Darkness & Sea Go Hand-in-Hand [Hiatus]

2

Nico

Nico watched as Percy said goodbye to his girlfriend, placing a kiss on her cheek.
His chest ached a little, but he pushed his feelings aside.
The matter at hand was more important than some feelings he had for the older boy.

"So, do you know where Chiron is?" Nico asked.

"He might be over by the Big H-"
Percy was cut off by the sounds of shouting in the distance.

He drew Riptide and ran to the commotion, Nico following close behind.

Blocked by the camp's borders, some monsters were trying to get through. Half-Blood's fought from both inside and outside the boarder.
Swords slashed.
Arrows whizzed by.
Demigod's shouted.

When Percy noticed Chiron, their centaur camp leader, he ran over to him and frantically asked "What's going on! Why is there-"

A loud BOOMING interrupted Percy again, shaking the earth beneath them. The shaking caused Nico's brain to vibrate, and his teeth to chatter.

Bounding across camp was Mrs. O' Leary, a Hellhound that Percy took care of.
She was barking in the direction of the fighting, her eyes glowing burning red. Every step causing the earth to quake.
She leaped over the two demigods and the centaur, landing in front of the monsters.

She picked 2 monsters up in her mouth as if they were small chew toys - and treated them as such - before tossing them both away from camp, out of sight. Some monsters fled out of fear, but a few stupid ones hung back, only to result in getting tossed as well.
As she helped with the monsters, demigods were trying to be careful and not get trampled by her while fighting the monsters who hadn't fled.

Just as Percy drew Riptide and Nico was about to raise up some dead warriors, the last of the monsters was tossed.

Mrs. O' Leary barked triumphantly.
She bounded over to the three and laid down, her tongue hanging out as she panted.

"Good girl!" Nico said as he reached up to scratch behind her ear.

He was then covered from head-to-toe with dog slobber after Mrs. O' Leary licked him.
He heard Percy laugh a bit, and sent a glare at him.
With a sigh, he tried his best to shake the dog spit off.

Subsiding his laughter, Percy asked Chiron about why there were so many monsters attacking the borders.

Shaking his head, Chiron answered "I'm afraid I have no answer yet. I'm worried, though. We've...lost a few half-bloods in battle..."

Nico looked back at where the battle was just taking place. He didn't sense any of the campers died today, and didn't see any bodies.
Not dead ones, anyways.
Just a few injured and being taken care of.

"I wonder if it's linked with Nico's dream?" Percy said.

Nico whipped his head back around to Chiron and Percy.

"Dream?" Chiron asked, a worried look in his eyes.

Percy nodded, and he told Chiron what Nico told him this morning.
Nico just stood there quietly with his hands in his jackets pockets, occasionally adding something Percy forgot to mention.
Chiron occasionally glanced at Nico with...pain? Fear? Sympathy? Pity? Nico couldn't tell. He knew he didn't like it, though.
When Percy was done, Chiron stroked his beard in thought.

"Minthe...maybe..." he mumbled to himself.

"Who?" Percy asked.

Nico spoke up.
"Minthe. She was a nymph my fa-" a part of him didn't exactly want to call him father. "...a nymph Hades fell in love with, and they had an affair. His wife Persaphone found out, Minthe claimed to be superior to her, and Persaphone turned her into a mint plant."