Page 45 of The Court of the Dead
“Orcus,” Nico said, “how you feeling, buddy? You want to come with us?”
“He can stay here, if he likes,” Yazan offered.
“Yeah,” Deion agreed. “We can explain about highways and stuff. Give him some safety tips.”
“I would like that!” Orcus fluttered out of Nico’s arms and landed next to the two sentries.
Hazel and Nico left them chatting amiably about the nature of automobiles, and then headed through the metal doors and back down the tunnel toward camp. Neither sibling was in any shape to try more shadow-travel.
“Sometime,” Nico said, “you need to explain why you guys have better Iris-messages.”
Hazel laughed. “You mean thetesserae?”
“Thewhat?”
She smirked. “You Greeks, always playing catch-up. Be easier to show you later. I’m more interested in what we saw back there.” She pointed over her shoulder. “What just happened with Yazan and Deion and Orcus?”
A warm feeling spread through Nico’s chest. “I think,” he said, “that was the beginning of Romans getting along with mythics. Maybe this isn’t going to be impossible after all.”
Nico’s optimism lasted approximately twelve minutes.
By then, he was in the principia with Will and Johan, after Will had frantically explained to Hazel why she couldn’t come into her own headquarters because Johan was inside, freaking out. The blemmyae had wanted only Nico’s help. Hazel had reluctantly agreed on the condition that if Nico, Will, or Johan wrecked her desk or burned down the building, she would string them up by their ankles.
Now Nico stood in the office between Will and Johan, frowning at the latest installment ofNico di Angelo: Disaster Detective.
“Please tell me what I’m looking at,” he said.
The blemmyae wrung his hands. “I didn’t know what to do! I didn’t know!”
In front of them, a demigod was frozen mid-step, as if he’d been petrified while running toward the door. Nico couldn’t be sure, but he thought it was the same kid who’d thrown the apple at Johan the previous night. Either that, or it was the creepiest, most realistic statue ever made. The kid’s eyes were wide open, his expression stuck somewhere between surprise and terror. Balanced between the fingers of his outstretched hands was a multisided metal object about the size of a baseball.
“How did he end up like this?” Nico asked.
Johan paced nervously, pulling at the hair on his shoulders. “He— I was organizing the principia’s archives, cataloging artifacts like we talked about….”
He pointed at the metal security door that, Nico knew, led downstairs to the legion’s treasure vaults. “Frank gave me permission! And then this young man”—he gestured at the demigod statue—“came in and said he needed to borrow a magical item.”
Nico studied the frozen kid. “The thing he’s holding?”
Johan couldn’t nod, not having a head, but he did bow several times, reminding Nico of one of those dippy bird toys that can drink from a glass of water.
“It’s a dodecahedron,” Johan explained.
“That…is a word,” said Will. “I don’t know what it means.”
“It’s a shape!” Johan said. “With twelve equal sides!”
“Wait, is it part of a game?” said Nico, who imagined one of the dice from a Mythomagic set, only blown up to much larger proportions. “Are we supposed to roll it?”
“That is not how its magic works,” said Johan.
“Wait,” said Will. “It’s magic, and you justgaveit to him?”
“No! Well, yes!” Johan wailed. “He said he had permission. He told me he was studying the god Vulcan’s greatest inventions. He said that if Ididn’thand it over, we would both get in trouble, and Idefinitelydid not want to get in trouble!”
Will raised a hand. “So he manipulated you. He knew that blemmyae are exceptionally polite, and he took advantage.”
Johan straightened his shoulders. “Iamvery polite.”
