Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Percy Jackson.
The New Half-blood
"Talking"
"Thinking"
None of the nuns knew how the human found out about the monastery. He had simply appeared one day. When asked why he was there, he said he wanted to meet the monastery's students. Abbess Gallae tried to get him to leave, insisting that who he was looking for wasn't here. But he wouldn't budge on the matter.
In the end, the abbess agreed. Some of the nuns thought it was more out of frustration and wanting to prove him wrong. Whatever the case, the students were brought to the main hall. They weren't sure what was going on. Waking up in the middle of the night like this? No one did this, not even when they were trouble. Some were nervous but the majority feeling was interested, and excited.
The first thing they noticed was the human. He lounged in a chair, leaning against the table. He looked young, for a human. The nuns figured he was in his twenties. His hair was as black as night and looked as if he just woke up. It was fascinating to the students, just like his clothes. It was nothing like they had seen or wore. What stood out was his coat. It cut close to his frame and was so black it could've been a void, with a silver ruff around the neck. A dog sat by his side, relaxed but also watchful.
Matriarch Gallae eyed them all as they walked in. "Girls," she said in her usual warm but firm manner, "this is Nico di Angelo." She gave him an irritated look. He kept leaning, idly tapping his fingers on the table. "He is searching for someone, and he believes he will find her here. So, please indulge him for the time being."
The asari all knew that tone in her voice. Matriarch Gallae might've sounded pleasant but there was annoyed undertone to it. She did not like the human. Rila stepped forward. Since she was a leader for the students, she chose to speak for them. "Good evening, Mr. di Angelo," she said.
"Nico." His voice was quiet, but it floated through the air. For some, it tickled down their ears and did something funny to their knees.
Rila wasn't one of them. "Just who are you looking for?"
"That can be solved with two questions." His fingers stopped tapping as his dark eyes looked at them all. There were about fifteen in total. "First question: what's on the table?"
They all looked at the table and quickly became confused. The only thing on the table was his hand. The skin was pale. The only thing that stood out was the silver ring wrought into a skull. There was nothing else.
But not all of them thought that. "A sword," Falere answered.
The others stared at her, questioning if she had lost her mind. Rila shot them a quick glare before looking at her sister. "Falere, there's nothing on the table." She knew her sister wasn't like most Ardat-Yakshi. She had a hard time reading and couldn't sit still for long. She also thought she saw things that weren't there. The abbess and nuns simply thought it was an offshoot of her genetics. The other students thought she was weird.
Falere looked at her sister. "But it's right there." The sword rested in stark contrast against the table, blacker than space. Just looking at it made her nervous. How could the others not see it?
The human looked at her and stood up. Only Falere saw him take the sword and sheathed it at his belt. The hall fell silent as he walked over to the sister, looking at the younger one. "Second question," he said. "What do you see when you look at Mrs. O'Leary?"
The dog joined him at her name. Rila saw what humans called a poodle. There were no pets at the monastery, but they had seen pictures. It definitely looked like a poodle. It was a big poodle, with very dark fur, but that was it.
Yet Falere wasn't looking at the dog. She was looking at the space above it. Her eyes first widened in surprise, then fear. "That's…not possible," she breathed out. "She's…huge, and…different. But how…?"
Rila looked to her sister then at the dog. Nothing had changed. The dog was panting but that was it. The human looked at Falere a little closer. "So, you're her." He smiled. It was a quiet smile yet filled with warmth. "Good to finally meet ya."
Whatever was going on, Rila didn't like it. Neither did Abbess Gallae. "Mr. di Angelo, just who is Falere to you?"
"My little sister."
Three words. All it took was three words and the hall was floored. Rila stared at the human. She knew her mother had different mates who sired her children. They just had never been discussed. Now this Nico di Angelo said Falere was his sister. Rila wanted to protest, say that it wasn't true. But the more she looked, the more she saw something similar about their eyes.
The abbess was the first to recover. "And what do you intend to do, now that you know who she is?"
"Leave," Nico di Angelo answered, "and take her with me."
Rila was snapped out of her observations at those words. "You can't!" she objected. "She's not allowed to leave. She's an Ardat-Yakshi—"
"No, she's not." His voice was cool but filled with a sword's sharpness. "She is something else."
Falere was scared but also curious. It was a strange sensation, these two emotions whirling around inside her. "What am I?" she asked the human. She didn't know if he was actually her brother or not. All she ever had was her sisters.
Again he gave her that warm smile. "Just like me."
Abbess Gallae didn't know what was going on, but she had enough. "Mr. di Angelo, Falere is not permitted to leave the monastery. Any attempt to take her with you will be met with force," she warned him. The nuns stepped forward, their biotics starting to glow across their hands.
