*I did not do the picture*

[Edited July 19, 2022]

[I'm talking about Jason Grace here, guys.]

Instead of going right back to the mountain or somewhere else, Dick and Tim stayed with him for a while and they all ate sandwiches for dinner. After they ate, the trio headed into the living room to talk about what had happened at the mountain the day before.

"Ok, so tell us about the attack at the mountain," Dick spoke first.

"Those were Telkhines, they're essentially sea demons. I've personally never seen that many together at the same time except during the war." Nico explained.

"What are some other monsters that you see a lot?" Tim asked.

"I don't want to say their names. Names, like signals, can attract monsters. I've never personally seen it happen, but I'm not taking any chances."

"Yeah, let's not invite a monster into the manor. I don't think Bruce or Alfred would appreciate that much." Dick agreed.

"Ok, now for something completely unrelated. You can identify people's souls, right?" Dick asked.

"Yes... why?"

"Well, after you left, we got a tip from someone that Ivy was planning some big attack and we needed to check it out. When we got there, someone was leaving. I was wondering if we took you over there if you could tell us who it was." He asked. The demigod was caught between relief and horror. They didn't know it was him, but now they wanted him to hunt himself down.

"You didn't follow them?" Nico asked, trying to sound surprised.

"We tried but the guy was obviously onto us. He evaded us." He frowned.

"It was for sure a guy?" He asked to see how much they knew.

"We're pretty sure that it was. We couldn't really see any defining features."

"I can try to discern their identity. Did you find anything on Ivy?" Nico asked, genuinely curious now.

"No, she was tending to her plants. We'll keep her under close observation for the rest of the week while you lay low at camp. We'll call you if we spot him again." He replied. The son of Hades nodded, he had a feeling that they wouldn't be spotting their mystery man any time soon. Just a hunch.

"So, either of you wants to watch some movies?" Timothy moved to the movie case under the TV. We ended up picking out Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. It was a really good movie in his opinion. It has a decent amount of plot, a lot of funny parts, and loads of action. He didn't even mind the romance portion of it. They stayed up late watching the movie.

When it was finished, they left for their separate bedrooms. Nico packed a backpack full of what he would need at camp for the morning and collapsed onto his bed for the night. It had been a very long day. It seemed to him that tomorrow would also be a very long day, whether or not Annabeth found Percy. Just another hunch.

That night, he had a strange (well, stranger than usual) dream. In the dream, he saw a goddess. From where he stood, it was hard to tell which one she was. She was walking through the ruins of some old mansion. Her body language was tense and she glowed brightly. She was obviously very powerful. He'd guess she was an Olympian.

She turned around to look back the way she came and the demigod immediately recognized her as Hera. What was the queen of the gods doing in the middle of these ruins? She stared intensely at the stones, her eyes practically glowing with power. A lot of her aura must have been present in this place, he had to wonder what had called her to this place.

She turned back around to travel farther into the ruins. She had only taken a couple more steps when she froze in place. She turned around and Nico could see actual fear in her eyes. She screamed as the ground rose up around her, forming a cage and she sank down to her knees into the Earth. Hera screamed and Nico woke up with a start. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself.

What could be so powerful that it could trap Hera? He knew that there was no way that he could answer that question without help, so he decided to put off thinking about it until he got to camp. Maybe Chiron would know more.

Nico got up and showered, knowing that he'd at least have some warm water here at the manor. You could never be sure at camp. Nico changed into his usual attire, grabbing his aviator jacket as well. It was about a day from the end of October and the weather was getting chillier. Nico strapped his sword to his belt, not having to hide it at camp. He then grabbed his overnight bag and headed downstairs to wait for the others to wake up. They were going to eat breakfast together before they went their separate ways.

As the son of Hades made it to the kitchen, an Iris Message popped up in front of his face. He thanked the gods that he wasn't at the mountain anymore, this would have been impossible to explain. Annabeth appeared in the mist, looking frantic. This in itself was highly unusual there wasn't much that could make Annabeth upset, aside from Percy, that is.

"Annabeth! What are you doing?" He asked, wondering what she wanted this early.

"I thought that, if I IMed you early enough, you could avoid the mortals." She explained hurriedly. he nodded appreciatively, that was smart. He shouldn't have been surprised. This was Annabeth he was talking to, even distressed, she still used her head.

"What's up?" he asked, seeing how anxious she was. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he was going to camp in a little while so maybe it was better to know what he was about to get himself into.

"I think I may have a lead on Percy. I had a dream last night telling me that I would find a clue to where he is at the Grand Canyon. Coach Hedge had requested an extraction team for two demigods there anyway. I'm hoping that he's going to be there." She seemed both hopeful and cautious, a reasonable way to feel. Demigods often told the future, but not usually how you expected.

