Heroes of Olympus: The Aftermath of War

NICO

*Rick Riordan owns all of the characters*

NICO STARED BLANKLY AT THE angry harpies, who were floating---rather, flying---above Cabin Thirteen, their eyes filled with exploding madness (which, in this case, means really upset...what were you thinking of?) and outrage. It's not like he'd done something mischievous again...honestly!

If truth be told, Nico just had a horribly bad dream and he couldn't sleep because of it. That's completely harmless, right?

Now, you might think, "Ha! Demigods get nightmares all the time, silly! Can we conclude that Nico's really overreacting now?" Sadly, dear reader, the son of Hades wanted to say the same thing for himself.

Fires wrecked havoc around him, sizzling the now-burnt Half Blood Hill while horrifyingly drowning his fellow camp-mates in a kind of godly ichor. Well, unless the flames were actually an immortal deity's blood...

Unfamiliar monsters, which even the ingenious Athena kids couldn't quite recognize, towered over them, their forms humungous and very terrifying. Alarmingly, each time Nico would stab them, slash through them, or desperately severe them, the beasts didn't seem to be bothered. It was almost like they couldn't...die.

Nico gulped.

"This is but a mere annoyance, Nico di Angelo," one had said, gesturing at the ruins below him. The demigod clenched his fists. "Only weapons of our own making will harm us, and we must do this damage ourselves. You cannot stop us this time. We are immortal beings. Master will be so proud."

"Who is your so-called 'Master'---" he choked out, but ended up facing the four corners of his empty cabin, awake at last.

As the days turned into weeks, Nico hoped that the Titan and the Giant had reached New York safely. Something big was up again...not exactly 'Gaea' or 'Kronos' 'big', mind you.

Think of a very cliché line. The stakes were definitely worse now, as usual. Why did demigods [including him] always get the ugly side of the bargain? He loved being a half blood, really, especially when you're on the verge of death. Their kind were overrated that way.

"The son of Hades has broken curfew! He broke curfew!" the harpy beside Nico shrieked. "You have appeared outside your assigned cabin, di Angelo! We must bring you to Chiron immediately!"

"Agreed!" the other harpies nodded vigorously. "This is a scandal!"

"Thank you!" Nico exclaimed, leaving the harpies confused. He was the first one to be enthusiastic about being caught outside. "I'll walk myself!"

"Is this trickery?" one curious harpy asked, looking at her companions.

"No, not at all!" he promised. "By all means, lead the way!"

"If you say so..." they murmured suspiciously. Nico's face hurt from smiling and grinning. He had to keep the act up, though he still wasn't familiar with the 'all-rainbows-and-sunshines' sensation.

Will Solace tried to teach him how to 'charm' his way to earning new acquaintances, but his first attempt made several demigods uneasy, terrified. After all these weeks, he was finally getting the hang of it.

"Thanks, Will," Nico said to himself, suppressing a smile. "This definitely came in handy. You're right. I had it in me."

The three unnerving harpies left him to face the centaur inside the structure, their disapproving expressions and stares enough to make him slightly nervous in front of Chiron.

The mentor didn't look so bad himself, though also clearly in distress. His eyes were unusually stormy and disastrous, as if it were in different places all at once. The centaur stroked his beard thoughtfully, nodding at the harpies to leave the demigod in his care (and required discipline). Then, he smiled sadly at Nico, gesturing him to have a seat.

"Ah, surely, you have something in mind to tell me, Nico?" Chiron asked. "You don't seem disturbed by those harpies."

"I had a really bad dream," Nico confessed, immediately wanting to change his words since he sounded like a three year old.

"Oh?" the centaur raised his eyebrows. "Go on, then, because I have something to tell you too."

"Er, what exactly?"

"That your dream and mine might be connected somehow," he explained, tapping his fingers on a wooden desk. "Because I knew you were coming here the whole time. Strange things are unfolding, Nico, and you might have experienced a--"

"A what?" the demigod cut out, asking him nervously.

"A prophecy in a form of a dream." Chiron answered grimly. "Make haste, for we have no time to lose."