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Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Titan's Curse
Battle of the Labyrinth
>> The Sword of Hades
The Last Olympian

Heroes of Olympus

The Son of Neptune
The Mark of Athena
The House of Hades
The Blood of Olympus

The Trials of Apollo

The Hidden Oracle
The Dark Prophecy
The Burning Maze (Nico is not in or mentioned)
The Tyrant's Tomb
The Tower of Nero
>>> Nico's canonpoint - Before the whispered prophecy

Un Natale Mezzosangue (A Half-Blood Christmas) - Translated by riptide2406 on wattpad
Camp Half-Blood Confidential

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There was a knock on the door, and Nico di Angelo came huffing into the parlor, his cheeks bright red from the cold.

He was smiling, but he looked around anxiously. "Hey! Wheres… wheres my sister?"

Dead silence. I stared at Chiron. I couldnt believe nobody had told him yet. And then I realized why. Theyd been waiting for us to appear, to tell Nico in person.

That was the last thing I wanted to do. But I owed it to Bianca.

"Hey, Nico. " I got up from my comfortable chair. "Lets take a walk, okay? We need to talk. "

He took the news in silence, which somehow made it worse. I kept talking, trying to explain how it had happened, how Bianca had sacrificed herself to save the quest. But I felt like I was only making things worse.

"She wanted you to have this. " I brought out the little god figurine Bianca had found in the junkyard. Nico held it in his palm and stared at it.

We were standing at the dining pavilion, just where wed last spoken before I went on the quest. The wind was bitter cold, even with the camps magical weather protection. Snow fell lightly against the marble steps. I figured outside the camp borders, there must be a blizzard happening.

"You promised you would protect her," Nico said.

He might as well have stabbed me with a rusty dagger.

It wouldve hurt less than reminding me of my promise.

"Nico," I said. "I tried. But Bianca gave herself up to save the rest of us. I told her not to. But she—"

"You promised!"

He glared at me, his eyes rimmed with red. He closed his small fist around the god statue.

"I shouldnt have trusted you. " His voice broke. "You lied to me. My nightmares were right!"

"Wait. What nightmares?"

He flung the god statue to the ground. It clattered across the icy marble. "I hate you!"

"She might be alive," I said desperately. "I dont know for sure—"

"Shes dead. " He closed his eyes. His whole body trembled with rage. "I shouldve known it earlier. Shes in the Fields of Asphodel, standing before the judges right now, being evaluated. I can feel it. "

"What do you mean, you can feel it?"

Before he could answer, I heard a new sound behind me. A hissing, clattering noise I recognized all too well.

I drew my sword and Nico gasped. I whirled and found myself facing four skeleton warriors. They grinned fleshless grins and advanced with swords drawn. I wasnt sure how theyd made it inside the camp, but it didnt matter. Id never get help in time.

"Youre trying to kill me!" Nico screamed. "You brought these… these things?"

"No! I mean, yes, they followed me, but no! Nico, run. They cant be destroyed. "

"I dont trust you!"

The first skeleton charged. I knocked aside its blade, but the other three kept coming. I sliced one in half, but immediately it began to knit back together. I knocked anothers head off but it just kept fighting.

"Run, Nico!" I yelled. "Get help!"

"No!" He pressed his hands to his ears.

I couldnt fight four at once, not if they wouldnt die. I slashed, whirled, blocked, jabbed, but they just kept advancing. It was only a matter of seconds before the zombies overpowered me.

"No!" Nico shouted louder. "Go away!"

The ground rumbled beneath me. The skeletons froze. I rolled out of the way just as a crack opened at the feet of the four warriors. The ground ripped apart like a snapping mouth. Flames erupted from the fissure, and the earth swallowed the skeletons in one loud CRUNCH!

Silence.

In the place where the skeletons had stood, a twenty-foot-long scar wove across the marble floor of the pavilion. Otherwise there was no sign of the warriors.

Awestruck, I looked to Nico. "How did you—"

"Go away!" he yelled. "I hate you! I wish you were dead!"

The ground didnt swallow me up, but Nico ran down the steps, heading toward the woods. I started to follow but slipped and fell to the icy steps. When I got up, I noticed what Id slipped on.

