. Nico rubbed his eyes in confusion.
"What's going on?" Nico said, and as he looked around, he couldn't believe his eyes. The walls were torn down, and there was fire everywhere. Smoke filled the air, and Nico was barely able to breathe. He saw someone emerged from the ashes. The boy was scrawny, just like Nico, and he seemed around the same age. His curly brown hair was dusty, and his clothes were ripped to shreds. Hazel glanced up, and looked at the boy with fear.
"Leo, stop this, now. You don't know what your doing." She said cautiously as Leo got closer to them. A ring of fire circled them, and right before they were engulfed in flames, Nico was interrupted from his dream.
Emery was walking back to her room after picking up some deviled eggs from the cafeteria. She was bruised, and her fresh scrapes and cuts were evident. Her hair was in tangles and some of it were chopped off. Emery had her own encounter with Don, and it wasn't a good one. When she entered the room, Nico was still asleep, but he was sweating, and his pale face was a little red. She quickly woke him up, and locked herself in the bathroom.
Emery glanced at her bruised face, and frowned. She had to hide it before Nico asked questions. She cut her uneven hair with a knife that she usually hides in the cabinet. Emery covered the bruises with some concealer, and she was pleased with the result.
"Nico, training starts today, wear this," She said throwing a black body-fitting suit at him. He looked at it disgusted.
"Do we have to wear this?" He looked at the piece of clothing with horror. Emery bit on her lip to stop her laughter.
"Yes, its required." Emery simply stated, walking out of the room to let Nico change privately. Nico came out, and he was very uncomfortable.
"You look fine," She said, choking with laughter.
"Why don't you have to wear this?" Nico asked.
"The trackers wear something different." Nico finally realized that Emery was wearing a black jumpsuit. They turned right from their room, and after long minutes of walking, they stopped at a door that read training.
"We need to find out your power first," She commented. They were now in a room with different holographic symbols that spread out. Nico noticed a glowing green trident near the front of the room.
"Welcome, Emery, hero born to Apollo." Nico was surprised by the voice. It almost sounded like...
"Was that Siri?"
"Yes, she is Siri." Emery commented, and Nico started to walk around the symbols. Emery pulled out a plastic box, and inside were syringes.
"We need to take a sample of your blood." She said. "Its now the only way to find out who your… uh, god is."
"God?" Nico stared at the needle blankly. "You never told me that you were going to stick a needle in me."
"Why, are you scared?" Emery teased. "Don't worry, it'll be just a pinch." Emery inserted the needle into Nico's arm, and the sight of his blood flowing through the tube made him sick.
"How long have you been doing this?" He asked.
"This is my first time." She said, tapping the container that was being filled with blood. The look on Nico's face made her wish that she had a camera. Nico wasn't sure if she was being serious or not. When it was filled up, she then stuck her finger inside, and wiped it on a dark screen.
"Nico, hero born to Hades." Emery smiled.
"It was obvious actually, the dark hair, the circles under your eyes…" Emery trailed off listing everything that made her think he was a child of Hades.
"Okay, thats enough." Nico growled. Emery laughed, and they made their way to a brick wall. She threw the container of blood at the wall, and splattered on it. Nico was about ready to throw up on the floor.
"Okay, Nico, grab some of your blood," She said holding out the almost empty container. He did what was told, and the wall shifted, it slanted a bit, revealing a forest inside.
"This place… looks familiar."
"You've been here before, that's why." Emery said, washing her bloody hand in a creek. The blood dissolved in the water.
"This is the same camp where you met Percy," She paused. "Its just a bit… more advanced." The camp Nico went to was different. There, they fought with wooden swords, and went hiking every other week. Here, people were lashing out at each other with beams of light, and sharp bronze swords.
"Nico, your training starts now." She said, and he was hit with a wave of energy. Nico got launched back a few feet in the air, and landed in the creek.
"He's not a descendant of the fisherman." Emery said, and a wave of water hit her in the face, but it got dried up quickly.
"Is this what you call training?" Nico yelled at her. He was being thrashed around like a rag doll.
"Lets try fire." She commented. A kid with curly hair smirked, and a surge of heat launched straight at Nico. A large rock slab emerged from the ground, and protected him from the fire.
"We found it." Emery said, giving a high-five to the boy.
"The name's Leo." He said, lifting Nico up. There was an angry look on Nico's face. "Come on, chill dude. Smile for a bit, it wouldn't hurt." Leo said. Nico recognized him from the dream. Emery noticed it too, and a worried look flashed across her face.
"We should get going, there could be more you could do."