~ Grave News from the Son of Hades~

SAPHIRA

"Hold up! Dude, seriously. How did you know where to find us?" Percy demands as he caps Riptide and slips the magical pen into his pocket.

Nico raises a brow at him. "Seriously? You're Percy Jackson. Any time you go on a quest, you leave a trail of explosions and carnage in your wake. Even regular mortals could track you down."

He then raises a hand and counts off his fingers.

"Mysterious brawl at a warehouse in Manhattan. Attack on a bus headed to Illinois. Cemetery left in ruins as if a war had taken place there. And right now, you just turned some poor farmer's crops and barn into a battlefield."

Percy glowers and crosses his arms. "Fair enough."

"I started looking for you only two days ago. I tried to find you at camp first, but Chiron and Rachel told me you had already left," Nico explains.

"Two days ago? How did you catch up to us so quickly?" Annabeth asks.

"Shadow travel," Nico replies with a wry grin. "I can jump almost entire states now, at least twice before I pass out for a few hours."

Saphira had been silent this entire time, patiently waiting for the son of death to explain himself, but the moment he mentions his ability to shadow travel, she gets excited and practically snatches his hand in her eagerness.

"Shadow travel? Can you do that with us?" She asks him. "We have to get to California."

Nico frowns at her and gently pries her hand from his. "You realize that your small hand still hurts when you grip that hard, right?"

"Sorry," she quickly apologizes, feeling the heat of embarrassment well up in her cheeks.

"And to answer your question, no, I can't. I would if I could, but taking four people with me is much more draining than just shadow traveling myself," he says.

"There are five of us," Chloe informs him. Nico looks confused, until Saphira turns herself enough to show him the wolf pup peeking out from her backpack.

"That is a puppy," he declares.

"This is Lykos. Lycan, Guardian of the Hunt. Normally he is much bigger than this, but Circe hit him with some kind of spell," the healer explains.

"Lycan? As in, lycanthrope, as in a Wolf of Lycaon?" Nico asks, suddenly looking and sounding annoyed.

Saphira frowns at his change in mood. "Yes, why?"

"Hedge, Reyna and I were being hunted by his kind the entire time I was trying to get us and the Athena thingy back to CHB," he mutters.

"You don't have to worry about that ever again. Lykos killed Lycaon in single combat and took over as King of the Wolves. He commands the pack now. They won't bother anyone ever again," Saphira states.

Nico cocks his head, the anger fading from his eyes, replaced by curiosity. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Hm." Nico visibly relaxes, even looking satisfied. "Well, I also killed Lycaon once. Makes me happy to know he got killed again."

"Rewind a bit. You said you were looking for us. Why?" Annabeth asks.

"Right. Back to the matter at hand. I'm on a mission, sent by my father. Again," Nico replies.

"Hades sent you after us?" Percy asks. The child of death nods.

"I have to get to Camp Jupiter too, but I needed to find you guys first and tell you something."

"What is it?" Chloe inquires.

"Well, almost a week ago, Hades visited Olympus for a council meeting. Apparently Artemis and Dionysus had called all the gods together to discuss something crucial, that something being the girl you're looking for."

Saphira feels a sense of dread, already guessing where this is going.

"When Hades got back to the Underworld, he told me that this girl is making the other Olympians nervous, Zeus in particular. And we all know what happens when Zeus gets antsy about a powerful child," Nico says.

"They're already thinking about killing Asteria?" Chloe exclaims incredulously. "She's just a kid!"

"A very powerful kid, sired by a very powerful entity," Nico says. "Not that I agree with their sentiment, but that's simply the facts."

"Lady Artemis surely would have protested this!" Saphira declares, unwilling to believe her mistress would support the notion of killing Asteria. Her faith holds true as Nico shakes his head.

"According to my father, Artemis was furious, but Zeus is… well, Zeus. No final decision was made, but it's not looking too good."

"Which gods are voting for the choice to kill her?" Annabeth asks.

"Like I said, no final decision has been reached yet, but Zeus obviously is in favor of killing the girl. Ares too. Athena hasn't fully committed to the idea, but from what my father says, she is leaning towards yes."

Annabeth's stormy gray eyes harden. "Seriously, mom?!"

