Fatal Flaw: Empathy (Nico di Angelo)

Chapter Twenty One

Well, isn't that just terrific! "Aletha, d-did you just... scream?" Calls out Will incredulously. I am about to answer him, but instead, Namjoon speaks up.

"Sometimes when someone has lost the ability to speak and are in enough pain, they momentarily gain back their voices. But not for long. You might have some luck bringing it back, but there isn't a good way to do it without hurting Aletha." Jin looks at him with pride and I, tears still streaming down my face, look at him thankfully.

Will nods, understanding the situation. "Ah. Then... what could've hurt her that badly?"

And as Percy goes to answer that, the sun shakes for a second, and something starts falling towards the surface of the earth. The ocean's waves retreat a bit, and the ground cracks open. Meanwhile, Nico walks up to me. "Aletha, it's the gods. They're coming, here."

Chiron campers out of the cabin, the oracle trailing behind him. Rachel, is what her name was.

"Which gods?"

"All of the Olympians."

Hermes, Apollo and Zeus, Hera and Athena, Aphrodite, Artemis, Poseidon, Hades and Demeter and Hestia. They're all here. And they call for authority, snapping the Camp out of their trance to bow on their knees. When we finally stand, I am announced. "Aletha Farènce, daughter of Poseidon, legacy of Aphrodite..." Calls out Apollo. "Man, can't any of Poseidon's kids avoid these scary prophecies? Damn you, Uncle Poseidon."

I tilt my head to one side, confused. Nico intertwines his fingers through mine, both hands and stands in front of me, glaring at anyone daring to speak up about me. "Olympus." He nods his head, politely but curtly. "What can we do for you?"

"There's a new oracle. Rachel, did you write it down?"

She nods, reciting it.
"The fall of Olympus,
A newer foe,
To save must come,
L'amour Nouveau!
The godly blood,
Of the sea-death-land,
To remain under Olympus' command!"

"Now that sounds pretty simple." Says Aphrodite, surprising everyone. "Nico and Aletha the dates ship you."

Athena facepalms. "It's a bit more complicated than just shipping. There's a new enemy. Didn't you hear?"

"Yes, but it can be stopped because the Fates ship them. How are you, Aletha, dear? I heard your scream from Olympus, and then the sun turned off, and oh, poor Apollo here had to put effort into something for once."

I shrug, still behind Nico. My dad and Percy are having a conversation about me through their eyes, discreetly looking back at me. Pfft, I could've caught that.

My hands, they feel burnt from the energy surge from Percy to myself. But somehow, holding Nico's hands calm mine own down. I hug him, and I can feel the warm emotions flowing through Nico like water as he steels his schooled expression to face his father.

"Enough," says Hades. "Bickering and arguing as though you were children. Shouldn't have expected better from Aphrodite and Apollo. Nico, I swear on the River Styx I won't let her get hurt. In fact, you come with us, too."

"We will discuss this further on Olympus." Announces Zeus, breaking the congregation at the small camp by zapping himself back to Olympus.

"How do you feel about shadow travel?" I shudder at the question from a smirking Nico and shake my head no. Dad opens his arms to me and I go into them.

"I'm going to teach you a thing, Okay?" I nod. "This is called Vapor travel. You just imagine each of the water cells in you evaporating into a certain area. It sounds scary but that's just how you imagine it, yeah?" Poseidon smiles at me before Vapor traveling with me in his arms. Ah, so that's how it is. "Now you can finally beat Percy without spending so much energy."

I smile and bury my face into his chest. "Thanks." I whisper quietly before making my way to where Nico is standing. He gently hugs me before opting to just stand collide enough to me that it's casual but so that I can still feel his pinky finger wrapped with my own.

"Aww, I told you this was the better ship!" Says Aphrodite to Zeus. "Look at how cute they are!!! Isn't that so, Aletha? Ah, you may talk here. We all know you can... or at least that is something I revealed on purpose before we went to the camp."

"Gran, when are you going to stop shipping people?" I ask kindly.

"Never; when are you going to hug me?" She says, approaching me to wrap both Nico and myself into a hug. Her ever changing chromatic eyes dart between us. "I approve."

"THE MEETING WILL START," claims  Hermes, winking at me gOod naturedly before sitting on his throne.

Ah; this is going to be terrifying.