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Harry blinked open his eyes warily, adjusting to the darkness in the cabin. Soon after, he rolled onto his side, squeezing his eyes shut again. A groan exhaled past his lips. He didn't have nightmares as frequently anymore, so no longer waking up in a cold sweat was certainly nice, but they seemed to have been replaced with a feeling of restlessness. Harry cleared his mind, thinking about it wasn't going to help him sleep. Focusing on his breathing, Harry relaxed his muscles and willed himself to sleep again.
— — — —
Harry yawned, his head almost falling into his bowl before he regained control of it, blinking as heaviness weighed his body down.
Nico blinked at him over the table the next morning. "Did you not sleep well again?" He asked with a sort of forced nonchalance that anyone who knew him could see through.
Harry shook his head, taking another spoonful of his porridge. After he swallowed, he was quick to add on, saying, "It wasn't that bad, I fell back asleep just fine." Nico narrowed his eyes, taking a sip of juice. Feeling scrutinized by his stare, Harry rushed to change the subject. "Who do you think is going to win capture the flag, with Clarisse stuck in the infirmary?" He questioned.
Nico's stare took on a more concerned tone. "…. the game was yesterday," he finally said. "Are you…. sure you're doing alright?"
Harry winced, realizing he just dug himself even deeper in the hole. "I'm fine, seriously. I'll go to bed earlier tonight if that'll make you feel better," he promised. Anything to stop talking about it.
Nico hummed and turned back to his food, but Harry felt eyes on his head for the rest of the meal.
— — — —
"You're almost there!" Leo called over the cliff. Harry stared up at him, refusing to look at the lava pooling below his feet.
"I cannot believe you convinced me to do this," He hissed out, lifting a leg to a higher point and pulling himself up.
"You would've had to eventually! It's basically a rite of passage for new campers," Leo responded cheerfully, ignoring the rage in Harry's voice. "Come on, I can almost reach you," he reassured, lowering his hand.
Harry stared up at him with a calculating look. As much as the falling rocks and lava were hazards to avoid, he couldn't deny the thrill of the situation. Deciding on the rest of his path, he scampered up the remaining section of the wall and reached out the grab Leo's hand. His fingers brushed past, and in surprise he loosened his other grip in the wall. Harry felt himself falling back, back, back, rushing down to meet his death in the hot, hot, hot lava below—
"Get yourself together, Harry!" Leo snapped, straining as he held onto Harry's wrist. Blinking rapidly, Harry reached back up, getting a hold of the wall again and scaled it quickly, with Leo pulling him. Once they were both safely on the top, breaths heaving, gestured towards Harry. "What was that all about, man? You never froze up like that during sword practice. You're not, like, scared of heights, are you?" Leo asked, genuinely concerned for his friend.
Harry shook his head. "No, I, I'm not, I just got too comfortable I suppose." Sighing, he looked gratefully at the young man across from him. "Thanks for catching me, I don't know what I've would've done without you."
Leo tilted his head in confusion. "Aren't you able to do that floating spell thing? You said you could carry your own weight with it."
Harry froze for the second time that day, and mentally slapped himself in the face. Leo was right! If Harry had just stayed aware, he could've casted Wingardium Leviosa before he was halfway down the cliff if Leo didn't manage to caught him.
Huffing out a breath, he placed a hand over his chest, trying to calm the rising he responded, "Sorry, I haven't been myself lately. Really need to fix my sleep schedule," He joked, lightening the mood.
Leo cracked a grin. "That's a mood."
Glancing down, Harry asked cautiously, "How do we get back to the ground? I don't see a ladder or rope anywhere."
Shrugging, Leo laid back on the rough stone. "We don't."
Harry stared at him. "What."
"It's what I just said, we don't get down. We wait until Chiron comes and checks the wall." Leo responded, completely unbothered.
"That's ridiculous," Harry protested, "Are you messing with me?"
Leo didn't respond.
"Leo???"