Nico continues. "Hera is in favor. Hephaestus is conflicted, at least, as are Hermes and Dionysus. Aphrodite apparently doesn't care one way or another. Apollo isn't even a god right now so he has no say. The gods who oppose killing Asteria are Artemis, Poseidon, Hades, and Hestia."

"That's not… terrible odds," Chloe muses.

"They're not good either," Annabeth says.

"Your dad is against it?" Percy asks.

"Father's been much more… open minded, since the war against Kronos," Nico says. A smile passes his lips. "He's changed a lot, for the better."

Percy pumps his fist into the air in triumph. "I told you guys! The gods can still change! Artemis and Hades are doing it, so can the others!"

"Percy, he just told us that almost a quarter of the council is for the idea of killing Asteria," Annabeth reminds him.

Percy drops his fist with a look of disappointment. "I mean, yeah but- it's still progress."

"Regardless, the threat to Asteria's life is still very real. I'm not so sure anymore that bringing her back to Camp Half-blood is the best course of action," Saphira murmurs, pinching the bridge of her nose in an attempt to think. Damn Zeus and his overzealous attitude!

"Are you saying we should call off the quest?" Chloe asks.

"Absolutely not. I still intend to save Asteria. I just think it may be best if we… take her someplace else," she replies.

Chloe frowns as if in thought, before replying with her own suggestion. "Our camp then."

"That would be a bad move," Nico bluntly states.

"Why? Artemis would allow it."

"I know, and how do you think Zeus would react if he were to find out that she was hiding Asteria?" Nico challenges her. "We go from maybe killing Asteria to definitely killing Asteria."

"Not to mention what he might do to Artemis and the Hunt," Annabeth adds.

"Artemis would not stand idle while he acts against her, or the Hunt," Saphira protests. "Not over this."

"And if she doesn't, then that can be taken as an act of rebellion, which can lead to another war between the gods," Nico replies. He grinds the heel of his boot into the ground, glancing around at them with an absolute dead serious expression.

"Tension is at an all time high. You thought the conflict and debating over Percy's life was rough? No offense, Perce, but compared to what's going on over Asteria, the push-pull over your life was practically nothing."

"Thanks, man," Percy mutters.

"I'm serious. Expect to see some crazy stuff happening with the weather while this goes on. Nobody on Olympus is in a good mood right now," Nico says.

"So Hades sent you to warn us about this?" Annabeth asks.

Nico nods his head. "Yeah. Father might have been… unreasonable, before, but right now, he understands how huge this is, and how important it is to not to do anything rash. He knows that just killing Asteria is not the right way to handle this."

He stuffs his hands in his pockets. "He also said to tell you guys that, if something does happen, he stands with you, but still be cautious and be prepared for a storm when you get back."

"You said you had to get to the Romans as well. What for?" Saphira asks him.

"They're our allies now. We have to get them up to speed on this. And since Reyna has a direct line to Hylla, they can spread the word to the Amazons too. This means that I'll be going on ahead of you, but I can give Reyna a heads up to watch out for you when you guys get to California. Maybe she can lend you some help."

Saphira ponders this. She knows the Hunt has good relations with both Reyna and the Amazons. If they are aware of what's going on, that's more eyes and ears for them to help search for Asteria… and maybe reinforcements if things become hectic at the mountain.

"One last thing. We found Apollo," Nico says.

That snaps Saphira out of her thoughts.

"Where is he?" she asks.

"CHB. He turned up with some girl named Meg. He's uh… not what you remember him as," he replies.

"Mortal?" Chloe says.

"Not just mortal. A loser." Nico looks like he's remembering something that was incredibly disappointing. "Zeus made him a pudgy, less than average looking guy with absolutely zero skills in anything. Not even archery. On top of it all, Zeus named him Lester Papadopoulos."

This isn't reassuring news at all.

"Does Artemis know?" Chloe asks.

"She does, but she can't see him. Forbidden by Zeus and all."

"How is he handling being a los- I mean, being a mortal?" Percy asks with just the softest hint of humor.

Nico furrows his brow. "I didn't observe him very long, but from what I could tell, not very well. He was practically on the verge of a mental breakdown when I saw him."

"So, nothing but bad news all around," Anmabeth sums up.

