𝐖𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐂! percy jackson

v. Underworld Clan

━━ chapter five
underworld clan

✿✼:*ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ･⭑

━━"You know him. I know you do."

At Fiona's comment, Nico frowned at her. They sat on the roof of Pluto's shrine, which was covered in bones and diamonds. The bones had always been there, but the diamonds were Hazel's doing. If she sat anywhere for too long, or just got anxious, she created her own gold mine. Nico swung his feet like a little kid. His Stygian iron sword lay by his side, next to Hazel's spatha. Fiona's pugio was in her hands, for she was tracing the patterns on the hilt with her finger. Nico gazed across the valley, where the construction crew were working in the Field of Mars, building fortifications for tonight's game.

"Percy Jackson," he said the name like an incantation. "Fiona, Hazel ... I have to be careful what I say. Important things are at work here. Some secrets need to stay secret."

More diamonds popped up near Hazel's knee. "But he's not like ... like me?"

"No," Nico said. "I'm sorry I can't tell you more. I can't interfere. Percy has to find his own way at this camp."

"He's dangerous, isn't he," murmured Fiona and Nico managed a dry smile.

"Very," he told her. "To his enemies. But he's not a threat to Camp Jupiter. You can trust him."

"Like we trust you," Hazel said bitterly.

Nico twisted his skull ring. Around him, bones began to quiver as if they were trying to form a new skeleton. It was what happened whenever he got moody━Nico had that effect on the dead, just like Hazel had with the riches of the earth. Fiona doesn't know what she can do, not really. She can sense when someone's died, like Nico, but she can't summon precious stones or skeletons from the ground. She's meant to be extremely powerful since she has a necklace and a seed to tell her so, but so far, she hasn't found it. The best thing she can do is fight and win, but even that has gone away.

"Look, I know this is hard," Nico said gently. "But you have a second chance, Hazel. You can make things right."

"Nothing about this is right," she argued. "If they find out the truth about me━"

"They won't," Fiona grumbled. "Not if I have my way━"

"They'll call a quest soon," Nico promised. "They have to. Trust me, Bi━"

He caught himself, but Fiona knew he almost called Hazel Bianca, like he had almost accidentally called Fiona herself plenty of times. Nico's real sister━the one he had grown up with. Nico might care about Fiona, and about Hazel, but they could never be Bianca. Fiona was competing with a ghost, and she absolutely hated it.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Hazel pursed her lips. She took a deep breath and said, "Then it's true about Death? Is Alcyoneus to blame?"

"I think so," said Nico. "It's getting bad in the Underworld. Dad's going crazy trying to keep things under control. From what Percy said about the gorgons, things are getting worse up here, too. But look, that's why you're here. All that stuff in your past━you can make something good come out of it. You belong at Camp Jupiter."

Hazel looked down at her fingers. Fiona watched her, wondering whether she was going to say something, before she fell forward, blacked out. "Oh, shit━" Fiona caught her before she could fall off and brought her to her chest, letting her rest as she relived her past. She shook her gently with Nico's help, trying to get her to wake up. It took a little while, but eventually, her lids gently flickered and her gold eyes gleamed.