The Quirkless King and Co.

Wanted: Cyclone

— Sequel: Has a short time skip and is set approximately six months to a year after the events of Quirkless King —

Just as Nico swung his cabin door closed with a solid click, Percy and Leo emerged from the Hephaestus cabin with a long metal tube carved with swirling grooves and packed with gunpowder and coloured paper. Leo hoisted the contraption over one shoulder and turned to return to the bonfire and the source of loud cheering but was stopped by Percy's hand on his shoulder.

"What's wrong waterboy?" Leo joked and Percy shot him an amused smile before looking in the direction that the unusual noise had come from.

"Do you think that noise came from Nico's cabin?" He asked and Leo shrugged and replied,

"Maybe he went to get the same as we did."Percy raised one eyebrow.

"We went to get an 'Ultra Mega Party Popper'." He said, lifting his hands into exaggerated quotation marks. "You think he went to get one of those?" Leo dismissively waved over in the direction of the noise with an exaggerated huff, smiling.

"Fine, let's go check on him." He said and set down the creation by his cabin door, careful to keep the delicate end out of the mud, and the pair trotted down the pavement to the cabin door. Swinging it open revealed a dark room, curtains drawn and lit by a shaded lamp on Nico's bedside. The bed sheets were creased inwards to where Nico sat pulling his jacket on his shoulders, a small dark gray bag crammed full of crinkling snacks lazing to one side.He gave a start and a wide eyed look when the door opened before composing himself.

"Hello Percy, Leo." He greeted nodding to each.

"Nico." Leo nodded back, imitating him with a wide grin. That unwound Nico's tight expression into a small smile.

"Where are you off to?" Percy's question brought the grim look back on his face.

"Ah. Well, I was thinking of maybe.. visiting Hazel.. in, you know?" He stumbled over his words and the answer ended up sounding more like a question. Leo frowned,

"But Hazel and the rest are here tonight for the party." In that moment, while Nico froze, Percy placed his hands on the younger's shoulders from behind him, only his firm grip downwards stopping Nico from launching up in surprise.

"Come on Nico, you know you can't avoid joining us in the party conga line this time." Percy exclaimed, gently shifting him side to side while himself, shaking his hips. Leo added himself to the precession kicking out his legs to the chant as they shuffled across the cabin. Percy leaned over Nico shoulder to get into his field of view with a wide grin.

"Just this once, would you like me to let you be second in line instead of first?"

"Perce, if you let me go now I'll be back faster you know." Nico said, prising the older teens fingers off his shoulders. Sensing he was about to leave, Percy grasped at Nico's collar. Jerked abruptly into Nico's shadow travel, Percy himself yanked Leo forward, unbalanced with one leg out at a right angle, still preoccupied with his dance.

They landed from the momentary tumbling sensation in the shadow of a short statue in the middle of a pedestrian street. Nico righted himself easily but the other two attached to him reeled forward - Leo unbalanced, standing on one leg, accidentally pushing Percy forward into the statue who banged his head on the granite surface.

"Right in the middle of that street. Real subtle shadow travel." Nico muttered sarcastically and side stepped to direct his companions attention away. But Leo, pulling himself up of the ground found a hanhold gripping the statues ankle and hauled himself up onto the granite.

"Remind me never to travel with Nico again." He informed the towering figure in front of him. It was only when his vision cleared that he cracked a smile at his own mistake.Also ignoring Nico, Percy circled round to the front of the statue to take a look.