The Ghost King's Adventure through the multiverse

1. The Dream

Hello! I've read a lot of fanfic, and some of it was...interesting. So, I decided to write my own, where Nico travels to different dimensions based on the very inaccurate fanfics I've read. This is my first fanfiction so I'm open to constructive criticism, and I hope you enjoy it!

Nico di Angelo had just returned from Camp Jupiter, where they had been helping Hazel train her powers. They were training in the field when a half dozen rogue harpies swooped down, their feathers disheveled and their eyes glazed over as if they were in a trance.

Nico and Hazel tensed, their hands darting to their weapons. They knew that in their world, they had to be vigilant at all times. It was kill or be killed, nothing in between. But the harpies didn't attack immediately. They just hovered in the air, their wings beating slowly, their eyes fixed on their prey.

Nico knew he had to do something. He couldn't let the harpies hurt anyone. He drew his sword, a stygian iron blade that gleamed with a dark light. Hazel drew her spatha, a Roman short sword with a double-edged blade.

"Hazel, you ready to test what we trained?" Nico said, his voice calm and steady.

Hazel nodded, her expression grim. "Ready."

They charged into battle, their swords and spatha flashing in the sunlight. The harpies finally came to their senses and swooped in to attack. Nico and Hazel dodged and weaved, parrying and thrusting, their skills honed to perfection.

Hazel fought with a heavy heart. She didn't want to hurt anyone, but she knew she had to protect herself and her brother. She closed her eyes and focused on her powers, calling upon the earth to aid her.

A wave of shimmering, razor-sharp jewels erupted from the ground, slamming into the harpies and knocking them back. Hazel opened her eyes and saw that Nico had taken advantage of the distraction to defeat two of the harpies.

The remaining harpies screeched in anger and charged at Nico and Hazel. Hazel closed her eyes again and focused on her powers, a harpy sneaked behind Nico and tried to take a swipe at his head. Hazel called out, "Heads up!" and threw a diamond-made sharp spike at the harpy. The spike hit the harpy in the chest, piercing its heart. The harpy screeched in pain and fell to the ground, dissolving into golden shimmering sand.

Nico took advantage of the distraction to defeat two more of the harpies. The last harpy let out a frustrated screech and fled.

Nico and Hazel lowered their weapons and caught their breath. Nico looked at Hazel and smiled weakly.

"I think that's enough training for one day. I'm proud of you," Nico said, his voice soft and genuine.

After saying goodbye to Hazel, Nico sighed. It was time to return to the Underworld, where he faced a mountain of paperwork and meetings. He would do it all, but only after a quick nap.

Nico found a dark corner and Shadow Traveled to his room in the Underworld. As he stepped through the portal, he felt the familiar chill of the Underworld wash over him. He tossed his bag on a random wooden chair and collapsed onto the bed, his body aching from exhaustion. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep, dreaming of Hazel and their adventures in the world above.

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After a short while, Nico felt his soul being tugged into another dream. He saw his father, Hades, struggling to hold up a gray, tilting wall made of wood, cement, and rock. It seemed unstable and poorly constructed, at least three feet thick and stretching on forever. The place was dark, but Nico's improved vision from living in the underworld allowed him to see. There were small holes in the wall emitting thin, straight rays of light.