Breaking the Gods

chapter 7

"The kids in that school are scared," Nico told Jason upon their next meeting. "Unsettlingly so."

"Because of the Blue Ward?" asked Jason.

Nico nodded. "I haven't gotten into it yet. I tried to do some snooping around, but they've got advanced security measures."

"What sort of security measures?" asked Jason.

"Advanced ones."

Jason opened his mouth but Nico spoke again before he could.

"Just messing with you, I know what you meant," he said, smiling a bit evilly. He wasn't quite sure why he was so at ease with Jason. Maybe it was because Jason seemed to believe so deeply that they were kindred spirits, and not just cousins, even though they were, in the same DNA-less way that Nico was related to at least a third of Camp Half-Blood. Personally, Nico thought it was probably because Jason was so determined to be right about them being kindred spirits. Or maybe it was a combination of him wanting so badly to be right, and him actually being partly right. Jason and Nico had the scarily dangerous, but awesome powers thing in common, as well as the broken family thing. Nico didn't know Jason's full story, but sensed that it was complicated and full of trials, much as Nico's own had been. Nico suspected that given time, he and Jason could probably become pretty good friends. They'd have to get through the whole Greek-Roman/Greasers-Soc rivalry first, but since Jason (probably) had a sister on the Greek side, Nico didn't think he'd be too hung up on old rivalries.

"You know those high tech spy movies where they've got those grids of lasers or light beams that set off alarms if you touch one of the lasers?" said Nico. "It turns out that those actually really exist."

Jason looked impressed. "I thought those were only in movies."

"I did too," said Nico. "Until I actually saw the damn things."

"So you couldn't get past them," sighed Jason.

"What? No, I got past them," Nico told him.

"Huh? How?" asked Jason. "Are you a contortionist?"

Nico shook his head. "I used my powers. Son of Hades, remember? I mean Pluto," he corrected himself hastily.

He didn't miss the look of curious interest that crossed Jason's face at his slip, but Jason didn't mention it. "Your powers let you get past laser grids?"

"Yeah, I . . ." Nico hesitated, remembering that it wasn't a good idea to reveal all his powers to a Roman. He felt bad about it. Nico wasn't racist by any means. But he knew he should be wary of the Roman.

"Are you a contortionist?" asked Jason.

Nico shook his head and made a decision. "One of my powers is shadow travel. It lets me travel at the speed of darkness, as long as there's darkness to travel through. I sort of . . . I don't know, become a shadow when I do that, I guess."

"Wow." Jason looked genuinely impressed. "That sounds really useful. So can you travel long distances or just short ones?"

"Either," answered Nico. "I took a few accidental trips to China when I first started learning."

Jason laughed at that. "Awesome. I wish I could do something like that. All my powers are cool, but they're also really destructive and dangerous to the people around me. Except flying. That one's safe enough for bystanders."

"You can fly?" asked Nico, eyes wide.

Jason nodded. "Through wind manipulation. It's really fun."

"I flew once. I had to use wings though."

"Wings?"

"Daedalus's wings. Some of my friends and I found them in his workshop in the labyrinth, then had to use them to run for our lives. Or fly for our lives, as the case was."