CHAPTER SIX

S H A D E  W I T H O U T  C O L O R

• • •

Nico di Angelo had grown used to the voices.

It was the only way to stay sane, since the voices whispered in his mind constantly. The prayers for the dead, the pleading to die, the cries for help from the dying. And the buzzing. The constant buzzing in his head. Every time that he began to believe that he was used to it, it doubled in strength, and Nico began at square one all over again.

"Healer?" a new voice said, this one very much real and alive. Nico would never admit it, but it was getting more and more difficult to tell if the voices he heard were from the living or the dead.

He looked up and saw a kid, no older than eleven, staring at him with wide brown eyes. Her hair was tied back into a knotted ponytail, and dirt streaked her face. She was one of Hazel's helpers, one of the many children that flocked around Nico's sister. Hazel had become a source of solace and hope for everyone at Olympus, especially the younger demigods.

Nico licked his lips, finding them to be very dry (when was the last time he drank water? The realization that he couldn't remember didn't alarm him as much as it should have). "Yeah?" he croaked, ignoring how dry his voice was.

The girl's eyes darting around the tent nervously, but her voice was full of bravado. "There's a meeting."

Nico grudgingly followed her darting gaze. Several cots with unmade sheets were cramped in random spaces. Two of the ones shoved in the back belonged to him and Will (but don't dwell on that, not now, move on). Bandages, ambrosia, and nectar were always kept in large quantities in the healing tent. The light through the faded white material of the tent cast a yellow glow on the inside, giving everything a tinted look.

It was a place that was starving for miracles, and reeked of disappointment.

And somehow, it was also Nico's home.

"A meeting?" he asked stupidly.

The girl nodded. "In the Olympian tent."

Di Immortales, he couldn't handle this today. But Nico smiled at the young girl, and nodded as more pleading voices filled his mind. "I know where to find it. Thank you for telling me."

The girl gave him a grim nod (were kids meant to be this grave and silent?) and quickly spun on her heel and disappeared.

Nico sighed to himself in the empty tent. The emptiness seemed to stare back at him mockingly.

(Help me, a voice in his mind pleaded.)

He ignored it, and instead shrugged on his worn black coat. Nico walked out of the healing tent, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

Outside, the air was cold and desperate. But it did not bother Nico; he had been through much worse than a small chill. However, it seemed to scare the majority of this island's residents into their tents instead of training.

It was sad what the demigods had become; broken soldiers and hopeless heroes. Once destined to be legends, they were now just kids fighting for survival in a damned world. Even the gods had forsaken them (was that a bubble of emotion in the pit of his stomach? No, easier to just blame the cold, and the voices that kept escalating and escalating and--)

The Olympian tent, dubbed by the younger demigods who reveled at the remaining seven prophesied demigods like they were royalty, was at the top of the biggest hill in Olympus, and waving flags greeted Nico. It was the grandest tent on the island, but there was something sad about its lonely silhouette on the hill (could tents look sad? Please help me, anyone save me, please).

Nico opened up the tent flaps, and walked inside. Gusts of warm air and Hazel's arms engulfed him instantly.

"You look skinner, somehow," his sister said, her golden eyes swimming with worry.

"Since yesterday?" Nico said, aiming for a joke.

Hazel frowned (apparently not a joke please help us). "Have you eaten today?"

(No).

"Yes," he said aloud. "Stop worrying so much about me; there are more important things."

"Saving others isn't going to save yourself," Hazel said softly.

(This is all I can do I don't wanna die don't take this away from me).

Nico ignored his sister's words, and instead fixated his gaze on over her shoulder, watching as Reyna Ramirez-Arellano approached him. Hazel gave Nico a last long look that reawakened a squirming guilt inside his stomach. Then, she stepped away, allowing the two to talk.

"Reyna," Nico said, almost breathlessly, "how are you? How did it go?"

(He hadn't heard her voice among those pleading someone save me please but that did little to alleviate the worry that grew everyday she had been away).

"You won't believe this," Reyna murmured in his ear, "but Jason is more stressed today than he was last week."

Nico allowed himself to produce the faintest of smiles before it disappeared. Reyna had just returned from a mission to recruit as many forgotten minor gods and stray demigods that she could find. Those missions had killed demigods in the past (where's Will he should be back by now) and Nico was thanking every god for not adding Reyna's name to that list.

