An Unlikely duo (AF/PJO/HP Crossover)

Foreshadowing and Gift-related nonsense

Nico grinned like a maniac, "Cool, huh?" he asked, holding out his sword, "Don't touch the blade though, it's cursed."

Artemis quickly retracted his hand, "I see. Although, I must ask, what material is this made of? It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before." he asked.

Nico thought for a moment before answering, "Some sort of enchanted iron, I guess? I can't remember."

"As entertaining as this is, why exactly are we out here again?"

Nico rolled his eyes, "We're here so that I can show you why I need this sword. Don't pretend that you weren't wondering why I carry it around all the time Fowl."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Whatever. Now, are you ready to see this beauty in action?" Nico asked impatiently.

Artemis raised an eyebrow, "I suppose so but-"

"That's all I needed to hear." Nico interrupted. "Follow me." he beckoned, leading them deeper into the forest.

*****10 minutes later*****

"What are you waiting for?" Artemis asked in exasperation.

Nico, as tactful as ever, replied, "A monster."

Artemis raised a mocking eyebrow, "Of course you are. But joking aside, what are you actually waiting for?"

"I already told you, Fowl! I'm waiting for a monster to attack us, which is obviously bound to happen soon enough."

"What makes you say that?" Artemis asked casually, although his voice betrayed a sliver of fear.

"It's some sort of... gift." Nico tried to explain without giving away the existence of the entire pantheon, "Everyone in my family is born with some sort of gift, but because of that, we also give off some sort of 'scent' per se, that attracts monsters. Which is why I need a sword to drive them off. I'd prefer to show you, but for some reason, there are no mon-" Nico was interrupted by some sort of distant roar, "Spoke too soon, there's one."

With impeccable timing, a hellhound burst into the clearing. It's eyes were blood red, and it was the size of a small house. 

Behind him, Nico could hear Artemis muttering something to himself.

"3.141592653" Artemis mumbled, "5897932"

Nico blinked, "What are you doing?"

Artemis stopped mumbling for a moment, "I'm staying calm." he answered before continuing his mumbling, "38462643"

Nico rolled his eyes, "Chillax! I've got this in the bag." he assured before turning to face the hellhound.

Now, it's important to note that it would be very easy for Nico to simply kill the hellhound, but, as Nico reasoned, where's the fun in that?

Nico grinned as he dodged the hellhound's claws. He hadn't felt this alive in months! He should come here more often, he thought, he was getting out of touch.

The hellhound pounced at him once again, but Nico was starting to get bored of this little show they were putting on. So he killed the hellhound in one smooth strike. As the hellhound turned to dust, he turned to face the audience and gave an exaggerated bow.

"And that, my friend, is how a professional does that." Nico declared dramatically.

Artemis appeared to be a lot calmer now, seeing as his usually testiness was back.