— — — —
"Wait, who's Thyone again?" Harry asked, glancing up from his notes at the blonde sitting next to him.
"Dionysus' mother. She saw Zeus's true form and died, but Dionysus rescued her from the Underworld and helped her rise as the goddess of frenzy." Annabeth recited, and Harry nodded as he jolted down her words.
"How likely do you think it is that'd I'd meet her?" He asked. Annabeth narrowed her eyes in thought.
"Not likely, but she could be dangerous if you did. She's not exactly a fan of death, but she hates the goddess of marriage even more, so maybe you could use that as a diversion if it came to it," She theorized, and Harry nodded once more. Continuing, she commented, "You're picking this up quicker than I expected." Resisting the urge to ask her what she meant by that, Harry held his tongue. He didn't think Annabeth was being malicious. From what he could tell, she was just like that.
"It's interesting," He replied, once he was sure there'd be so snark in his voice. "I've heard of them before, but the only one the wizarding world really worships is Hecate, with maybe a couple of devotees for the Olympians." Annabeth twirled a pencil through her fingers.
"That's pretty commonplace," She mentioned. "Most people, anywhere, wouldn't be able to tell you who Phobos, Psyche, or even Hypnos are," She paused for a moment, then questioned, "do you remember?"
Harry thought back to previous lessons. "Phobos is the god of fear, Hypnos is god of sleep, and Psyche…." He frowned. "something with love?"
"Goddess of the soul," Annabeth corrected, "Eros, the god of love, was her husband. Good job on the other two. Out of those three, who's the first one you'd likely meet?" She quizzed.
"Phobos." Harry responded without a second thought. The fear of death is a very common thing, Harry thought with a twist in his gut as he pictured the man who would become Voldemort.
Annabeth nodded. "Great. Let's focus back on the Underworld deities now. Do you remember who we covered last time?"
"The Moirai?" Harry recalled. "Clotho, Lachesis, and…" His mind blanked.
Annabeth waited a beat before offering, "It starts with A. The other two were correct."
"Asia?" Harry asked uncertainty.
Annabeth blinked in surprise. "We tend to call her Atropos here, but Asia is one of her names. Where did you hear that?" She inquired.
Harry blinked in his own surprise. "I don't know. I couldn’t remember, and that just popped into my head." He explained.
"Interesting…" Annabeth murmured.
Harry was confused at her reaction, before he jolted up in his seat. "You don't think-"
"-that it could be related to your ascension? Possibly." Annabeth interrupted. Smirking, she added, "Maybe you won't even need my lessons anymore."
Harry shook his head with the smile. "Are you that eager to get rid of me?" He asked teasingly. Internally, he was trying VERY HARD to not think about what had just occurred, and the growing tension in his body.
— — — —
Harry felt a twinge in his gut, and looked up from where he had been lounging on his bed to find Nico standing in the doorway of their cabin.
"I got permission from Chiron. We're taking a trip to the underworld." He announced, stepping into the room.
Harry sat up. "Right now?" At Nico's nod, he stood up and looked around their room. "Should I bring anything?" He asked.
"Maybe some snacks," Nico commented, "not sure how long we'll be visiting."
Nodding in acceptance, Harry grabbed his bag— a basic brown one, given to him a few days after he arrived in camp— and stuffed a water bottle and some granola bites into it. Nico, who was waiting by their cabin's door, glanced down into the cross-body he was carrying.
"What did you bring?" Harry asked curiously, walking over with his belongings.
"Ambrosia and nectar, some offerings for father, a few knives…. food for myself, of course," Nico rattled off as the two walked towards the camp border.
Harry glanced at him, eyes narrowing in confusion. "If we needed so much stuff, why am I only carrying my own snacks?"
Nico stares at him with a deadpan expression. "You still collapse every time you shadow travel with me."
"Well, in case you've forgotten, last time I landed on my feet, I just tripped over the tree roots." Harry justified, shifting his weight awkwardly.
"But you still fell?" Nico asked.