He was thankful that no one in here had disappeared yet. Because the Olympian's Tent was full of what used to be the Seven of the Great Prophecy.

Jason was seated at the head of the table, frowning forcefully at a map laid across the wooden surface. His thin eyebrows were furrowed in concentration that no one dared interrupt. Piper McLean sat to his left, also looking at the map, but her look was more thoughtful than upset. Her hand rested atop Jason's, creating an air of intimacy that no one cared to infiltrate.

To Jason's right was Leo Valdez, whose head was bent all the way down to work on whatever new gadget he was creating. Next to him sat Rachel Dare, who was wringing her hands together anxiously. Across the table, on the other side of Jason, was an empty chair, no doubt Reyna's. Frank Zhang was seated next to it, his hand interlocked with Hazel's who had sat back down.

The Heroes of Olympus. The gods of this Olympus, the protectors and guardians of these people.

Nico took his seat, and silence fell over the tent (but not his mind; that was never quiet). Not because of him, but because of what his arrival indicated; the meeting was going to begin.

Jason finally looked up from the map, and ran a hand through his shorn hair. He took a quick gaze around the tent. "Are we ready to start?"

Silence was his answer, which he accepted with a firm nod. Leadership wasn't new to Jason, and he never seemed to doubt himself (SAVE ME).

"Reyna," Jason said, his light eyes meeting Reyna's dark gaze, "how was the mission?"

Reyna shifted in her seat, a sign that she was upset. "Not very successful. Whatever gods remain are deep in hiding; I didn't manage to find any. But I ran into two demigod sisters on my return to Olympus, and Nico already looked over them."

Nico nodded to show that this was true (they had matching gray eyes and blonde hair, and they looked so familiar that his heart ached for hours afterward. The twin daughters of Athena seemed somewhat taken aback by him, but they were kind enough not to say anything, and wasn't that familiar, too?).

"We'll take what we can get," muttered Jason, but he was gracious enough to send a grateful smile to Reyna. "Were you followed back here?"

Reyna shook her head. "I had to kill a few monsters, but anyone that saw me didn't survive long enough to tell Her."

Her words created a grim sort of satisfaction that settled over the room (Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name).

"Kind of strange that the floating island works for us the same way it worked for Leto eons ago," said Frank thoughtfully, "and She still hasn't though to look here."

"She" or "Her" was what they called Gaea in order to remain under the radar. Names held power, a lesson they all prayed not to learn the hard way.

"But Olympus has a nicer ring to it than Delos," said Reyna with a small smile.

With Gaea running the world, the true Olympus was doubtlessly already reduced to rubble. But Olympus was nothing but a spirit, a state of mind. As long as people believed, that was where Olympus was (I DON'T WANT TO DIE).

"If this is Olympus, then we're its gods," Rachel muttered softly, her fingers still wrapping around themselves.

(Thy kingdom come, thy will be done)

"That's the other thing," continued Jason, shooting Rachel a mildly concerned look. "That's why I called you all in here today. There's been some news with the Oracle."

All at once, the tent erupted into a loud cacophony.

Several voices spoke at once, some in confusion, others in anger. Nico clenched his eyes shut, hoping to drown out all the voices surrounding him. But those pleading in his mind continued (please don't die, please) as did those demigods around him. There was a light pressure on his shoulder, and he found Hazel staring at him, almost pleadingly. There was a deep emotion in her golden eyes, an emotion that Nico did not want to cause his sister. He gave her a wavering smile.

"Shut up!" commanded a loud voice, and Nico, though silent, found that there was nothing in the world he'd rather do than be quiet.

All heads turned to face Piper, who gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry, but we don't have a lot of time to discuss this all at once."

The forgiveness was silent, but it was there. Piper used to always feel guilty when she used her Charmspeak on her friends, but they had granted her permission, so long as whatever she told them to do was harmless, and it always was. There was a lack of opportunities for her to train in that way, so her friends seemed to be the obvious choice.

"Rachel," Jason prodded gently, "can you tell us what the Oracle said."

Even though Nico had already heard the prophecy, he found himself holding his breath alongside everyone else. (shit shit shit gods, those were unfortunate last words).