I picked up the god statue Bianca had retrieved from the junkyard for Nico. The only statue he didnt have, shed said. A last gift from his sister.

I stared at it with dread, because now I understood why the face looked familiar. Id seen it before.

It was a statue of Hades, Lord of the Dead.

Annabeth and Grover helped me search the woods for hours, but there was no sign of Nico di Angelo.

"There they are. " Grover nodded toward a couple of younger kids arguing in the bleachers. "Bianca and Nico di Angela"

The girl wore a floppy green cap, like she was trying to hide her face. The boy was obviously her little brother. They both had dark silky hair and olive skin, and they used their hands a lot as they talked. The boy was shuffling some kind of trading cards. His sister seemed to be scolding him about something. She kept looking around like she sensed something was wrong.

“All right,” I said. “Show me Nico di Angelo. ”

I didn’t even throw a coin in, but this time it didn’t matter. It was like some other force had control of the water besides Iris the messenger goddess. The water shimmered. Nico appeared, but he was no longer in the Underworld. He was standing in a graveyard under a starry sky. Giant willow trees loomed all around him.

He was watching some gravediggers at work. I heard shovels and saw dirt flying out of a hole. Nico was dressed in a black cloak. The night was foggy. It was warm and humid, and frogs were croaking. A large Wal-Mart bag sat next to Nico’s feet.

“Is it deep enough yet?” Nico asked. He sounded irritated.

“Nearly, my lord. ” It was the same ghost I’d seen Nico with before, the faint shimmering image of a man. “But, my lord, I tell you, this is unnecessary. You already have me for advice. ”

“I want a second opinion!” Nico snapped his fingers, and the digging stopped. Two figures climbed out of the hole. They weren’t people. They were skeletons in ragged clothes.

“You are dismissed,” Nico said. “Thank you. ”

The skeletons collapsed into piles of bones.

“You might as well thank the shovels,” the ghost complained. “They have as much sense. ”

Nico ignored him. He reached into his Wal-Mart bag and pulled out a twelve-pack of Coke. He popped open a can. Instead of drinking it, he poured it into the grave.

“Let the dead taste again,” he murmured. “Let them rise and take this offering. Let them remember. ”

He dropped the rest of the Cokes into the grave and pulled out a white paper bag decorated with cartoons. I hadn’t seen one in years, but I recognized it—a McDonald’s Happy Meal.

He turned it upside down and shook the fries and hamburger into the grave.

“In my day, we used animal blood,” the ghost mumbled. “It’s perfectly good enough. They can’t taste the difference. ”

“I will treat them with respect,” Nico said.

“At least let me keep the toy,” the ghost said.

“Be quiet!” Nico ordered. He emptied another twelve-pack of soda and three more Happy Meals into the grave, then began chanting in Ancient Greek. I caught only some of the words—a lot about the dead and memories and returning from the grave. Real happy stuff.

The grave started to bubble. Frothy brown liquid rose to the top like the whole thing was filling with soda. The fog thickened. The frogs stopped croaking. Dozens of figures began to appear among the gravestones: bluish, vaguely human shapes. Nico had summoned the dead with Coke and cheeseburgers.

“There are too many,” the ghost said nervously. “You don’t know your own powers. ”

“I’ve got it under control,” Nico said, though his voice sounded fragile. He drew his sword—a short blade made of solid black metal. I’d never seen anything like it. It wasn’t celestial bronze or steel. Iron, maybe? The crowd of shades retreated at the sight of it.

“One at a time,” Nico commanded.

A single figure floated forward and knelt at the pool. It made slurping sounds as it drank. Its ghostly hands scooped French fries out of the pool.

When it stood again, I could see it much more clearly—a teenage guy in Greek armor. He had curly hair and green eyes, a clasp shaped like a seashell on his cloak.

“Who are you?” Nico said. “Speak. ”

The young man frowned as if trying to remember. Then he spoke in a voice like dry, crumpling paper: “I am Theseus. ”

No way, I thought. This couldn’t be the Theseus. He was just a kid. I’d grown up hearing stories about him fighting the Minotaur and stuff, but I’d always pictured him as this huge, buff guy. The ghost I was looking at wasn’t strong or tall. And he wasn’t any older than I was.