"…where are you going with this?" Harry retorted, suspicious.
"Imagine you fell. And landed on your bag." Nico said.
"Okay?"
"Now imagine if that bag had weapons in it."
"Oh."
"Yeah." Nico smirked. "One day you can carry your own stuff, but that day is not today." Walking past the pine tree that represented the camps borders, he glanced over to make sure Harry was following. "Ready?" He asked, offering an arm. Harry nodded, and once Nico was sure his friend wouldn't lose his grip and fall into the endless void of shadows, he led the way and stepped through the shade produced by the pine tree.
Emerging in a barren, rocky landscape, Nico inwardly praised himself for managing to avoid the crowds of dead souls. He could see his father's palace in the distance, and knew they weren't too far off from the Fields of Asphodel, but at least they hadn't stepped out into the Fields of Punishment. He glanced over at Harry, wondering how the god-to-be was taking in his second time in the underworld. Mildly surprising him, it seemed that Harry wasn't scared at all— in fact, he was looking around with growing excitement in his eyes. It came to Nico that his friend likely didn't have a chance to explore, the day they first met here. Curiously, he asked, "What happened when Father summoned you?"
Harry blinked, snapping his attention away from the scenery. "It was odd," He started, before tilting his head in consideration. "I don't think I was aware of anything, just completely in shock." After another brief pause while he thought back, he added finally, "I don't think I ever left the castle, actually."
Nico nodded. "Well, if you've seen the castle, you've basically seen it all," He joked.
Harry smiled, but his eyes drifted back towards the fields in the distance. "Did you really find Hazel here?" At Nico's nod, he whistled in surprise. "I think I'd just get lost, if it was me."
"That is the point," Nico reminded him, "I was just a really stubborn kid." He shrugged.
Huffing out a laugh, Harry smirked. "Wonder where I've heard that one before." The two shared a glance, reminiscing on their respective old memories. Shaking his head, Harry reminded himself of why they were here. "So. Powers?" He prodded.
Nico nodded. "Right. I imagine a lot of yours will be similar to what mine are, but Annabeth mentioned you already knew about one of the deities during her lesson— that's not something I can do, so it's likely more unique to you and your domain." He paused, as if considering his next words carefully. "You've been acting weird lately," he stated finally.
"Ouch." Harry retorted. Nico rolled his eyes in response.
"You know what I mean. We share a room, I know you're barely sleeping anymore." Nico narrowed his eyes. "And I think I know why."
Harry frowned, but prompted,"Why's that?"
"Because I get the same way," Nico replied, stepping closer. "The longer I avoid my father's domain, the more restless and unsettled I feel."
Harry's mouth opened in understanding. "Ah." He considered that information for a moment. "Is that why we're here, now?"
Nico nodded, turned, and gestured for Harry to follow him. "More for you than me though. I can get by just fine with my shadow traveling, but that'd be harder for you bec—"
"Because I can't shadow travel, yes, I'm aware." Harry interrupted as he followed behind.
Nico gave his friend a sharp side-eye, only to receive a smirk and a shrug.
"..Anyway," He recovered, stopping in front of a large cliff. "I think this is a good starting place." He took off his satchel and leaned it against the wall.
"What for, climbing?" Harry questioned, coming up beside him and placing his own bag down. "We can do that at camp, though."
"It's not about the cliff, it's what's on the other side of it," Nico chided, playing into the role of a teacher. "Can't you feel it?" He asked, tilting his head to look up at the cliff's peak.
If Harry had been younger, he might've bitten back with a retort of 'No, what in the world are you talking about?'
Instead, he thought about the question. After a few seconds, he realized he did feel something. He would've missed it if he hadn't been focusing on himself instead of the surroundings, but there was a tingling traveling through his body, almost like a warm shiver. Raising a hand to touch his chest. Harry realized that the feeling was moving in tandem with his heartbeat.
"What… is this?" He whispered, and Nico, who had been watching silently, grinned widely.