"That's great! I'll be at camp in an hour or so." Nico replied, feeling relieved.

"Are you wanting to come too?" She asked, frowning. Missions like this weren't something he would normally volunteer for and she was surprised. She shouldn't have been, he wasn't planning on going on the mission with her.

"No, I wouldn't want to third wheel you guys." He chuckled, Annabeth stuck her tongue out at me. He was glad that she could be joking around like this. She had been too tense for a while to be in a humorous mood.

"What did your dream tell you?"

"It was Hera, she told me to go to Nevada and look for the guy with one shoe. He would be my clue to finding Percy." She recited. With this new information, he decided against telling her about his own dream, she had enough to think about right now. Telling her that he'd seen Hera imprisoned would just add more variables into the mix and Annabeth didn't need to be distracted.

"That's very specific for a dream," Nico said, frowning. Annabeth nodded in agreement. She seemed mildly troubled about that as well. Though, her hope outweighed the suspicion.

"Maybe, but I have to follow any lead we have," Annabeth sighed.

" I know. Be safe, I'll try to be there to see you off," he told her, and she smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Nico. I'll see you soon. She cut the connection and he sighed. The son of Hades had a feeling that this was going to be slightly more complicated than finding Percy in Nevada. The Fates were just, but never kind.

He sat at the kitchen table and wondered what Annabeth would find in Nevada until the other boys woke up. He was so lost in thought, that he didn't even hear them moving about upstairs.

"Hey Nico, you're up early," Dick commented as he came into the kitchen.

"Yeah, I had a dream a little while ago and decided it wasn't worth trying to fall asleep again." He yawned. Now he was regretting staying up.

"What was your dream about?" Tim asked, sounding concerned. They knew that demigod dreams could be bad omens. They usually were, after all.

"I think it was showing me why Olympus is on lockdown. Hera has been captured... again."

"What do you mean, again?"

"Well, over the centuries, history repeats itself. Last year there was the second titan war in history. Things always happen the same way, unless mortals and demigods do something to change history. There's a lot more to it than that, but I'm not going to get into all that right now." Just thinking about it was giving him a headache.

"Ok, so what do you think is happening now?" He asked, bringing up a question he had yet to ask himself.

"I honestly have no clue. The last time I think was the giant war, though I'm not the greatest with history. I think that we'd know if the giants were rising." He explained. He prayed that they would know, that something like that should stand out.

"One would think that'd be hard to miss." Dick agreed.

"Well, we'll see what happens. Let's eat." Nico changed the subject. They ate cereal and talked about modes of contact. They told him that they would call him if something came up. Using a phone inside the safety of the camp should be ok. The campers could fight off anything that came up to the borders.

An hour passed and it was time to go their separate ways. Nightwing and Red Robin left through the zeta tubes and Nico shadow traveled to the Hades cabin at camp. He unpacked before he headed up to the Big House to see Chiron. Annabeth had mentioned something about him wanting to see him.

People gave the child of death a wide berth as he passed, most of whom were new. Right after the war ended, they'd had a massive surge of new demigod recruits, due to Percy's wish. There were a lot of new faces around. Stories about the war and its heroes were told around the campfire. They had all heard about the son of Hades that convinced his father to join the fight. It honestly hadn't been as heroic as they thought it was. He had almost gotten incinerated.

Unfortunately, the part of the story that usually stuck with them was the part about his powers. His control over people's souls and the dead. His creepy looks didn't really help matters either. People seemed to think that he would suck out their souls if he touched them, or that he could command them to die like he did with Daedalus. It didn't work like that.

Nico reached the Big House to find that the pinochle table was abandoned. One of the older campers, Nyssa, he thought, told him that Chiron was inside. Nyssa was sporting a new smiley face band-aid on her chin. he found that to be humorous, but he didn't dare to mention it because of the foul mood she seemed to be in.

"Thanks." He headed inside to meet Chiron. Inside, the son of Hades found Chiron in wheelchair form, sitting in the large living room. He seemed to be off in thought about something or other. He tried not to startle his mentor as he came in. Chiron sort of looked his age today. Nico bumped into a chair, drawing his attention.

"Ah! Nico, my boy. It's good to see you. Any news on Percy?" He asked, gesturing for him to sit on the couch. The demigod took a seat.

"No, he's not dead, but other than that, I have no idea. Do you think Annabeth will find him in Nevada?"

"It's hard to say. That seems a little... too easy if you know what I mean. Dreams are rarely that clear, and neither are the Olympians." He said, his face creased in either concentration or frustration. Nico figured that it could very well have been both.