The sight made the students nervous. This wasn't something they had seen the nuns do before. Yet the human was unperturbed. "I was sent to bring her to safety," he told the abbess. "I intend to do that."
There was a protectiveness in his voice. Falere was reassured by that somehow. But she still didn't know what was going on. "Who sent you?" Rila shot her a look, all but pleading her to be silent.
"Our father." The words felt different to Falere, as if there was some power behind them. It was strange. Ever since she had been old enough to understand, she had never asked her mother about her father. It hadn't seemed important, not when she learned what she was. But now, this unknown person from her past had found out about her and sent his human son to get her?
Just who was this person? Didn't he know the danger of an Ardant-Yakshi?
"Mr. di Angelo." The abbess was really getting mad now. "You will not leave here with Falere. We will not let you." Now the nuns had all but surrounded him, ready to throw their biotics.
But the human wasn't afraid. He just laughed. Unlike his smile, this laugh sent chills down to their bones, to their souls, if that was possible. "You make it sound like I'm going to leave through the front door." Then, continuing his audacity, he ignored them for Rila. "Don't worry, she'll be safe. And she'll have friends."
Those cryptic words didn't do anything to reassure her. "What—?"
He stepped in close and hugged Falere. The dog stepped in close too. "Hold on," he told Falere. And then the three of them sank into the floor, disappearing into the shadows.
It took everyone a moment to realize what just happened. Then chaos erupted.
The students screamed in shock, the nuns searched the hall for possible danger, the abbess wanted answers, and Rila kept staring at the spot where her sister had disappeared into.
Falere was scared, been since last night. She didn't know how but Nico took her somewhere different, a room that didn't look like it belonged anywhere in the monastery. There was a bed and she fell asleep before realizing how tired she was.
Now it was morning, and she still didn't know where she was. She was escorted by Nico downstairs, where another human was waiting by a large table. This was an older man, dressed much differently from Nico. He reminded Falere of the monastery's teachers. "Ah, Nico," the man said. "Is this her?"
"It is." Nico glanced at Falere and noticed what she was doing. "You're staring."
She knew she was staring. The other human was sitting in a wheelchair. She had heard about the contraption, but she had never seen it. Yet the words shocked her out of her silence. "I-I'm sorry," she apologized.
The paralyzed man waved it away. "Don't be, Falere. Besides, appearances can be deceiving. Come, sit. You must be hungry."
Falere noticed the food on the table and her stomach growled in anticipation. She was hesitant as she sat. This was food she hadn't seen before. What the students at the monastery ate was very plain and basic, but filling. Before her laid a feast. The hesitance lasted until she took her first bite. The taste was delicious and compelled her to eat more.
After her stomach was full, Falere realized she had made a mess in the process. Nico had left, leaving the other human watching her. "It's alright," he assured her before she spoke. "There have been plenty of messes much worse. I'm Chiron, the camp director here. You've already met your brother, Nico."
That was one question answered but another prodded at her mind. "Where am I? Am I still on Lesuss?" Was the man sitting across the table her father? He and Nico didn't look alike. Was there something she was missing?
Mr. Chiron shook his head. "No, you're on Earth. Tell me, Falere, what do you know about gods?" He sounded like the teachers, using his voice to push a student to an answer.
Even though she was comforted by that fact, she scoffed at the question. "Gods? Gods aren't real." Thunder boomed outside the room, loud enough to be heard.
"I would be careful with how you say such things, Falere," Chiron cautioned her. "It gets noticed and could offend someone's attention." He pushed back from the table and wheeled himself around to her side. "It seems that we have a lot of ground to cover before we can continue." He wasn't disappointed, just accepting.
Falere wasn't sure how much time past as he explained. What he talked about seemed ridiculous. Gods of an ancient culture still alive today? The fact they slept with mortals often resulted in children with great powers? Monsters out in the galaxy willing to kill those children because they could?
Yet any laugh she could've mustered died before it reached her throat. There was something about the way he talked that resonated in her. His words made sense, as if pulling back a curtain she didn't know existed and revealing the bigger world.
Chiron took it a step further and revealed himself to a be centaur, stepping out of the wheelchair like it was nothing. Falere had never seen such a thing, nor had she seen such a creature. The top half of him was still the same, wearing respectable clothes that wouldn't draw attention. But the bottom half belong to a white horse.
"Perhaps it's time you met the others," he said, striding towards the door.
Falere didn't realize she was following until she heard her feet move against the floor. "Others?" she repeated.
Chiron stopped with his hand on the door. "Yes," he said with a smile. "Come and see."