"That's death. It makes us feel alive." Sounding absolutely giddy, Nico grabbed Harry's hands, and Harry could feel it beating in him too, passing through the contact. Nico quickly schooled his face though, and pulled away with an embarrassed cough. "That's why we're here. If anything will make your powers show, it'll be this place." Nico stated, completely confident.
"Where did you learn all this?" Harry asked, wondering if there was another demi-god who trained Nico.
"A ghost taught me."
"I see." Harry blinked. "Actually, that makes a lot of sense."
"What does that mean?" Nico looked at him indignantly.
"Nothing, nothing," Harry reassured, his tone playfully fake.
With narrowed eyes, Nico stepped back. "So that's how we're doing this," He commented, stretching out his arms and popping his joints. Harry stared in confusion for a second, before realizing that Nico was preparing for a fight. He grinned, falling back into a battle stance. He was busy thinking about what spells he'd throw when Nico called out, "And no funny wizard business!"
"No- what? What am I supposed to do then?" Harry stuttered, caught off guard. Nico only shrugged, then disappeared, popping in with a swing of his fist that would have collided with Harry's face if he hadn't managed to throw himself out of the way. Spinning back around to face Nico, he gasped, "How did you do that? There's no shadows here!" Nico said nothing, only appearing behind Harry once again. This time, he expected it, and was able to block Nico's arm with his own.
Cackling, Nico explained, "It's not that there's no shadows, it's that there's shadows everywhere!" He disappeared from Harry's side, and Harry felt his muscles prepare to fling out of the way again, only this time nothing came. He looked around, confused.
"Nico?" He called, wondering if the younger man accidentally traveled farther than he meant too.
No response. Looking over at the rocky wall, Harry found that both their bags had disappeared too.
Truly puzzled now, Harry unclenched his hands, and let the tension in his body release. Doing so made him remember the feeling of… death, that was subtly coursing through his body. It was warm and cold at the same time, and Harry felt it tingle from his head to his toes. Distantly, he wondered if this was what Hades and Nico feel all the time.
Wait.
If Harry could feel the same sensation rushing through Nico when they touched, did that mean he could maybe look for the feeling, and use it to find Nico?
Feeling awkward, Harry reached into himself and took a hold of the lively death. Looking around, he didn't notice anything immediately different, but when one of his hands grazed the cliffside he was granted a sharp shock through his fingers. He jerked back— losing his mental grip in the process.
After he took a second to process, Harry repeated the motion more slowly. Reaching out to touch the stone, he felt the pulse running through his palm. It wasn't quite as sharp when he was expecting it, and he realized it was a different sensation than what ran through himself. Fascinated, he walked down the side of the cliff, hand running along the wall. The feeling remained consistent until he reached the area where the cliff fell away, and the ground sloped down into a valley. When that happened, another sensation came into the mix, being more of a traditional chill.
As he was walking, Harry grew more and more confident in the new power, and when he sensed the new type entering the mix he immediately locked onto it. Once he was sure he could hold onto it himself, he stepped away from the cliff, and was mildly surprised to find that he still could still sense the variations of death just as strongly. He 'looked' at the chill, and found it was a trail, leading him to someplace. He followed it, trusting in his honed battle instincts to keep him safe if he were to get jumped by any underworld creatures. After a couple of minutes, he came across Nico, who was leaning up against a jagged stone with his eyes closed, sitting next to two bags.
"You found me," He said, voice lifting in in surprise. He sat up when Harry walked closer. "I honestly wasn't sure if you could."
Harry huffed. "What would you have done if I couldn't have found you?" He demanded, slightly upset that Nico had abandoned him.
"I'd come back, obviously." Nico reached into one of the bags and grabbed a granola bar from it. "So? How'd you do it?" He asked, standing, and offered the bar to his friend.
"What, you don't know?" Harry muttered, not accepting the snack, still put out and reluctant to share his experience.
Nico shook his head. "Nope. I learned to track things down too, but it's totally possible we go about it in completely different ways. So?" He prodded again, more insistent.
