WARNING: Unedited

Word Count: 1516

Recap: "I don't know what you were dreaming about, but you both had twin idiotic grins." Magnus told them, once they could register the thing happening around them. "Well anyway, hope you slept well. Now, go get changed so we can find an animal to sacrifice."

     Nico groaned and got out of bed. After asking Adri to summon her shadow bag, he got his clothes out and lumbered into the bathroom. "Well, if you both get out, I'll dress up." Adri said, a blanket covering her head-to-toe.

     She heard footsteps that grew fainter and the door opening and closing. Sighing, she pushed herself out of bed and picked out her outfit. She chose a black tee and some olive green baggy cargo pants. She put a baldric through the pant's belt loops and attached a sheathed onyx dagger.

     She proceeded to untangle her hair and put it in a ponytail. She was slipping her shoes on when she heard the hair dryer in the bathroom turn on. In a few minutes, Nico came out, his hair sticking to the sides of his face.

     "Your hair's still wet." "I can see and feel that just fine." "Okay, also, were you boiling yourself in there??" Adri asked, taking in Nico's lean figure, silvery vapour curling from his skin.

     "Touché, but no. I wasn't boiling myself." Nico grumbled, using a towel to dry his hair. "Need a hair tie??" Adri offered, looking at Nico's hair, flopping around his face with every moment.

     Nico thought about and shrugged. Adri handed him one of her black ties. "I dunno how to do it without looking like a bald egg." Adrienne snorted at that and plucked the tie out of his hands. "I'll do it." Catching his expression, she added, "I'll be gentle."

     So Nico sat cross-legged at the edge of his bed, his face turned away from the rest of the room. Adri stood at the bedside and gently combed his hair, untangled it and put it in a small ponytail. Nico experimentally turned his head from side-to-side and felt his hair.

*Imagine this*

     "Thanks. It doesn't fall in my eyes anymore." "You don't look like a kidnapper either!!" Adri stated brightly and collected her things and walked out. As he locked the door behind him, he heard Alex. "Nice hair. It doesn't look like plucked raven feathers anymore." Alex complimented.

     "Why does everyone say one thing or another about my hair??" Nico asked Magnus. "Get used to it. It could be worse. My hair was just as long as yours. That was until Alex decided to chop it off everytime it grew longer. With her garrote." Adri winced and Alex grinned.

     "So what?? You don't look like Kurt Cobain anymore." Magnus wanted to say something, but Adri intervened before he could. "Let's eat, since it's only 10:30 and then we'll go find an animal."

     "Midgard buildings are so boring after you get used to random projectiles killing people in hallways." Alex randomly stated as they were in the elevator. Adri looked horrified. "I'm sorry, but, I could've died that day at Valhalla??!!" "Yep. And then your body would've been dragged away by wolves. If you aren't an einheri, you'll just die." Adri gave an involuntary shudder as the doors opened.

     "What're you guys having??" Alex asked. "Pancakes." "Waffles." "Toast and scrambled eggs." "Sure. Uno panqueques y gofres. Dos huevos y tostadas. (One pancakes and waffles. Two eggs and toast)"

     "Gracias." They all dug into their food and completed within half an hour. 

      "Let us now go and find an animal." They walked for two hours, unsuccessful in finding an animal. "Well, can we buy a small animal?? A fish, maybe??" Alex suggested. "Let's search for pet shops then."

       One more hour and they now walked back to the hotel with two goldfish. "I feel so bad." Adri said, taking a bite out of her burrito. "Lovely fish." Nico agreed, munching on his garlic bread. "It's for the greater good." Alex pointed out. "Well, it will be, if we succeed. Or else.." Magnus trailed off, looking into the distance. After Magnus said that, an air of impending doom rose and settled in the air.

*03:00 pm. After lunch*

     "When does sunset happen, again??" Nico asked, looking at the time, after they came back to their room. "About 6 o'clock." Magnus replied. "Well, it is just 3 o'clock. Is there any  place to sharpen your swords around here??" Adri inquired. "Not that I know of, no." Alex said, joining Magnus on one of the couches in Nico and Adri's balcony.

     Adri nodded and shrugged. "Well, I feel bad for whoever I'm gonna be killing today." she simply said in a tone of 'Well, I tried '. She examined her obsidian dagger's slightly blunt blade in the noon sunlight.