The door opened, letting in the smell of strawberries and grapes. It was bright outside, the sun shining down from a blue sky. Out in the distance, Falere saw the sea. It was a bright blue that shined even as it moved. Between the sea and where she stood was a camp, just like Chiron had mentioned. There were plenty of buildings, most of them clustered around a single spot. She even saw a wall that seem to spew forth lava.
Yet all that was nothing, not when there were hundreds of people waiting outside the door. There were plenty of humans amongst them, yet Falere also saw turians, drell, salarians, and even some krogan. No asari, though. That was disappointing. She also noticed two more things: each of them was young and wore a bright orange shirt.
"Campers," Chiron said, descending down the steps of the house, "I want you to welcome our newest addition, Falere." He looked back at her with an encouraging smile.
Falere walked to his side. Everyone's eyes were still watching her. Was she supposed to say something? She opened her mouth, but the eyes snapped upward, over her head. Gasps of surprise followed suit. When she glanced up, she noticed a dark light over her head. Inside was a golden helmet that stood stark against the darkness, yet also embodied it.
The light disappeared as soon as it had appeared, leaving Falere very confused. But she was the only one. "As I was saying, welcome our newest member," Chiron said. He turned and bowed to Falere, the rest copying his action. "Hail, Falere, daughter of Hades."
After that, Falere's life changed. The campers were welcoming, in their own way. There was a cautious air to them. Not only was Falere a child of the Big Three in the camp (the last two being Jon Grissom, son of Poseidon, and a turian son of Zeus), but she was also a child of Hades. According to the campers, that hadn't happened in centuries. And she was the first asari demigod, ever.
Still, once they got to know her, she found them warm and friendly. They were also willing to help her get up to speed about everything regarding demigods, including her own father. Falere found it odd that, even though Hades was the firstborn son, he allowed his youngest brother to rule over them. Sure, there was the story of how Zeus freed his siblings from their father's stomach (and wasn't that a disgusting story) and them being grateful enough to follow him into war. But what about after the war? No one had a proper answer for her, and it didn't seem that big of a concern to them.
As she learned about her father, Falere came to understand his powers resided in two areas, the dead or riches. She wasn't sure if she would get any powers from those. It was still overwhelming figuring out fighting and reading Ancient Greek (although being given a reason for why it was hard for her to stay still or read had been a relief). Chiron assured her she would figure it out in time and there was no reason to rush things.
So Falere didn't. She lived her life at the camp and enjoyed it. She made friends amongst the cabins. The girls from Cabin 10 were all too glad to teach her about the latest fashions or what's cool at the moment. Cabin 7 happily showed her how to shoot a bow or take care of an injury while Cabins 5 and 17 always wanted her for their team for Capture the Flag. They didn't treat her as different, and she loved it.
But she was also curious, about Nico di Angelo. When she asked about him, all she really got was gossip. None of the campers really knew anything about him. What they did know was he used to be a camper and was a part-time activities director. He could disappear for months on end, and no one knew what he did. When Falere mentioned he was her half-brother, gossip exploded across the camp. They didn't know he was a son of Hades. It just made the questions and gossip grow.
It made Falere wonder even more. If they were siblings, she wanted to know him better. So, one day in July, she took a chance and walked into Chiron's office. Nico was there, talking with the centaur. He saw walk in and smiled. "Hey, Falere." He pushed off the table and came over to her. "You doing well here?"
"Yes," she said with a nod. Life at camp was great but manners taught at the monastery still took hold. She listened to her elders and made sure to be respectful.
"Good." His eyes fell to the sword at her side. "Hope you've been training with that."
Her hand touched the hilt briefly. "I have. I'm getting better." When she first held the weapon, it felt so awkward and heavy. Now, it was a comfortable weight. Nico's smile was full of approval, filling her with a warm feeling.
Chiron's look was curious yet patient. "Was there something you needed?"
She nodded. "Yes, I wanted to ask Nico something."
The look she gave him was all the clue he needed. "Chiron, some privacy, please?" The camp director nodded and left the room. Once the door closed, Nico said, "You're wondering how I exist."
Falere nodded. "Everyone has told me I'm the first child of Hades in centuries, but you've called me sister. They didn't even know that you were a son of Hades."
"Figured my outfit and gear would've been a clue," he remarked. His hand came up, stopping her before she spoke. "There's a reason for what you know, Falere." The hand gestured toward the wall. "Take a look at that. There's a couple of photos near the middle you should look at."
There were plenty of pictures, all with different people. The more she looked, the more Falere understood that these were demigods, the ones who survived to adulthood and lived their lives. She recognized some faces, mostly because they were famous. But the further she went to the left, the older the photos became.