Sighing, Harry reached out and took the bar, unwrapping and taking a bite out of it before speaking. While he explained how he found Nico, the shorter boy in question listened in a surprisingly focused manner. When he finished, Nico stared at him in silence, eyebrows furrowed with a complicated expression on his face. "Nico?" Harry questioned, and in response his friend blinked rapidly, coming back from his thoughts.
"Sorry," He mumbled, "It's just weird to think about."
"What is?" Harry asked, confused.
"You," Nico hesitated, trying to find a way to voice his thoughts. To give himself more time to shape his words, Nico crouched down and picked up the two bags, grabbed a water bottle from one, and passed the other to the older teen. He chugged the bottle, threw the empty plastic back into his bag, and continued speaking. "You picked this up a lot quicker than I did," He admitted, "I don't— I'm not jealous, it makes sense." He rushed to explain. "You're older than I was, and you've already had years of experience with similar concepts. But, I don't know, I guess part of me is realizing that I really was a kid back then." He frowned, and Harry understood the look in his eyes intimately well.
"I get that. Feeling like you missed out on having a normal childhood, that you should've done something different, even though the situation was entirely out of your control?" Harry sighed, shifted his bag to his other shoulder and looked out over the bleak horizon. "It's difficult to comes to terms with."
"Especially when the world keeps putting more pressure on you." Nico muttered, kicking a pebble.
"Where have I heard that one before?" Harry asked sarcastically.
"I wonder." Nico replied with a smirk. The two share a chuckle, raising the mood. "We should head back now," He mentioned, "Chiron will get worried if we're gone for too long."
"Already? I barely did anything though." Harry blinked in surprise.
"Sure, but would you rather take things slow or rush through it and pass out? That'd be pretty bad, especially considering where we are right now." He waved his hand around their surroundings.
Harry nodded in reluctant agreement. "It's not even that bad here though," He protested halfheartedly. "I figured there would have been more monsters, but I haven't seen a thing."
"That is weird," Nico realized. "Although there's nothing we could do about it now." He offered his arm, waited until Harry held onto it, and the two took a step forward and disappeared as if they had never been there in the first place.
Emerging on the camp border, Nico held onto Harry as he stumbled. "Woah," He gasped, finding his balance. "I know you said that there were shadows everywhere, but that still took me off guard." He blinked rapidly, eyes adjusting to the afternoon sun.
Nico laughed. "One day you'll be able to go through them without tripping, I promise." He reassured. "But let's focus on one thing at a time. Can you still feel it?"
Harry opened his mouth briefly to ask what Nico meant by 'it' before remembering. With a hum, he searched inside himself, finding it much more difficult than it had been in the underworld. "It's there," He said eventually. On a whim, he reached out and grabbed Nico's shoulder, startling the shorter teen. "And you're there too." He mentioned, pleased that he could still tell the difference.
"Great," Nico started, quickly brushing Harry's hand off. He started down the hill, not waiting to see if Harry was following. "How about you try and track down some other poor soul?" He suggested. Harry stopped, and Nico turned around in confusion.
"Merlin, they are souls!" He gaped. Nico paused before he burst out laughing.
"Did you— seriously— not make that connection?" He gasped, his hand coming up to clutch his chest.
"I— You said—" Harry stuttered.
"I was being dramatic!" Nico managed to push out.
Harry stood in embarrassment for what felt like hours before Nico pulled himself together.
"Man, I needed that." He exhaled heavily, finally able to breathe normally again.
Harry rolled his eyes, although his embarrassment was mixed with amusement. "Come on now," he called, speed walking past. "Didn't you say Chiron would be missing us?" Nico ran to catch up, and the two chatted lightheartedly as they made their way down to the Big House.
Later that evening, when the sun had disappeared fall beneath the horizon, Harry realized that he felt better than he had in weeks. And when he laid down in bed for the night, he had a peaceful, uninterrupted sleep.