Page 66 of The Court of the Dead (The Nico di Angelo Adventures #2)

W hen Nico awoke the next day in the guest barracks, he found Will sitting on the floor up against his bunk, playing with Fear as if it were nothing more than a pet.

Nico rubbed his eyes. “You know that’s a cacodemon and not a house cat, right?”

Will twisted around to smile at him. “Welcome back to the world of the conscious, sleepyhead.”

Nico reached out and ran his fingers through Will’s curls. “It’s nice to be back.”

“You slept for like thirteen hours. I thought you died .”

Nico yawned and sat up. “I think the whole eidolon-possession thing did a number on me.”

Nico heard a soft yawn, and Defiance poked its head out from under the covers. It was followed by the rest of the Cocoa Puffs, who began to yap and beg for food.

“I agree, Puffs,” said Nico. “I’m hungry, too.”

“Well, you’re in luck, then,” said Will. “Our farewell dinner should be just about ready.”

The word dinner made him excited. The word farewell made him incredibly sad.

Already? he thought.

But he managed to get up and make himself presentable.

Then he followed Will out of the barracks.

The sunset was spectacular over the Berkeley Hills.

In the distance, New Rome glittered like a dragon’s treasure hoard.

The Via Principalis had been transformed into a huge picnic area with white cloths, fresh flowers, and loads and loads of savory food on the tables.

As soon as Nico emerged from the barracks, the entire legion cheered, whooping and hollering in a clear breach of military discipline. Their praetors, Hazel and Frank, cheered right along with them, raising glasses of fruit punch in Nico’s honor.

Nico blinked back tears. Only days ago, he’d felt so uncomfortable, so frustrated, so unsure he would ever get on the legion’s good side.

And now…he had several hundred new best friends, including the mythics, who sat shoulder to shoulder with their demigod hosts, enjoying the party along with everyone else.

Nico loved that he could still be surprised by his world.

After what felt like a million hugs, handshakes, pats on the back, and good-natured jokes, Nico and Will settled in to eat across from Hazel and Frank, with their friends from the Battle of Golden Gate Park all around them.

Nico inhaled a brisket sandwich, followed by a Cyclops-size serving of potato salad, before he paid much attention to the conversation around him.

“. . . all happened so fast ,” Will was saying. “In some ways, I feel like I’ve been at Camp Jupiter forever. But in other ways, I feel like I just got here. I kind of don’t want to leave.”

Frank cupped his hand to his ear. “I’m sorry—could you repeat that? You’re not anxious to get back to the ‘clearly superior camp’?”

Will threw a biscuit at him, and everyone laughed.

“We do need to get back home, though,” said Will. He turned to Nico. “I talked with Chiron not long ago. The campers miss us, and they need some help with winter training. Also, he wants a tessera. Much easier to do Iris-messages with them.”

“Sorry,” Hazel said. “I’m afraid that’s proprietary Roman technology.”

More biscuits flew across the table.

Savannah grinned. “I will visit you at Camp Half-Blood someday. And I’ll teach your Hephaestus cabin people how to make tesserae. If my praetors will allow it.”

“Hmm,” Frank said. “We’ll think about it.”

“I’m gonna miss you guys!” said Yazan. “Will you come back soon?”

“Dude, they haven’t even left yet,” said Deion. “Besides, we have our own quest to train for, remember?”

Nico frowned. “Another quest, already?”

“It’s still kind of unofficial,” said Hazel. “They’ll have to visit Temple Hill, get a good omen from the augurs, et cetera, but…Do you wanna explain, Sav?”

Savannah took Arielle’s hand. “My friend here had an idea. About how to help me.”

Arielle grinned, showing her fangs. “I thought it might help Savannah if we went out to find the empousai who took her family from her. Give them a good talking-to. Get some closure, if we can.”

Nico guessed that good talking-to was a euphemism for stomp them with extreme prejudice . He also felt a twinge of worry at the idea of Yazan, Deion, and Savannah heading out on a quest, even with Arielle’s help. They were so young, so untested.

Then he realized he was thinking very much like an elder, like Chiron or Mr. D. Also, his friends were no longer untested. They’d proven themselves true heroes over the past week.

“That’s amazing,” he said. “Just be careful, okay?”

“Yes, Dad,” said Yazan. “And thank you. For being so nice to us.”

“Dude, we should go to Temple Hill right now!” said Deion. “I’ve got a teddy bear we can sacrifice!”

And off they ran. Those crazy kids and their sacrificial stuffed animals.

Savannah, however, lingered for a moment.

“You changed my life,” she told Nico quietly. “I won’t forget that.”

He held his arms open, and she came in for a long hug. “I’ll come back to visit,” he said. “I promise.”

She left Nico with more tears in his eyes.

“She’s right,” said Hazel. “You’ve changed all our lives, Nico.”

There was more crying, more hugging, more throwing of biscuits.

Nico wasn’t sure when he’d had a better dinner.

Eventually, though, the sky darkened, and the wind spirits started clearing the tables.

Slowly, the five cohorts drifted off to take care of their evening chores.

Lavinia Asimov stopped by to give them one last hug and warned them that when they came back, she was going to expect them to be much better at square dancing.

