The Ambassador of Athena

I expected it to be really nasty from that on, but the ancient law was more powerful than I thought.
Hades screamed in pain, the arrow sticking in his shoulder. Persephone looked petrified and stared at me full of hate. Hades waved with his not injured arm and skeletons rose around me, pointing primeval clubs, spears, arrows, muskets and assault rifles at me.
“Kill this foolish mortal.” Hades screamed in pain.

Not for the first time in that week I thought I would go to hell, or this time stay there. But the skeletons just stood there and lowered their weapons.
Hades looked even angrier.
“I have to do everything myself.” He yelled and threw his spear at me.
And again, everything’s over now. But the spear stopped a millimetre from my face and fell to the ground.
“Oh, by Tartarus, be gone, get your soul.” The god whispered his face even paler than usually. “You are as clever as Herakles using the Hydras’ poison to defeat me.”
Then he started to grin like a demon.
“But you are not as strong as him, so have fun with my cattle. And when we ever meet again, better watch your back.”
And with that he and Persephone disappeared. From the place where they stood white vapour rose and formed a figure, but I remembered the story of Orpheus, so I quickly turned around.
“Impressive. You are only the second one to choose the path of Herakles, or at least the second one to be able to tell about it.”
The voice came from a person that stood in the shadow of the train station. When he stepped into the light of the fire I could see it was a tall guy, probably in his early twenties, wearing a bomber jacket and black jeans. Strangely I wondered where my own bomber jacket was, probably still in the Camaro at Mount Rushmore.
I looked more closely at the guy: Black Hair, dark eyes, goatee, and an amused smile on his face. By his side a black sword hung without a sheath.
“You are Nico di Angelo, aren’t you?” I said and finally deactivated my bow.
The boy bowed slightly and said: “I am. But who are you? I’ve never seen you at camp.”
I smiled. “I am Florian, piacere di conoscerti.”
Nico raised an eyebrow, obviously surprised.
“Parle Italiano?”
Now I laughed.
“Un poco, but my English is way better, or at least I hope so.”
The boy laughed too and scratched his goatee.
“It is pretty good. You must be the guy from Europe the others were talking about when I visited two days ago.”
I nodded.
“You are here because of Athena, aren’t you?”
“I am. She told me I would see a scene I would not want to miss if I come here. And I got to see how my dad got beaten up by a lousy mortal – no offense.”
I laughed. “Non taken. But now that you are here, would you mind helping me a bit. It’s my first time here, obviously. I need to find the cattle of your father.”
Nico looked at me for a second, then he bowed theatrically and said:
“You found yourself your personal Underworld Guide. If you would follow me?”

Notes

A short one, but for all the fangirls: Nico's back.