“How can I retrieve my sister?” Nico asked.

Theseus’s eyes were lifeless as glass. “Do not try. It is madness. ”

“Just tell me!”

“My stepfather died,” Theseus remembered. “He threw himself into the sea because he thought I was dead in the Labyrinth. I wanted to bring him back, but I could not. ”

Nico’s ghost hissed. “My lord, the soul exchange! Ask him about that!”

Theseus scowled. “That voice. I know that voice. ”

“No you don’t, fool!” the ghost said. “Answer the lord’s questions and nothing more!”

“I know you,” Theseus insisted, as if struggling to recall.

“I want to hear about my sister,” Nico said. “Will this quest into the Labyrinth help me win her back?”

Theseus was looking for the ghost, but apparently couldn’t see him. Slowly he turned his eyes back on Nico. “The Labyrinth is treacherous. There is only one thing that saw me through: the love of a mortal girl. The string was only part of the answer. It was the princess who guided me. ”

“We don’t need any of that,” the ghost said. “I will guide you, my lord.

Ask him if it is true about an exchange of souls. He will tell you. ”

“A soul for a soul,” Nico asked. “Is it true?”

“I—I must say yes. But the specter—”

“Just answer the questions, knave!” the ghost said.

Suddenly, around the edges of the pool, the other ghosts became restless.

They stirred, whispering in nervous tones.

“I want to see my sister!” Nico demanded. “Where is she?”

“He is coming,” Theseus said fearfully. “He has sensed your summons. He comes. ”

“Who?” Nico demanded.

“He comes to find the source of this power,” Theseus said. “You must release us. ”

Nico as glaring at me. I wasn’t sure what to do about him. I doubted he would agree to come with us. On the other hand, I couldn’t just let him roam around on his own.

“You could stay here until we’re done with our quest,” I told him. “It would be safe. ”

“Safe?” Nico said. “What do you care if I’m safe? You got my sister killed!”

“Nico,” Annabeth said, “that wasn’t Percy’s fault. And Geryon wasn’t lying about Kronos wanting to capture you. If he knew who you were, he’d do anything to get you on his side. ”

“I’m not on anyone’s side. And I’m not afraid. ”

“You should be,” Annabeth said. “Your sister wouldn’t want—”

“If you cared for my sister, you’d help me bring her back!”

“A soul for a soul?” I said.

“Yes!”

“But if you didn’t want my soul—”

“I’m not explaining anything to you!” He blinked tears out of his eyes. “And I will bring her back. ”

“Bianca wouldn’t want to be brought back,” I said. “Not like that. ”

“You didn’t know her!” he shouted. “How do you know what she’d want?”

I stared at the flames in the barbecue pit. I thought about the line in Annabeth’s prophecy: You shall rise or fall by the ghost king’s hand. That had to be Minos, and I had to convince Nico not to listen to him. “Let’s ask Bianca. ”

The sky seemed to grow darker all of a sudden.

“I’ve tried,” Nico said miserably. “She won’t answer. ”

“Try again. I’ve got a feeling she’ll answer with me here. ”

“Why would she?”

“Because she’s been sending me Iris-messages,” I said, suddenly sure of it. “She’s been trying to warn me what you’re up to, so I can protect you. ”

Nico shook his head. “That’s impossible. ”

“One way to find out. You said you’re not afraid. ” I turned to Eurytion. “We’re going to need a pit, like a grave. And food and drinks. ”

“Percy,” Annabeth warned. “I don’t think this is a good—”

“All right,” Nico said. “I’ll try. ”

Eurytion scratched his beard. “There’s a hole dug out back for a septic tank. We could use that. Cyclops boy, fetch my ice chest from the kitchen. I hope the dead like root beer. ”

We did our summons after dark, at a twenty-foot-long pit in front of the septic tank. The tank was bright yellow, with a smiley face and red words painted on the side: HAPPY FLUSH DISPOSAL CO. It didn’t quite go with the mood of summoning the dead.

The moon was full. Silver clouds drifted across the sky.