Finally, Hazel and Frank escorted them to the main gates of the camp, followed by the mythics and a bouncing herd of Cocoa Puffs. They stood together, gazing out over the valley as the last light of day painted the fields a deep magenta.

Asterion placed a large hand on Nico’s shoulders. “Do not be sad, my friends. This is only a temporary good-bye. Also, I made you going-away presents.”

He presented Will and Nico with matching knit caps—bright pink, with kitties and puppies stitched in blue and green.

“We’ll wear them proudly into battle,” Will promised. “Come here, you beautiful cow!”

Asterion explained that the mythics would be forming an auxilia, a special cohort of mythics who would be attached to the legion. Their temporary quarters on the Field of Mars would become a permanent home.

“We’ll keep cultivating that patch of Tartarus,” Quinoa said. “I’ll figure out the right blend of fertilizer yet! Maybe the kindergartners can help me!”

Nico suppressed a shudder. The idea of small children tilling the primordial flesh of a nightmarish god seemed a little risky, but then again, these were the children of demigods, so what did he know?

“I’m going to keep working in the archives!” said Johan. “Lucius Silver and I went back to the park while you were asleep. He helped me retrieve those dodecahedrons so they don’t fall into the wrong hands. Lucius is actually very nice. He doesn’t know much about tea, though. We’ll work on that.”

Frank laughed. “I’m just grateful to have help on the administrative side. I never realized how behind we were on filing and organization.”

Nico turned to Orcus, who had been waddling along with them, not saying much.

“What about you?” Nico asked. “More aerial reconnaissance?”

The tiny griffin ruffled his black-and-white wings. “Actually, no. I’ll be leaving soon.”

“Leaving?” Will looked shocked. “But…why?”

Orcus puffed up his chest. “I have to find my own place in the world. I’m thankful for the weeks I spent here, and I’m sure I’ll come back to visit, but the last time I was out of Tartarus, I spent my life in a cage.

Now I know there’s a whole wide world to explore!

I need to experience it, even if it means occasionally dealing with highways and cars. ”

Nico blinked back tears yet again. He felt so proud of the little griffin, who’d shivered so helplessly in his arms just a few days ago. “The world isn’t ready, Orcus. You’re going to take it by storm.”

“I know,” he agreed. “I am small, but I am powerful.”

He didn’t even fart when he said it.

Nico scanned the whole group. He wasn’t ready to leave them.

“I’m just sorry I couldn’t say good-bye to Semele,” he said.

Frank grinned. “Oh, I imagine you’ll cross paths again.”

It sounded like Frank knew more than he was saying, but Nico let it go. As long as it was good news, he could wait. He was starting not to hate surprises as much as he once did.

There was one last round of hugs, and Nico embraced Hazel the longest. “I am so proud of you.”

“Hey, that’s my line.” She laughed. “Thank you for everything. You sure you’re up for shadow-travel?”

“Just me, Will, and the Cocoa Puffs? After what we’ve done this week, that’ll be a piece of cake. Love you.”

“You too. Come back soon.”

The Cocoa Puffs gathered around. Will took Nico’s hand. Then, before he could change his mind, Nico stepped into the shadows.

A moment later, they were standing in a fallow strawberry patch, staring up at the sky-blue Big House framed by a starry night sky.

The wind was blustery, much colder than in California.

It smelled like snow, but Nico was glad for the chill.

As he gazed around at the bare trees, he felt his whole body relax.

He was home.

His Puffs seemed just as overjoyed. They squeaked and bounced and then scampered off toward the cabins, probably to find food or some demigods to terrorize.

“Well, well!” Chiron called from the front porch. He sat in his wheelchair under a fuzzy blanket and holding a steaming cup of tea, which made Nico immediately nostalgic for Johan. “Welcome back, Nico and Will.” He smiled warmly. “We’ve just been hearing all about your adventures.”

Nico blinked. “You—what?”

The front door of the Big House crashed open, and Mr. D walked out mid-laugh, apparently talking to someone behind him. “Oh, come on. Cheez Whiz is wonderful with cocktail weenies!”

He stopped short when he saw the demigods. He was wearing one of his garish leopard-print button-downs with neon-pink flannel pajama bottoms and a lime-green terry-cloth bathrobe, like all the fashionable wine gods were wearing this season.

“My favorite troublemakers are back!” He grinned, some sort of liquid sloshing out of the chalice he carried. “My gods, those are fantastic hats! Look at the stitchwork! Tell me, Nico, where do you stand on cocktail weenies with Cheez Whiz?”

Someone else pushed through the doorway, jostling Dionysus out of the way. It was a woman in a lovely blue dress, her brown hair done up in elaborate ringlets. Her expression was one of complete and utter joy.

Nico felt a moment of vertigo. “Semele?”

The former eidolon laughed. “Hello, my dear friends! As you can see, I found him.”

She threw an arm around Dionysus and kissed his cheek, which was, by far, the strangest thing Nico had seen all week.

“Um…” Will seemed to have forgotten how to speak. “H-him?”

“That’s right,” said Dionysus proudly. “Nico, Will…I’d like to introduce you to my mother.”