For a moment, Nico seems to be in thought. Then he replies. "Well, there is one good thing. Even though he's not a god anymore, I got to meet Will's dad. Despite his situation, he seemed to approve of me dating his son."

Something clicks in Saphira's memory. "Oh, you are Will Solace's boyfriend! He treated me for my injuries in your camp."

"Yeah, that would be me," Nico says with a hint of a smile.

"Congrats, man. You met the parents!... er, one of them," Percy says, clapping Nico on the back in approval. "I'm happy for you, dude."

Now, Nico smiles for real. "Thanks, Perce."

"When we get back, you, Will, Annabeth and I can all go on a double date together," the sea child declares.

This earns a groan from both Annabeth and Nico.

"Ugh. Dude, double dates are never fun and always super uncomfortable," Nico says.

"This is fact," Annabeth agrees.

Percy frowns. "What? Come on! It'd be just like the four of us hanging out, but as a date."

"That's not how double dates work," Annabeth retorts.

"I have never been in a romantic relationship for obvious reasons, but even I understand that two couples together on a date is not a comfortable scenario," Chloe adds.

Saphira is confused by all this. She has a good knowledge of the modern world for a girl who was born a few eras ago, but some things still elude her understanding.

"I don't follow. Is it not just enjoying each other's company?" she asks.

Chloe, Annabeth, and Nico all shake their heads at her.

Saphira sighs. "This world changes too much."

"Anyway, I have to get going, and you all should too. I might have saved your lives just now, but we all know monsters will just keep throwing more at you," Nico says.

"Wait," Saphira says, this time restraining herself from taking hold of him. "Are you certain you cannot take us with you? We are going to the same state after all."

Nico purses his lip. "I mean, yeah, but I have much more to do than just spreading the word about Olympian drama. That's just the first part of my mission"

"What is the other part?" Annabeth asks.

"I'm not really supposed to tell you."

"Come on, Nico. If it's important, we gotta know."

"It might not even be a certainty. Right now, it's just a theory father has," the death child says.

"What is the theory?" Annabeth presses him.

For a moment, Nico remains silent. He's clearly reluctant to answer, but the gang eyeing him with expectant looks must change his mind. With a sigh, he answers.

"You know how you can get into Tartarus through the Underworld? And how it's kinda Hades' job to keep tabs on it?" he says.

They all nod.

"Well, the day he gave me this assignment, he told me how he was feeling some kind of… disturbance. Powerful and somehow related to darkness. Now normally, that doesn't scare us because, well, the royal family of the Underworld. But, he said it was different, and I felt it too."

"So, what was it?" Percy asks.

Nico shakes his head. "At first, father thought that it could be Nyx and / or her family down there. The energy was strong, and was even enough to make father nervous… but we would know if it was Nyx. There is really no mistaking what her presence does."

"That, we know," Annabeth says, solemnly. "I still have nightmares about it."

"If it's not Nyx, then isn't that a good thing?" Chloe muses.

"Not quite. The power we felt wasn't Nyx or any of the other Protogenoi down there, but it was definitely close," Nico says.

Saphira feels a sense of dread rising as she thinks she knows what he's leading to. What he described is the same feeling she got around Asteria, except Asteria as far as they know, was never in the Underworld. And they know which entity sired her.

"Then, what is it?" Annabeth asks.

Nico looks around at them with a darkened gaze, before he speaks. What he says next, only confirms Saphira's dread.

"We think it's another mortal child of a primordial," he says. "And we think that child's parent… is Nyx."

Author's Note

Our poor gang's having it rough lately, but with Nico's arrival, will their luck finally turn around? Or will it sink ever lower? And are there other primordial children out there, and if so, whose side are they on?

Also, as per one of my latest reviews, it seems that some followers are not aware this is Book TWO of the series. I take responsibility for this as I realize I never properly stated this to be the second installment of The Chaos Chronicles. Sorry to those of you who were not aware.

The first book can be found in my profile and is titled "The Chaos Chronicles: The Wolf and the Hunter". As another heads-up, I will be updating that book with chapter rewrites in an effort to make it a little more organized, fixing errors, and overall just making it a better read.

Thank you for your continued support and I will catch you guys later.