“Minos should be here by now,” Nico said, frowning. “It’s full dark. ”

“Maybe he got lost,” I said hopefully.

Nico poured root beer and tossed barbecue into the pit, then began chanting in Ancient Greek. Immediately the bugs in the woods stopped chirping. In my pocket, the Stygian ice dog whistle started to grow colder, freezing against the side of my leg.

“Make him stop,” Tyson whispered to me.

Part of me agreed. This was unnatural. The night air felt cold and menacing. But before I could say anything, the first spirits appeared. Sulfurous mist seeped out of the ground. Shadows thickened into human forms. One blue shade drifted to the edge of the pit and knelt to drink.

“Stop him!” Nico said, momentarily breaking his chant. “Only Bianca may drink!”

I drew Riptide. The ghosts retreated with a collective hiss at the sight of my celestial bronze blade. But it was too late to stop the first spirit. He had already solidified into the shape of a bearded man in white robes. A circlet of gold wreathed his head, and even in death his eyes were alive with malice.

“Minos!” Nico said. “What are you doing?”

“My apologies, master,” the ghost said, though he didn’t sound very sorry. “The sacrifice smelled so good, I couldn’t resist. ” He examined his own hands and smiled. “It is good to see myself again. Almost in solid form—”

“You are disrupting the ritual!” Nico protested. “Get—”

The spirits of the dead began shimmering dangerously bright, and Nico had to take up the chant again to keep them at bay.

“Yes, quite right, master,” Minos said with amusement. “You keep chanting. I’ve only come to protect you from these liars who would deceive you. ”

He turned to me as if I were some kind of cockroach. “Percy Jackson…my, my. The sons of Poseidon haven’t improved over the centuries, have they?”

I wanted to punch him, but I figured my fist would go right through his face. “We’re looking for Bianca di Angelo,” I said. “Get lost. ”

The ghost chuckled. “I understand you once killed my Minotaur with your bare hands. But worse things await you in the maze. Do you really believe Daedalus will help you?”

The other spirits stirred in agitation. Annabeth drew her knife and helped me keep them away from the pit. Grover got so nervous he clung to Tyson’s shoulder.

“Daedalus cares nothing for you, half-bloods,” Minos warned. “You can’t trust him. He is old beyond counting, and crafty. He is bitter from the guilt of murder and is cursed by the gods. ”

“The guilt of murder?” I asked. “Who did he kill?”

“Do not changed the subject!” the ghost growled. “You are hindering Nico. You try to persuade him to give up on his goal. I would make him a lord!”

“Enough, Mions,” Nico commanded.

The ghost sneered. “Master, these are your enemies. You must not listen to them! Let me protect you. I will turn their minds to madness, as I did the others. ”

“The others?” Annabeth gasped. “You mean Chris Rodriguez? That was you?”

“The maze is my property,” the ghost said, “not Daedalus’s! Those who intrude deserve madness. ”

“Be gone, Minos!” Nico demanded. “I want to see my sister!”

The ghost bit back his rage. “As you wish, master. But I warn you. You cannot trust these heroes. ”

With that, he faded into mist.

Other spirits rushed forward, but Annabeth and I kept them back.

“Bianca, appear!” Nico intoned. He started chanting faster, and the spirits shifted restlessly.

“Any time now,” Grover muttered.

Then a silvery light flickered in the trees—a spirit that seemed brighter and stronger than the others. It came closer, and something told me to let it pass. It knelt to drink at the pit. When it arose, it was the ghostly form of Bianca di Angelo.

Nico’s chanting faltered. I lowered my sword. The other spirits started to crowd forward, but Bianca raised her arms and they retreated into the woods.

“Hello, Percy,” she said.

She looked the same as she had in life: a green cap set sideways on her thick black hair, dark eyes and olive skin like her brother. She wore jeans and a silvery jacket, the outfit of a Hunter of Artemis. A bow was slung over her shoulder. She smiled faintly, and her whole form flickered.

“Bianca,” I said. My voice was thick. I’d felt guilty about her death for a long time, but seeing her in front of me was five times as bad, like her death was fresh and new. I remembered searching through the wreckage of the giant bronze warrior she’d sacrificed her life to defeat, and not finding any sign of her.

