Ghost King Meets Batman

Out Comes The Truth

June 27th

a.k.a five days left

Welcome back, young demigod. There's something I want you to see.

Nico was dragged into a vision. The seven were seated around what appeared to be a dining table. Percy was slumped in one of the chairs, looking tired. It took a moment for the sound of the vision to become coherent-- like he was coming closer to the surface of the lake back at camp. The son of Poseidon was talking, describing a dream he'd had. Nico was surprised to realize that it had been about him. At least partly.

Percy told the others about him in the vase, though he described it as a bronze jar, the oddly dressed twins who guarded him, and the pile of seeds at his feet. He had omitted the condition Nico was in, who was grateful for that fact. He didn't know how he looked right then but he doubted that Tartarus had left him in good condition. 

Nico felt a surge of hope. Now that they knew where he was, maybe that meant they would be coming for him. Maybe he wasn't going to die after all. Maybe he was going to get to see Bruce and the other boys again and apologize for leaving them like that. There was hope.

When Percy got to the part about the seeds, Nico could see Hazel's eyes widen as she realized what that meant. When she spoke her voice was thick with emotion and Nico knew she was aware of what the seeds were for. How she knew was beyond him, but he would worry about that later. 

"Nico... Oh, Gods. The seeds."

"You know what they are?" Annabeth frowned.

Hazel nodded and swallowed hard. "I saw him getting them in a dream. They're from our stepmother's garden." Nico hadn't been aware that she'd had any such dreams. How much more did she know that she never let on? It was clear that he hadn't given her enough credit. Nico felt guilty. He'd been keeping Hazel at a distance. He'd told himself it was to protect her, but he figured it was really himself who he was trying to protect. He'd have to make it up to her if he ever saw her again.

"Your step... oh," Percy said. "You mean Persephone." His voice was tight and Nico couldn't quite decipher what the older boy was thinking. His relationship with the gods was complicated, to say the least. Even more so when it came to Hades and Persephone. It was hard to guess what he was feeling.

"The seeds are a last-resort food," Hazel spoke as if Percy hadn't spoken, "Only children of Hades can eat them. Nico would have taken them in case he got stuck somewhere. If he's really imprisoned--" She was taking the news hard if the rattling of the silverware were any indicator. It seemed like all the metal in the room was being drawn to her and Nico could tell by the other's faces that they had noticed it too.

"The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth said. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."

"Well, they're right!" Hazel exclaimed, looking around the table for support, "won't we?"

"Yes!" Coach Hedge yelled around the wad of napkins in his mouth. Nico was seriously concerned about the goat's digestive health. He didn't understand how any of that had nutritional value. "It'll involve fighting, right?"

"Hazel, of course we'll help him," Frank said. "But how long do we have before... uh I mean, how long can Nico hold out?" Nico was grateful for Frank and how he'd stepped up to take care of Hazel when Nico couldn't. If he lived through this, he'd tell the son of Mars himself.

"One seed a day," Hazel looked about as miserable as he felt. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."

"A death trance?" Annabeth scowled. "That doesn't sound fun." Nico snorted to himself. Understatement.