     She caught Nico staring at her. "What??" "Nothing. Just wondering how someone can look so innocent but can also have such morbid personalities." It could be taken offensively, but Nico said it with something akin to awe. "I'm special that way." she said with a smile, remembering the dream she, or rather, Nico and her had together last night.

     "Talking about being special, what were you both dreaming about?? You were smiling like dorks!!" Alex asked, leaning forward. "Talking about that, how did you enter our room??" Adri asked, also leaning forward. 

     "Magnus picked the lock." Alex told, in a tone of He did it! Nico raised eyebrows at Magnus. "Lock picking. How do you do it??" he asked, casually leaning back, his hand on the backrest. "Well, you find something thin but firm enough to go into the keyhole and turn it lock's mechanism with." "Nice. Teach me sometime."

     "What is wrong with you??" Adri imitated Nico. "Noth- Percy, hey!!" Nico said as an IM popped up in front of him. "Hey! Mrs. O'Leary got really worried and I thought seeing you might calm her down." Percy moved to the side and a huge hellhound came into view. She gave a mighty bark and Adri saw her humongous tail wag from side-to-side.

     "She's majestic!!" Adri whispered as she scooted closer to Nico to fit in the frame. "Hey, girl!! How are you??" Three more barks filled the air as Nico laughed. It was melodic and chirpy, according to Adri, but she'd never admit it.

     "Brava ragazza!! Sedersi!! (Good girl!! Sit!!)" Adri, too, joined in this time. "You taught her commands in Italian??" Nico nodded, still laughing. They four spent another hour, talking with Percy and looking at the puppies.

     By now, the time was almost 4 o'clock. Percy finally ended the IM, informing them that it was their nap time. They all bid the puppies, Mrs. O'Leary and Percy goodbye. "They're really cute, can't believe they're gonna be yours." Alex said. 

     "I know. I need to come up with, what, six names??" Nico said, giving a small breathy chuckle while shaking his head. "Can I adopt one?? It gets lonely in the Underworld." Adri questioned, casting a faraway glance at the horizon.

     "Sure, why not??" "I'd love to take one with me to Valhalla, but I doubt they'd survive for long with the flying projectiles and all." Magnus said. Adri, in spite of herself, winced again. "Sorry, I still can't get over the fact that you have random flying projectiles."

     By the time it was nearing 4:15, they decided to get back in the tavern so they an properly study the instructions.

     "The Chamber of Secrets." Adri whispered under her breath as they entered the gloomy cavern once more. Alex snickered when she heard it. Soon, Alex and Magnus started translating and deciphering the runes while Adri wrote them down in a book. 

     "That's all?? The last step feels incomplete." Nico, who was listening to the Vikings, said. "Yeah, that's pretty much it. Unless there's a step that isn't mentioned." Going through the instructions again, Adri suggested asking Jack.

     Magnus wanted to disagree, but since he was probably the only one who knew something, he relented.

     "Hola, senor." "Hi Jack. See these runes at the bottom, is that how it's supposed to end??" "Well, I can't see, since I don't have eyes, but, yes. That's how it's supposed to end." "Jack, but it says, 'And wait for one hour.' That can't be it, can it??" Nico told the sword. 

     "Sure it can," clarified Jack. "When we're using the ritual to summon beacons. You wait for an hour and if you survive, then you'll get the garnet, in this case." "Thanks Jack." Magnus said, before turning Jack back to rune form.

     "I don't like how Jack said, survive. Survive what?? I don't like uncertainty." Adri expressed what the others were thinking. "Well, it's all we can do. So let's hope for the best." Alex sat cross-legged on the ground and stared into space.

     "We've got roughly one hour before the sun completely sets." Magnus notified the others as he also sat down. "What time is it exactly??" Our impatient Adri asked. "5:30. Let's all read the instruction again." And they huddled in the cleanest corner and read and reread the instructions.

AN: Guys, please, for the love of gods, tell me how the story is going. I'm kinda getting confused. Is it being consistent?? Is it confusing?? What about the character dynamics?? I promise you, you aren't going to be rude. All of this is just constructive criticism. Please help me out!!

Love,

Helene 🐺