A set of photos caught her attention. It was a group of campers, about eight or nine of them, wearing orange or purple shirts (the purple was odd but not important at the moment) and grinning at the camera. Clearly they had done something that gave them this sense of victory. Yet it was one person that caught her attention.
He might've looked young and shorter, but the pale-looking boy in the black bomber jacket was a dead-ringer for Nico. "Your ancestor?" she asked him, pointing at the boy.
Nico shook his head. "No, that's me."
Falare froze and looked at the picture again, at the date. It was well over a hundred years ago! Yet when she looked at Nico again, he looked as he always did, a young man. "But…how…?"
"I nearly died during an ambush and Hades, for lack of a better explanation, panicked."
What he didn't say stood loud in the room. "You're…you're immortal?" Falere asked. It seemed impossible but she had already learned not to dismiss the impossible out of hand.
"Until I'm killed in battle. Problem is, I'm so good at fighting, there's not a lot that could kill me." His chuckle might've been humorous if not for the sad undertone.
"Can our father do that?"
"Not without severe consequences. Hades was punished harshly. Zeus banished him to the Underworld for nearly two centuries, forbidding him from stepping foot on Mt. Olympus or to walk amongst mortals. Not even his wife, Persephone, was allowed to see him."
That explained how Falere came to be. But it didn't explain how the campers didn't know about him. Her question must've been obvious since Nico said, "It wasn't being immortal that got to me. Watching my friends, the ones who survived, grow old while I stayed the same, I couldn't take it. I said my goodbyes and took off." His sadness grew with each word spoken.
"Doing what?"
"What I could. I wandered, did odd jobs for the gods, and survived. By the time Chiron asked me to stop by the camp, all my friends had passed. That made it easier, somewhat. But they also didn't know about me, and I never bothered to tell them." There was another reason, of course. He didn't want a demigod trying to figure out how to become immortal.
Once he was done, Falere understood she held a secret only a few knew. But because of she had told her friends, that secret was going to start unraveling. "Should I tell my friends?" she asked. She didn't like keeping something like this to herself.
Nico didn't take long to consider it. "If they ask, it's your choice. But if not, don't tell them." He was sure if they were given a couple of years, they'd forget out about him being a son of Hades.
It was a compromise Falere could live with. But it also left her wondering something else. She had noticed the slight snarl in his voice whenever Nico spoke of Hades. It was faint but still there. "Do you hate our father for what he did?" she dared to ask.
For a long second, he said nothing. It was the longest second of her life. "I was pissed beyond belief for what he did," Nico finally answered. He stared out the window as if something beyond it offended him. "I should've had a choice in the matter, and he took it away from me. Even when his banishment ended, he didn't try to find me because he knew how furious I would be. He's only summoned me once since then." He looked back at Falere with a small smile. "And that was to ask me bring his new daughter to Camp Half-blood."
Which meant her. "And you said yes?" After what happened to Nico, Falere wouldn't have been surprised he'd refuse their father just out of spite.
"My grief is with Hades, not my little sister. When he told me you were out there, I was happy that I had another sibling." He took her by the shoulder. It was a move Rila had done plenty of times to reassure her. "Never think I'm upset that you're alive, Falere. I'm glad that you're here."
He meant each word. Falere felt so overwhelmed, the only thing she could offer was a hug. The world didn't matter as she hugged her brother. She felt safe and secured. She just knew as long as he breathed, Nico di Angelo wouldn't let anything hurt her. And she wouldn't never try to disappoint him.
Once the hug broke, Nico asked, "So, any other questions?"
"Just one," she admitted. "Who is responsible for our cabin?" The first time she had seen it, she thought it belonged to someone who had a bad fascination with death.
Much to her surprise, he groaned. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"
"Wait, that was you?" Her brother was already walking out of the office. She chased after him, demanding answers. But with a smile on her lips.
End
Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.
This story came to me after I read a story called Daughter of the Sky, Hero of the Galaxy. It had an interesting concept and I wanted to do my own spin on it. Yet having Shepard or Percy Jackson be the main character would've been boring. So, why not make someone else the hero? We've done it before.
Yes, I essentially made Nico a Tolkien elf. He can't die unless in battle. But like he said, he's gotten so good at fighting that not a lot can kill him. For the record, I do believe that Hades would've something like that if he panicked. He is proud of his son and seeing him getting killed would make any father react. And since he is a god, he went overboard. Fairly certain that's a rule.
Initially there was another scene about Morinth. But after another look through, I found it didn't fit. It'll probably end up in another chapter, just like other parts. That's the fun thing about these kinds of stories. You can keep coming back to them and reveal something else each time.
I'll see you all next chapter!
