The Daughter of Crossroads (Percy Jackson / HoO)

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sure, I've been attacked before. Gangs of creatures I never thought existed had harassed me on the streets of Chicago. There have been way too many times where I barely escaped. I recall catching glimpses of faces in the wind, wispy and faint. That's how I discovered my powers. It began with the spurts of electricity running from my fingertips, and then transformed to even illusions. 

By the way Nico's muscles tense, I can tell that he has been attacked as well. His eyes reveal that it's all too familiar to him. Everything from the sudden rumbling of the pavement to the quietest growl set him off edge. 

My ears perk up as I overhear a cackling, followed by the scrape of metal against concrete. Nico's hands move to the belt of his dirt-covered jeans. "Skata," he murmurs under his breath. "The gorgons has my sword."

A voice whispers the same word i the back of my head. I subconsciously translate it into the s-word. "Did you just swear?" I arch an eyebrow. 

Nico chuckles nervously. "Maybe, but it doesn't matter right now. Are you hiding something sharp, by chance?"

"Something sharp?" I get to my feet and jokingly pat myself down. "Nope."

He joins me in a stance, wincing as he parted from the bench. "I think I have enough energy for us to shadow travel," Nico tells me. 

"To New York? I don't think so. I have family here," I argue, knowing full well that I can't just leave my father at a time like this. He truly did love my mother, and I'm all he has left of her.

Nico scowls, and then doubles over. "Lucky for you, I'm nowhere near healthy enough to shadow travel. We'll just have to call up reinforcements if an attack is launched."

"Sounds jolly," I say sarcastically. "Since you're up, we're going to the hospital."

He swallows another cube. "Not necessary. I'm getting better."

"I'm getting you out of here, one way or another. It doesn't feel...safe," I take his arm and assist him in walking utterly slowly. I don't have time to look for something out of the ordinary anymore. Sometimes, you have to hope for the best and be oblivious. "My house isn't too far from here."

Swearing underneath my breath, I realized that I have completely forgotten my purpose for going into downtown Evanston. My dad just wanted me to pick up a prescription from Osco Drug Store. Nico moans indignantly, trying to muster up an insult. 

It bothers me that not a single pedestrian even looks in our direction. They keep moving on with their lives, unaffected by the weary son of Hades. "Why are they ignoring us?" I ask. "Usually I get strange looks from everyone here."

"This mist?" Nico ventures. "It has to be, since you're a daughter of Hecate."

"That doesn't mean I'd make us invisible," I retort, pulling Nico out of a crosswalk before a crazy suburban soccer mom (who is in fact chatting on her phone) runs us down. 

Nico glances up for a second to see that I've successfully gotten him into my neighborhood. "It does actually. Hecate is the goddess of the mist. You can probably manipulate the Hades out of mortals."

Sounds legit. I think for a second, trying to concentrate on making myself appear as the One Direction member, Harry Styles. "Hi, I'm Harry," I fake a British accent.

Nico smirks for a second, but lets it fade. "You're still yourself."

"Damn it all," I turn another corner to see my home , a quaint little mansion tucked away in the midst of overly large homes. My step mother had planted sunflowers along the entrance of our house, rather than having gardeners hastily decorate our own house. She has always been keen on separating herself from the rest of our community. No cars rest in our brick driveway, meaning that there is no one home to disturb my peace. Excellent.