The Capture

LEO

Breakfast was a dull affair. The momentary panic of Percy and Annabeth's disappearance had subsided to snickers, leaving them with nothing. The silence was dull. "So," Leo said cautiously, "anyone have any fun dreams?"

Percy seemed to jump out of his seat, and Leo could almost feel Liona narrow her eyes. Percy told them of his dream — the twin giants plans, Liona's brother trapped in a bronze jar, pomegranate seeds at his feet just as Liona had theorised.

He looked to the daughter of Hades. She starred at the ground, her fists clenched so hard he noticed a trickle of blood. She muttered something in Italian, but Leo managed to catch 'Nico'.

To Liona's left, Hazel choked back a sob. "Oh, gods."

"That fucking idiot," Liona said finally, her voice steel.

"Liona, don't say that!" Hazel gasped. "We need to help him."

"Do you know what that means, Hazel? Do you know what he did?" Liona said, tears pooring silently down her cheeks. Her accent was thick as a board, barely legible. The entire table was silent, so she answered her own question. "Eph-ef-efe- I'm sorry, I cannot say that, the English say letters too different, and the Otis one are the guard dogs to a pit entrance. They used the jar method on Ares, eons ago, as well. Nico went looking for the Doors of Death. I should have... that does not matter. He went through the pit. He will be in bad state. He could easily bleed out before we arrive. And the... oh, gods. That idiot. He must've known what he was doing. Fucking idiot."

"The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth said, realisation dawning on her. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."

"Well, they're right!" Hazel looked around the table, her confidence visibly crumbling. "Won't we?"

Leo heard Liona mutter something like 'not with them' and his stomach lurched. Another one of us does not have to die for the daughter of wisdom. He wanted the story desperately, but there was too much he couldn't understand.

"Hazel, of course we'll help him," Frank said quickly. "But how long do we have before... uh, I mean, how long can Nico hold out?"

"One seed a day," Hazel said, looking to Liona for confirmation, to which she gave a curt nod.

"And he has five seeds left," Percy said.

"Five days with today," Liona finished for him. "When we get closer, I'll be able to find him. Parts of the underworld will stand out. Nico's attachment will be sharper than the rest. He'll be in Rome."

"That's not much time," Piper summed up. She smiled at Hazel, and Leo could tell that she'd surmised Hazel to be the more approachable sibling "We'll find him. At least we know what the lines of the prophecy mean now. 'Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death', that's him."

"Who holds the keys to endless death," Liona repeated. "Nico did what he had to do. He found the doors in the pit."

"You keep saying the pit," Percy said. "What do you mean, Tartarus?"

Liona seemed to flinch, but nodded. "Oh, gods," Hazel muttered, looking even more seasick. "Nico..."

"Wait," Annabeth said, blinking quickly as if something was dawning on her. "That would make Nico the first demigod to get out of Tartarus alive."

Liona winced again at the name. "Second," she corrected.

"Who-"

"Young girl," she said, starring at her skull ring. "I met with her spirit once. It sent her mad, the things she saw. She died soon after."

A cruel silence ensued, punctuated by Hazel's sobs. Liona's face was so still she could be a statue, rain catapulting off of it.

"We'll rescue him," Piper said finally. "We have to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death. He can tell us where the doors are, and how to close them."

Hazel took a deep breath. "Yes. Good."

"Uh..." Leo shifted in his chair, slightly unnerved by Liona's tears. "One thing. The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we're walking into a trap?"

More blood seemed to come out of Liona's fists, and her sister looked at him like he'd given her the middle finger. "We have no choice!"

"Don't get me wrong, Hazel," Jason said, notes of patronisation in his voice. "It's just that, well, Nico... he knew about both camps."

"So?" Hazel said.

"He's been going back and forth," Leo said, "and he didn't tell either side."

"Not even when I showed up, he didn't tell me who I was," Percy said.

Hazel opened her mouth, but Liona was up first. Her hands were dripping with blood. "Do not thing that if we do not get Nico back I will continue your quest," she said, her voice, like her face, hard as stone. "I hope Gaea kills you all." She walked to the door, and spirits swam to life in the room. They screamed, their bodies mutilated, begging to the demigods. Things flew across the room, smashing into walls. They seemed to run to Percy and Annabeth, but left Piper and Hazel in the clear.

"Um," Piper said, "do we fight that?"

Hazel just glowered. "I don't you guys. He's my brother. He brought me back from the Underworld, and you don't want to help him?"

"Nobody's saying that," Frank said, putting his hand on her shoulder. He glared at Leo. "Nobody had better be saying that."

Leo blinked, feeling a flush in his cheeks. "Look, guys. All I mean is—"

"Hazel," Jason said, keeping his voice even as possible. "Leo is raising a good point. I remember Nico from Camp Jupiter. Now I find out he also visited Camp Half-Blood. That does strike me as... well, a little shady. Do we really know where his loyalties lie? We just have to be careful."

Hazel's arms shook. The ghosts' plates became incrusted with rubies, one barely missing Jason's face. "You... the great Jason Grace... the praetor I looked up to. You were supposed to be so fair, such a good leader. And now you..." Hazel groaned and stormed out of the mess hall, leaving them to the ghosts' mercy.

"Hazel!" Leo called after her, standing up. "Ah, jeez. I should—"

"You've done enough," Frank growled. He got up to follow her, but Piper gestured for him to wait.

"Give her time. Let her cool down first. Trust me on this. Check on her later," Piper advised. Then she frowned at Leo and Jason. "You guys, that was pretty cold."

Jason looked like he'd been slapped. "Cold? I'm just being cautious!"

"Her brother is dying," Piper said. "Their brother is dying. You know both of their entire families are dead, right? And... let's face it, we need Liona. She's too useful. It's really braze of her, coming. Especially with... well, I don't want to sound mean, Annabeth, but... well according to her and camp gossip, her sister literally died for you. All they have is each other."

Annabeth sighed, muttering something to Percy. As if on cue, Festus begun to whir violently, making hissing noises.

"Welcome to Topeka, Kansas, people," Leo said, his grin wavering slightly.