"Chiron, I think I know why Olympus has closed." He told him about his dream of Hera in the ruins. Chiron didn't talk for a while after he was finished. Finally, he sighed in resignation,

"Then it is as I feared. It would seem like the next great prophecy is already upon us. Nico, I must ask you not to share this. It started this way the last time as well. I can only hope that your vision was wrong, but it seems like we must prepare for the worst." Chiron sounded defeated.

"You think that another war is coming, don't you?" He didn't really expect him to answer. It was clear to him what the centaur was thinking, though Nico had more of the picture than the other demigods. Unlike them, he knew about the other camp.

"It seems likely." He admitted. Nico left the house with a bigger burden on his shoulders than before. As he headed towards the cabins, Nico saw Annabeth heading towards the chariot track. He wanted to see her before she left so he raced to catch up with her.

He could feel the stares of many curious demigods on his back as he jogged past. He wondered just what they were being told about him at the campfire. He passed Drew, the new Aphrodite counselor as he went. He heard her telling her herd of followers something about 'there he is, steer clear ladies'.

If it had come from anyone other than Drew, he would have been offended. He actually preferred that the Aphrodite cabin stayed away from him with their too-strong perfumes and shallow personalities. Plus, he wasn't exactly looking for a date right now. He had too much on his mind for that. Maybe after this prophecy came to pass he could find somebody to spend time with.

Nico reached Annabeth and slowed to match her pace. She didn't notice him at first, muttering to herself about... Hera? That in itself wasn't too surprising, she had a rocky history with the goddess. Nico tapped her gently on the shoulder to get her attention. Then he basically punched her shoulder when gentle didn't cut it.

"Nico! Thank the gods! Have you heard anything since we talked last?" She looked a lot better than she had when we last spoke. She looked like she had eaten a good meal and got some sleep.

"No, not yet. When are you leaving for Nevada?" He carried on the conversation so that she couldn't dwell on his answer too long. He didn't want her to lose hope when she needed to be focusing.

"In about 20 minutes I think. Could you go get Butch? I think he's with the pegasi in the stables. I have to talk to Will about the chariot." Annabeth asked as she continued on towards the tracks.

"Yeah, sure. I'll see you in a bit." he agreed, changing directions to head towards the stables. He walked, but it was probably closer to a jog. Nico peeked into the arena as he passed, Clarisse was training with the younger campers. She spotted him before he ducked out. She paused the fight to yell at him.

"Hey, death boy! Has Chase found Prissy yet?" She called, which he figured would be as close as she could get to being concerned. He didn't feel like yelling, so he came down the steps a little way before he replied. The brutish-looking children of Ares watched him like they wanted to skin him alive. Knowing them, they probably did.

"She thinks she has a lead," he replied.

"So, you've got nothing." She said sassily.

"Nothing concrete, no." Nico admonished.

"Find him, would you? Capture the flag isn't nearly as much fun without beating up on him, and Annabeth hasn't been having the best strategies lately." She complained. The son of Hades smirked and gave her an amused look.

"Sure, that's the only reason." he teased. Clarisse got red in the face and pointed a non-electric spear at him.

"It is the only reason!"

"Ok." He smirked.

"I don't care about him!" She sputtered.

"If you say so," he said heading quickly back up the stairs before she could grab him, "I'll try my best, just because you asked me to Clarisse."

"Why you little--!" She growled. Nico had barely made it to the top of the stairs before a spear came flying past his head. He laughed a crazy laugh that startled some passing Hermes campers before he took off running toward the stables. Well, it may have been the flying spear that had startled them, but he didn't stop to ask.

Nico slowed only after he was sure that Clarisse wasn't following him. Nico walked the rest of the way to the stables and found Butch putting harnesses on a couple of choice pegasi. These went around their midsections, so they could be attached to a carriage.

"Hey Butch, Annabeth wanted me to come to find you. Need help with anything?" He knew that the pegasi didn't like him, but he figured that they could deal with him for a short while if he wasn't riding on one of them.

"No. Thanks though, Nico. Some of the other riders are going to help me out. Tell Annabeth we'll be there soon." He waved him off. The son of Hades felt sort of relieved, and he was pretty sure the pegasi did too. Blackjack claims that he reeked of death. Maybe to an animal's sensitive nose, he did.

"Alright, I'm heading back over to the track," Nico said as he left. Butch didn't reply, he was busy with the straps and stuff. As he walked out, Nico caught a glimpse of some satyrs chasing some dryads around. That reminded me that he had wanted to ask Grover if he had felt anything through his empathy link.