“I’m so sorry,” I said.

“You have nothing to apologize for, Percy. I made my own choice. I don’t regret it. ”

“Bianca!” Nico stumbled forward like he was just coming out of a daze.

She turned toward her brother. Her expression was sad, as if she’d been dreading this moment. “Hello, Nico. You’ve gotten so tall. ”

“Why didn’t you answer me sooner?” he cried. “I’ve been trying for months!”

“I was hoping you would give up. ”

“Give up?” He sounded heartbroken. “How can you say that? I’m trying to save you!”

“You can’t, Nico. Don’t do this. Percy is right. ”

“No! He let you die! He’s not your friend. ”

Bianca stretched out a hand as if to touch her brother’s face, but she was made of mist. Her hand evaporated as it got close to living skin.

“You must listen to me,” she said. “Holding a grudge is dangerous for a child of Hades. It is our fatal flaw. You have to forgive. You have to promise me this. ”

“I can’t. Never. ”

“Percy has been worried about you, Nico. He can help. I let him see what you were up to, hoping he would find you. ”

“So it was you,” I said. “You sent those Iris-messages. ”

Bianca nodded.

“Why are you helping him and not me?” Nico screamed. “It’s not fair!”

“You are close to the truth now,” Bianca told him. “It’s not Percy you’re mad at, Nico. It’s me. ”

“No. ”

“You’re mad because I left you to become a Hunter of Artemis. You’re mad because I died and left you alone. I’m sorry for that, Nico. I truly am. But you must overcome the anger. And stop blaming Percy for my choices. It will be your doom. ”

“She’s right,” Annabeth broke in. “Kronos is rising, Nico. He’ll twist anyone he can to his cause. ”

“I don’t care about Kronos,” Nico said. “I just want my sister back. ”

“You can’t have that, Nico,” Bianca told him gently.

“I’m the son of Hades! I can. ”

“Don’t try,” she said. “If you love me, don’t…”

Her voice trailed off. Spirits had started to gather around us again, and they seemed agitated. Their shadows shifted. Their voices whispered,

Danger!

“Tartarus stirs,” Bianca said. “Your power draws the attention of Kronos. The dead must return to the Underworld. It is not safe for us to remain. ”

“Wait,” Nico said. “Please—”

“Good-bye, Nico,” Bianca said. “I love you. Remember what I said. ”

Her form shivered and the ghosts disappeared, leaving us alone with a pit, a Happy Flush septic tank, and a cold full moon.

“Someone’s coming!” Rachel warned.

The doors of the workshop burst open, and Nico was pushed inside, his hands in chains. Then Kelli and two Laistrygonians marched in behind him, followed by the ghost of Minos. He looked almost solid now—a pale bearded king with cold eyes and tendrils of Mist coiling off his robes.

He fixed his gaze on Daedalus. “There you are, my old friend. ”

Daedalus’s jaw clenched. He looked at Kelli. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Luke sends his compliments,” Kelli said. “He thought you might like to see your old employer Minos. ”

“This was not part of our agreement,” Daedalus said.

“No indeed,” Kelli said. “But we already have what we want from you, and we have other agreements to honor. Minos required something else from us, in order to turn over this fine young demigod. ” She ran a finger under Nico’s chin. “He’ll be quite useful. And all Minos asked in return was your head, old man. ”

Daedalus paled. “Treachery. ”

“Get used to it,” Kelli said.

“Nico,” I said. “Are you okay?”

He nodded morosely. “I—I’m sorry, Percy. Minos told me you were in danger. He convinced me to go back into the maze. ”

“You were trying to help us?”

“I was tricked,” he said. “He tricked all of us. ”

To me!” Minos cried. “Spirits of the dead!” He raised his ghostly hands and the air began to hum.

“No!” Nico cried. He was on his feet now. He’d somehow managed to remove his shackles.

“You do not control me, young fool,” Minos sneered. “All this time, I have been controlling you! A soul for a soul, yes. But it is not your sister who will return from the dead. It is I, as soon as I slay the inventor!”

Spirits began to appear around Minos—shimmering forms that slowly multiplied, solidifying into Cretan soldiers.

