Nico's Quest

Chapter 17

Breakfast was nice. It was the first time that they hadn't had to worry about the end of the world in weeks. Nico was able to catch up with Sadie and Carter and explain to them why he'd been missing so long.

"Well, I'm glad things turned out okay," said Carter once he was finished. "We knew something was wrong when we didn't hear from you after the first few days."

Sadie punched him affectionately, but hard enough to raise a bruise on Nico's arm. "Worry me like that again and you'll be sorry, Death Boy."

"Sorry," muttered Nico, rubbing his bruised arm. He did feel bad about making them anxious, and it still seemed like a novelty to have people care about whether or not he was okay.

"Stop threatening him and beating him, Sadie," said Carter. "Our whole plan would have fallen through without him and Anubis."

"What about Anubis?"

Everyone cringed as Zia approached. There was suspicion in her golden eyes that made Nico feel like he'd definitely done something wrong and was about to get scolded for it.

"Nothing," said Percy, bristling at the very sight of Zia. "Why?"

"I wasn't talking to you, sea god spawn."

"What's your problem, anyway?" demanded Percy.

Zia looked like she was going to insult Percy again. Then she bit her tongue and blushed. "I . . . I apologize. While I was sleeping these past few months, and hosting Nephthys, her thoughts seemed to have polluted mine. She . . . doesn't care for sea gods or their ilk. Again, I apologize."

Percy still looked a little confused, but less annoyed.

"Nephthys is a river goddess," Nico reminded him.

"Oh. Oh, right. Well that explains why you reminded me of a river nymph."

"What were you saying about Anubis?" asked Zia, not to be deterred from her original question.

"Nephthys is also Anubis's mother," said Nico, in case Percy had forgotten this too.

"I'm well aware of that," said Zia. "I just wondered what you were saying about him."

"Just . . . talking about Mythomagic," lied Nico weakly. "He and I play together sometimes."

Zia looked unconvinced. Her eyes moved to the Kanes, then to Percy. "May I have a word in private, Nico?" she asked once she turned back to him.

Nico glanced at the others nervously, then shrugged and followed Zia off the terrace. They crossed the Great Hall, which was still a wreck, then came to the hallway where everyones' rooms were, including Nico's.

"Um, here is fine, I think," said Nico. "There's no one around. We can't go into my room because they've got a rule about no guys and girls being alone in a room together." Plus Nico didn't want Zia seeing how his room was decorated. Sadie often called his room the room of death, and even Percy found the decorations a little morbid. No doubt Zia, with her misplaced maternal instincts, would be horrified to find him living in a room with so many death relics.

"Are you hosting Anubis?" asked Zia without any preamble.

Nico froze. Then he moved his mouth, probably quite similarly to a fish's He was trying to talk but the words wouldn't come.

Zia's expression grew alarmed by his reaction. "You are, aren't you?" she demanded. "How? It shouldn't be possible."

"I don't know," admitted Nico. Denying it seemed useless now. Zia knew and lying wouldn't convince her otherwise. "We didn't mean for it to happen. It just . . happened. It was more of an accident than anything else."