Chapter Text
Nico's lips twitched down into a small frown as he sheathed his black sword.
"Seriously, Nico," Percy insisted, eyes sparkling fondly and rubbing his hands together to keep them warm in the chill winter air, "where'd you get it?"
With a shrug, and a rub to his nose, Nico replied, "my dad."
"Really?" Percy grinned, "How?"
"Uh," Nico averted his eyes, "I went to visit him over Christmas." and shrugged again.
Percy's mouth formed a small 'o' and he exclaimed, "Wait a minute! Is that where you disappeared to?"
A small grin spread across Nico's face and he shrugged, "You caught me. Now, c'mon, this sword is freaking awesome and I wanna whoop your ass."
With that said, Nico ran to the arena.
Despite the cold of winter seeping through to his bones, Percy pulled Riptide from his pocket, popped the cap off it and ran from the Posiedon Cabin. He heard Nico's laugh catch in the wind and rush past his ears, and shouted to him, "You can try!"
They reached the arena, which was empty because the campers who stayed year long at Camp Half Blood were all coped up inside, drinking hot chocolate and staying warm and such. Percy was kind of glad for that. The camp was quiet, and that's never a bad thing.
It was Nico's birthday week, near the end of January and Percy couldn't not come and visit him. Even though he left camp half blood to go back to school, Nico stayed. Percy wanted him to go to school with him, but Nico just wasn't up for it. Percy even offered for him to stay at his place with him and his mom while they attended school. It didn't seem like Nico even had to think before he refused. He just made sure Percy was going to visit.
They stopped in the middle of the arena and Nico unsheathed his sword, facing Percy. Nico made the first move, and they fell into a dance. A dance they were both all to familiar with.
"When I got here yesterday, Chiron told me about your short disappearance. He thought you were dead or something."
Nico laughed at that, twisting away from Percy's advance, "Nah, I just found a way into the Underworld closer here, and decided to visit my dad for Christmas, since I didn't really have anything else to do, you know? I found out my step mother hates me. Cliche."
"You could've come to my place for Christmas."
Nico lunged at Percy, distracted by the conversation and Percy took advantage of that. He twisted his blade around Nico's hilt and Nico's sword clattered to the ground.
"I would've felt intrusive. Besides, dad got this made special in his forges for me so it was worth it." replied Nico as he scooped up his sword, a proud gleam in his eyes.
"Dude, that is so cool." Percy stepped up to the blade, running his finger along the flat of it. Cold ran along the bones in his hand and he suppressed a shiver. Nico twisted the blade away from him and challenged him again. Percy accepted with a smirk.
This time, Nico disarmed him first.
"Well, you have learnt from the best." said Percy smugly as he picked up Riptide.
Laughing, Nico said, "Shut up, Perce."
~~~
After the mess that was Percy's orientation at Goode High, and the long trip back to Camp with his angry best friend, Annabeth, Percy just really wanted to collapse on his bed and stay in his cabin forever. Instead, he made his way down to the arena. Practicing always calms him down.
When he walked into the arena, his heart nearly stopped.
Sitting in the middle of the arena was the largest hellhound Percy has ever seen. And he's had one the size of a rhino try to kill him when he was twelve. This one, however, was as big as a tank and how it had got past the Camps magic boundries, Percy has no idea. All he knows is that, it's back was toward him, and the second he moved, it would probably sense him, so there was no time to go for help.
He uncapped Riptide and ran towards the monster with a battlecry.
Just as he was going to bring his sword down on the monster's rear, a black blade deflected his. He'd know that blade anywhere.
"Nico? What are you doing?"
The hellhounds ears perked up, and it barked. Percy instantly backed up, dropping his sword and dragging Nico with him.
And to Percy's surprise, Nico was laughing, batting away Percy's hand.
"Do you have a death wish?" Percy snapped, and Nico pulled himself out of Percy's grip.
"Calm down, dude. This hellhounds as harmful as a plushie."
"That's a hellhound!" Percy shouted back, and the dog barked again, it's bark shaking the arena.
"He's right, though." Came a new voice, "Mrs. O'leary's harmless."
Percy blinked and glanced around. His eyes landed on an older man pulling a chew toy away from the hellhound, and that's when Percy realized that the dog was chewing on a practice dummy. The guy grinned, threw the dummy and shouted, "Get the Greek!"
The hellhound barked and raced after the dummy, the stomps of her paws shaking the arena.
The man smiled dryly and walked over to Percy and Nico. He had short grey hair, and matching stubble, and looked around his fifties. For his age, he was pretty well built, with a bronze breast plate thrown over his shirt and black pants. As he walked up to the two boys, he clapped a hand on Nico's shoulder, "Nico's the only one whose comfortable around her, though. She loves him."
Nico's olive skin tinted red and a lopsided smile painted his face, "She's precious."
"She's a hellhound." Percy repeated, still in shock and watching the huge dog flatten the armor on the practice dummy and chew on the helmet.
"Yes, Percy." Nico agreed, speaking slowly, as if Percy were five years old, "She is a hellhound."
That seemed to shake Percy out of his shock and he turned his green eyes on the older man, "Wait, is she yours?"
"Yup."
"Who are you?"
With a grin, and an offer for a handshake, he introduced himself, "Quintus."
"Percy Jackson." replied Percy, shaking his hand, "Sorry about that. Um, how'd you.." he trailed off, eyes still lingering on Mrs. O'leary and now Nico's over there, laughing and trying to pull the chew toy away from her.
"Get a hellhound for a pet? Long story, involving a lot of close calls with death and a lot of large chew toys. I'm the new sword instructor, by the way. Helping out Chiron while Mr. D is away."
"Ah." Percy nodded, then furrowed his eyebrows, "Mr. D is away?"
"Yes, well. Busy times. Even Dionysus has to help out."
Percy was silently having a party. If Mr. D was gone, then this summer might actually be awesome.
"Mrs. O'leary!" Percy heard Nico shout, "Those aren't for you. Stop it!" but his calls went unheard by the hellhound as someone strolled into the arena and dropped off six wooden crates. Quintus strolled over to the boxes, patting Mrs. O'leary on the snout and telling her the same thing that Nico did. She ignored him too.
"What are those?" asked Percy, watching the crates shudder.
"A surprise for your guys' activity." and Percy couldn't help feeling really unnerved by his grin.