The Angel of Death

Chapter One

Chapter One

It had been about two years since the Titan war, where Gaea had been defeated. I had spent most of my time since then away from Camp Half-Blood. I had never really gotten used to the way the other campers would stare at me, scared or disgusted or curious.

I couldn't really blame them, I was the first child of Hades they had probably ever seen, since I'm pretty sure my father was the only one who kept to the oath about not having kids. I wasn't bothered by the looks. Why should I care if they thought I was creepy? I didn't know most of them. The campers I did know either respected me enough to leave me alone, or where my friends. Or they were Percy, who was not my friend but thought he was. He was more like an annoying older cousin that you tolerate and worry about because he's always doing stupid things.

I had spent the time since the aftermath of the Titan war working for my father. As soon as Will released me from my three-day infirmary sentence, Hades summoned me. While the doors of death were open, hundreds of spirits had slipped out, and scattered. Thanatos had been too preoccupied catching up on all the paperwork and other boring stuff he had missed while he had been held captive, so Hades needed me to go out and collect the lost souls.

Needless to say, I wasn't too happy about that. I was still recovering, mentally and physically from the war, and wasn't ready for such a time-consuming job. I wanted to stay at camp for a while longer, I finally had people who wanted me around and who I wanted to be around.

But, in the end, rather than get smote by my father, I deferred to his command, with the exception that I had a week at camp to prepare and say my farewells before I had to gallivant all over the world after slippery spectres. He agreed, and returned me to camp.

No one was really happy about this new task of mine, least of all Will, who ranted about my 'delicate' condition, and Percy, who also ranted, but mostly about the Gods and how useless they were, which prompted Zeus to threateningly thunder. Percy waved at the sky as if that proved his point. But they all understood that I couldn't really say no.

So, a week later, I had a small messenger bag packed with anything I might need, my skull ring firmly in place on my right middle finger. Mostly, I kept it there so when I flip people off it's more intimidating. Well, also because it turns into my sword.

After I left, I only returned to camp briefly over the next couple of years, to check in, or re-stock on ambrosia and nectar. I never stayed more than a day, although sometimes I wished I could. But I can't say it wasn't worth it, though. I travelled all over the world, places like Canada, London, Japan, Africa, and I even got to visit Italy a few more times.

My powers, too, grew more stable the more I used them. Shadow-jumping didn't tire me out anymore, and I could travel long distances without hardly blinking. I discovered some new uses, too, one of my favourites being a shadow pocket sort of thing, which is exactly what it sounds like. Shadow-breathing was something I had learned in a coastal town of Japan, a few months ago, when I had been hunting the ghost of a downed ship captain, who had decided he was going to haunt his shipwreck, which was unfortunately about six miles off the coast, underwater.

I had discovered the ability to use shadow-travel to re-fill my lungs with air, so long as I was able to picture a shadow above sea-level, I could transport the air in said shadow straight into my lungs. It was a handy trick, and I couldn't wait to show Percy that he wasn't the only one who could hold his breath forever.

I had changed physically, too. I was taller, though not by much, and had more muscle than before. My skin held a sun-tanned glow, and my hair was longer, long enough to tie up in a messy bun- my usual style now- and the back of my skull was under-cut in an upside-down v-shape, shaved in a pattern of zig-zag and straight lines that reminded me of Aztec designs. I had acquired a few tattoos over the years as well, from all over the world.

Hades and I had grown closer, not a perfect relationship, but closer to father-and-son than we had ever been, more than most demigods are with their parents. He felt almost like a real father-figure, and I could tell he was trying hard to make up for all the years he had neglected me and Bianca. I was trying, too.

Overall, things had changed for the better. I was happy, actually happy. My job had finished in mid-April by the time I got back to Long Island. There were still a few souls wandering around, but they were the harmless ones, and Thanatos could take care of those now.

I was returning to Camp Half-blood, maybe for good this time. I wasn't sure. My father would always need me to carry out the duties he or Thanatos or some other council member was unable to, but for now, I had time. A vacation, of sorts.

I hadn't told anyone I was returning, and was looking forward to seeing their faces when I showed up.

                                                                                      ...↞⇹↠...

I landed my shadow-travel just outside the barrier. I was dirty, a little tired, and needed to shower, change, and eat something. Luck for me, it was about an hour until the dinner bell rang, the sun just beginning to set.

I headed to the Big House first, to say hi to Chiron. We had spoken whenever I came to visit, and I wanted him to know I would be staying for longer this time. He was sitting in his wheelchair on the porch facing camp, away from me, but turned his head when the wood creaked under my feet as I came towards him. He smiled surprised at me.

"Nico, my boy! It's been a while since I've seen you." He held his arms out, and I hugged him in greeting.

"Yeah. Thanatos finally got everything back under control on his end, so I might be staying for a while now." Chiron was very happy to hear the news, and sent me off to settle back in. I would have to send Hazel an Iris-message later to let her know I was back.

I elected to walk through camp instead of just shadow-travelling to my cabin. It was nice to see some familiar faces. Clarisse was with a group of new Ares campers, and she gave me a stoic nod, which I returned. I waved at a few of the Apollo cabin kids, and exchanged greetings with the Athena cabin.

There was a surprising number of new faces, which I had expected on some level after such a long absence. Some of them eyed me in a way that told me they already knew who I was, and some obviously didn't yet. But I did look different, I suppose. I had seen some kids I knew in passing do a double-take.

I dropped my bag off at cabin thirteen, which hadn't changed since I had left, before heading back out. There was someone I wanted to talk to. 

Hey yall. I dont usually update till the first of the month, but im so far ahead in my chapter buffer that i figured id give yall a surprise. 

Fun Fact: there are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.