Nico resolved to try to find him or Juniper in the forest after Annabeth left. He was moving right along with that sweet dryad and Nico was glad to see them together. It would be nice to see them again. He might even bring Mrs. O'Leary if he could find her. With Percy gone, she had been a bit lonely. It would be good to play around with her for a bit.

Nico made it back to the tracks in time to see Annabeth shaking Will's hand. He came up to the two as they were finishing up their conversation.

"Thanks again, Will. If it gets damaged, I'll rebuild it myself." Annabeth promised.

"Alright, I'll hold you to that. Though I'd much prefer that it doesn't get ruined at all." He replied pointedly, shifting his quiver strap further up on his shoulder.

"So, you're all set?" Nico asked.

"Yep! Is Butch coming with the pegasi?"

"Yeah, he'll be along in a couple of minutes." he relayed.

"Hey, Nico. You're looking more alive than usual. You been taking care of yourself?" Will asked, having gotten on me about my health a short while ago. The Apollo campers had always been on my case about his weight and stuff. It had been really annoying.

"I guess so," he shrugged, he hadn't given it too much thought. The son of Apollo gave Nico an approving thumbs up before bidding them a hasty farewell. Moments later, Butch and some other pegasi riders came flying toward us. It seems like he didn't need his help after all.

He and the others landed a short distance away and lead the restless animals over to the chariot. Each rider hooked up their own mount before heading off to do other camp activities. Annabeth and Butch climbed in the cart and began checking the devices. After going through the checklist, they were ready to fly.

Nico made sure that he was well out of their way as they prepped for takeoff. Nico was caught off guard when the horses started running. Row by row they leaped into the air, taking the chariot with them. The horses were fast and strong. Within moments, they were just specks in the sky.

With that over with, for now, he decided to ask Grover about the link. He hoped that Annabeth would find him on this trip, but he also thought that this seemed too good to be true. It didn't hurt to check with Grover, anyway.

The son of Hades checked to make sure that he had all his weapons before making his way into the forest. It was true that the camp was protected from monsters, but it was also true that monsters roam the woods. Nico didn't bother to ask Chiron how that worked when he was younger, and now it didn't seem to matter how it worked, just that it did. It wasn't like the monsters would tell him either. Greek monsters didn't monologue. Well, some did, but those were the dangerous ones.

Nico came across some fresh tracks of something or other and he made sure that he didn't follow them. Luckily, they were headed in a different direction. He was headed towards Zeus's fist. he didn't really know where Juniper or Grover would be, so he decided to check the landmarks first. If he couldn't find them before noon, he would head back to the Big House and wait for Annabeth to return.

If she didn't have Percy, I'd try and Iris message Juniper, who might just be in tree form. He guessed it would probably be easier to just IM Grover directly. Nico walked for another half hour before he gave up and headed back to camp.

By that time, he had scared 3 dryads, angered some naiads in the creek, and talked to 12 Satyrs. None of them knew where Grover was. Some of the naiads hadn't even heard of Grover before and kept asking him if he was talking about Pan, the god of the wild.

Naiads didn't have a good sense of time and cared even less for land dwellers for the most part. The naiads at camp half-blood could be helpful when they felt like it. They thought that they were entertaining with our short life spans and how they kept themselves busy. Mortal lives went by in a flash to them, especially demigod lives. Nico tried not to feel bitter.

He made it to the edge of the cabin area when he saw a smoking chariot heading towards the lake. Nico took off in that direction, it wasn't going to be a soft landing after all. When he got there, Annabeth was on the bank, getting blow-dried with the leaf blowers that they had made for this occasion. It wasn't unusual for people to land in the lake. Nico made his way up to her to ask her how the trip went. But he was stopped by the crowd.

Butch and a short boy were thrown on the shore next. The boy that he didn't recognize was spitting out water while Butch attended to the ruffled pegasi. They seemed to be uninjured and more indignant that anything else. It probably wasn't fun to land in the water for them either.

By the time Nico had reached the bank, another boy and a girl had also been thrown ashore. Some campers were already drying them off. He couldn't see their faces because of the group of curious campers that had surrounded him.

When one of the boys finally turned around, the blond one, Nico was glad that he had been surrounded by people. he did not want the new boy to see him. In front of the son of Hades, looking as powerful as ever was Jason freaking Grace. 

After Jason got pulled out, Nico made it his first priority to get out of there. He did not want to attract the boy's attention or blow his cover. Nico slipped from the scene unnoticed and grabbed his things from his cabin. He then shadow traveled back to the manor before anyone had time to notice that he was missing. He knew the other boys didn't have him there alone but he figured this was an emergency. With Jason Grace at camp, he couldn't risk returning.