“I am the son of Hades,” Nico insisted. “Be gone!”

Minos laughed. “You have no power over me. I am the lord of spirits! The ghost king!”

“No. ” Nico drew his sword. “I am. ”

He stabbed his black blade into the floor, and it cleaved through the stone like butter.

“Never!” Minos’s form rippled. “I will not—”

The ground rumbled. The windows cracked and shattered to pieces, letting in a blast of fresh air. A fissure opened in the stone floor of the workshop, and Minos and all his spirits were sucked into the void with a horrible wail.

Annabeth gazed at the summit of Pikes Peak in the distance. “Maybe we can’t. If Daedalus died…he said his life force was tied into the Labyrinth. The whole thing might’ve been destroyed. Maybe that will stop Luke’s invasion. ”

I thought about Grover and Tyson, still down there somewhere. And Daedalus…even though he’d done some terrible things and put everybody I cared about at risk, it seemed like a pretty horrible way to die.

“No,” Nico said. “He isn’t dead. ”

“How can you be sure?” I asked.

“I know when people die. It’s this feeling I get, like a buzzing in my ears. ”

“What about Tyson and Grover, then?”

Nico shook his head. “That’s harder. They’re not humans or half-bloods. They don’t have mortal souls. ”

Something flew past me, and a blue plastic hairbrush hit Kronos in the eye.

“Ow!” he yelled. For a moment it was only Luke’s voice, full of surprise and pain. My limbs were freed and I ran straight into Rachel, Nico, and

Annabeth, who were standing in the entry hall, their eyes filled with dismay.

“Luke?” Annabeth called. “What—”

I grabbed her by the shirt and hauled her after me. I ran as fast as I’ve ever run, straight out of the fortress. We were almost back to the Labyrinth entrance when I heard the loudest bellow in the world—the voice of Kronos, coming back into control. “AFTER THEM!”

“No!” Nico yelled. He clapped his hands together, and a jagged spire of rock the size of an eighteen-wheeler erupted from the ground right in front of the fortress. The tremor it caused was so powerful the front columns of the building came crashing down. I heard muffled screams from the telekhines inside. Dust billowed everywhere.

We plunged into the Labyrinth and kept running, the howl of the Titan lord shaking the entire world behind us.

Annabeth had been crying the entire time we’d been running. Now she collapsed and put her head between her knees. Her sobs echoed in the tunnel. Nico and I sat next to each other. He dropped his sword next to mine and took a shaky breath.

“That sucked,” he said, which I thought summed things up pretty well.

“You saved our lives,” I said.

Nico wiped the dust off his face. “Blame the girls for dragging me along. That’s the only thing they could agree on. We needed to help you or you’d mess things up. ”

“Nice that they trust me so much,” I shined my flashlight across the cavern. Water dripped from the stalactites like a slow-motion rain. “Nico…you, uh, kind of gave yourself away. ”

“What do you mean?”

“That wall of black stone? That was pretty impressive. If Kronos didn’t know who you were before, he does now—a child of the Underworld. ”

Nico frowned. “Big deal. ”

I let it drop. I figured he was just trying to hide how scared he was, and I couldn’t blame him.

The only person anywhere near was Nico di Angelo. He stabbed a telekhine, and his black Stygian blade absorbed the monster’s essence, drinking its energy until there was nothing left but dust.

“Nico!” I yelled.

He looked where I was pointing, saw the serpent women, and immediately understood.

He took a deep breath and held out his black sword. “Serve me,” he called.

The earth trembled. A fissure opened in front of the dracaenae, and a dozen undead warriors crawled from the earth—horrible corpses in military uniforms from all different time periods—U. S. Revolutionaries, Roman centurions, Napoleonic cavalry on skeletal horses. As one, they drew their swords and engaged the dracaenae. Nico crumpled to his knees, but I didn’t have time to make sure he was okay.

Titan's Curse

ending

intro

Battle of the Labyrinth

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The Sword of Hades

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The Last Olympian

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The Son of Neptune

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The Mark of Athena

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The House of Hades

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The Blood of Olympus

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The Hidden Oracle

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