Rachel nodded, and extracted a piece of paper from the pocket of her jeans. She unfolded it, and began to read it very carefully. "Fourteen heroes live in a world they failed; the lost, the found, and a love prevailed. Forced to find light in endless dark, ends in search of the Earth's heart. Fourteen to nine as the heroes fall, and the daughter of war will make the final call."

The tent is cast into silence as the prophecy settles over the group of eight. The words are heavy, even though Nico has heard them before, and a distant part of him feels dread. It begins again.

(Please, just stay awake for a little longer, no no no don't close your eyes, please).

"Fourteen to nine?" Piper said finally, breaking the tense silence.

"Not great as far as mortality rates go," Leo muttered darkly.

"It's another Great Prophecy," Jason explained needlessly, "which means this is the second part of the war, the end of it. We can still win."

The optimism, though appreciated, was exhausting; Nico could feel his eyes growing heavier by the second (when was the last time he had a full night of sleep? How long had Will been gone?).

"It sounds like She has some sort of weakness that we can find," said Frank, his dark eyes slowly beginning to light up as he worked through the words of the prophecy. "The Earth's Heart."

"It also sounds like five people are going to die," Leo shot back bitterly, throwing a screwdriver onto the table. Nico winced at the loud noise it produced, and for a second, his walls fell down, releasing a relentless stream of pleads to echo through his head (please please please).

"But if we have a chance to fix this," argued Hazel, her hands making a slight chopping motion as she speaks, "then we have to at least try."

"Not if it gets more people killed," responded Leo harshly.

Nico wanted to agree; he was tired of hearing the dead and dying call out to him. But hope was vital and rare, and this was hope.

"Leo," Piper said warningly, but the boy paid her no attention.

"Am I really the only one here that is so tired of fighting and dying? Haven't we done enough already?" spat Leo angrily, glaring around the room to see if anyone agreed.

"I am," Nico heard, and he was surprised to find that the words had escaped his lips. Several glares aimed their focus at him, but he licked his lips and continued, "I'm sick of it. Which is why we have to try, to end it forever. We have to try, for all those who are lost." (His heart cried out for WillandPercyandAnnabethandThaliaand--) "We have to try for them."

Leo scoffed, but his eyes were more hurt than angry.

"We can vote on it," Jason offered gently, eyes soft as he stared at his best friend. "I don't want to make anyone do something they don't want to."

And if that wasn't the worst (and best) part about Jason Grace. He was a leader, but he'd be damned if he didn't appease everyone.

"All those who want to follow the prophecy and kill Her, raise your hand," Jason instructed.

Piper's hand was the first one to raise, quickly followed by Hazel's. Frank, Rachel, and Reyna held their hands in the air, and Nico ignored the struggle to raise his own. Finally, Jason lifted his arm up.

Leo stared at them all, brown eyes hazy and difficult to read. (Don't die on me, I can't lose you). He sighed, the sound loud and dramatic.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he said before raising his own arm up.

Jason's face broke out into a wide smile, and it was almost contagious (when was the last time Nico had smiled? How long had Will been gone?).

The tent, often gloomy and silent, now contained a hopeful buzz that circulated around the room. Reyna's hand grabbed Nico's, and he squeezed back.

"First things first," Jason said loudly, his voice barely audible over the excited chatter, "we need to find Percy and Annabeth."

That sobered everyone up very quickly.

(Ouch).

"We've been looking for years," Reyna reminded him.

(Holy shit what was that?).

"Thalia's been looking since they disappeared," added Hazel.

(Ow).

"We don't even know if they're still alive," Leo provided.

(What is that?).

"If they were dead, don't you think She would make a big deal about it?" argued Jason.

(Ouch).

"For all we know, she could have already," said Reyna, "we don't have much contact with the outside world."

"Ouch."

It took a minute for Nico to realize that the latest sound of pain occurred in the tent, not within in his mind. He blinked, and found Hazel frowning down at her wrist. Before he could ask her what was wrong, he felt something sting his own wrist. One by one, the demigods in the room stared down at their wrists, and one by one, they found a small omega mark staring up at them.

There was a pregnant pause, the earlier excitement and optimism evaporated completely. Now, only confusion and the slightest tinge of pain remained for the tent's occupants. The confusion was palpable, and the most mortal part of Nico felt terrified.

"Well, that's new."

• • •

author's note:
is it obvious that i love writing in nico's point of view? also, yes, two updates in one day after taking multiple hiatuses! i wish i knew how to schedule!