CHAPTER SUMMARY

Myrtle recovers the final Artifacts of Thanatos with an unlikely source of help.

Chapter Rating: Teen and Up

Content Warning: Cursing, Torture (mentioned only), Self-Harm (mentioned only)

Word Count: 2165

And all the characters are owned by JK Rowling, or Rick Riordan.

Credits at the end.

____________________NICO____________________

Nico woke in a cold sweat. Per usual with such traumatic nightmares, he woke up with the stupidest, most irrelevant thought in his head:

Huh. So that's what Death Eaters are.

"Nico?" Alabaster asked, walking towards him. "Everything all right? Myrtle's not back yet--it's only been, like, a half-hour."

Nico wanted to speak, but he was afraid of what would come out if he opened his mouth. His entire world was collapsing. Everything, everything he'd tried to prevent by breaking up with Will had come to pass in that nightmare. This time worse. Everything he'd ever thought might happen did happen, but, in the real world, they all came with disastrous conditions.

Not only was Will in danger, but he was being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange.Not only was he being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange, but she threatened to turn him insane.Not only did she threaten to turn him insane, but without the release of death.Not only did she plan to keep him on the brink of life, but she planned to use Nico himself as the bait--the thing Will would come to hate and associate with his torment.Not only did she plan to forge that association, but she'd kill him the moment Nico tried to do anything.Not only would she kill Will before he could get to him, but Tom Riddle informed him that Will would be spared if he became a Death Eater.Not only had Tom Riddle given Nico hope, but he would betray him the second he did what Riddle wanted.Even knowing all that, Nico loved Will too damn much to not fall into the trap and agree anyway.

"Dayenu," Nico whispered through gritted teeth.

"What?" Alabaster asked.

Nico turned. He hadn't realized he'd said anything out loud. "Dayenu--it's a Jewish thing. Will's mom is Jewish... he took me to his house this past spring to show me 'the other side of his culture' or whatever. It's this thing they said when they ate--it was this fancy dinner thing with rules and shit--and they kept saying stuff that 'would've been enough' and then 'dayenu' which I think is Hebrew for 'it would've been enough' or something... I don't know..."

He knew he was rambling, but his mind was still running on a hamster wheel. With the images of his dream circling in his mind over and over, it was a miracle he hadn't broken down yet.

"Just ran over my options in my head," he continued to Alabaster's graven face, "Feels like some fucked-up game of dayenu. Not only this but also this. Would've been enough."

"Nico..." Alabaster walked towards him, sat down on the Basilisk rib, and put a soft hand on his knee. "What's up?"

Nico took a deep breath.

Exhaled.

Another deep breath.

Exhaled.

Deep breath.

Exhaled.

Deep breath.

Collapsed into hysterical tears.

____________________HARRY____________________

Two days left.

When Harry woke on the twenty-ninth, that was all he could think about. Two days until Hades would attack and Hecate would counter. Two days until Lord Voldemort--Tom Riddle--would confront them. Two days left to live, in all likelihood.

How was it that ten days ago, Cho Chang had kissed him in the Room of Requirement? That he thought blackmailing Nico was the best way to 'unmask' him as the son of a Death Eater? The son of Voldemort? That he thought the world of the Greek Gods were some story taught to him before he came to Hogwarts? That Percy Jackson was manipulating Fred and George into being his friends? That Dumbledore was, somehow, mistaken about letting the Americans into the school? It all seemed so silly to him now. It all seemed to childish.

And it all seemed so wonderful.

The simplicity of it. His fate was in his hands; he was the one with open eyes and the rest were deluded. He, and only he, could enlighten the Wizarding World. He and his friends and the Order of the Phoenix were the protagonists in a simple story of good vs. evil, and there was no way they'd lose because good always wins. Always.

Clusterfuck wasn't a good enough word for the situation Harry now found himself in. Those ancient stories of vengeful gods and misunderstandings leading to woe were now all too real. There weren't even any one-hundred-percent bad guys here! Not anymore.

Hades was planning to slaughter millions of innocents, yes, but in a fight he saw as both just and righteous. Hecate might've caused this, yes, but, to hear that her children had been suffering for millennia over a curse sent by an ungrateful goddess over an innocent mistake? Now, her people were going to become the next target of genocide by a vengeful god? Who already showed he could not and would not listen to reason! Of course she'd fight back! Even Voldemort had a justifiable, albeit weak, reason--Hecate had revealed herself to him as his great-times-a-million grandmother and offered him complete control of the Wizarding World, then 'betrayed him.' He needed Nico to ensure what he'd always wanted.

It was so much more complicated now than it ever had been before, and Harry didn't know how to proceed. He'd yielded his assumed power to Ron, who'd filled the role of leader better than Harry ever could, and helped the demigods any other way he could. Percy knew what he'd done but let him stay and help, which was a relief... at least, relief connected to a double-edged sword.

Percy was always on his back, making him feel like absolute shit. Whenever he was in the Room of Requirement headquarters, he felt that murderous glare send chills up his spine. He knew Percy wouldn't do anything as long as Harry kept his head down and eyes on his work, but it was still unsettling.

Now you know how Nico felt during his entire stay at Hogwarts.

But, his talk with Sirius kept him from retreating into the shadows of number twelve Grimmauld Place. With Umbridge somehow still not knowing they were back in school (likely due to Dumbledore's protection) Harry was having fun (of a sort) again since the end of the previous year. He could practice magic without consequence; he could speak the truth without whispers and threats of detention. And he had a purpose again, a goal smaller than "defeat Voldemort" and less impossible than "convince the world he's back." Find and destroy the last horcrux. That was easy. That was doable.

And, he had a prize waiting for him if he did things right. Sirius's adoption.

Just as he climbed out of bed in the empty dorm, the ghost of Moaning Myrtle floated through his wall and stared right at him. Embarrassed that an essential stranger and girl caught him in his pajamas, he scrambled back under his covers with the lightning reflexes of a Quidditch player.

"Myrtle! What are you doing here?!" Harry cried in a loud whisper. "Get out!"

"Well, that's not very nice," Myrtle chided in that whiny and distance voice of hers. "I saw you in the bath--at least you're wearing clothes this time."

"Myrtle!" Harry cried again, blush seeping up his cheeks. "What do you want?!"

"Nico di Angelo's at Hogwarts, but I won't tell you where."

"What?" Harry asked, astounded. "Why not?"

"Because he told me not to--and he respects me. Never called me 'Moaning Myrtle,' not once."

"Because he doesn't know that nickname," Harry muttered under his breath.

"Or because he's nicer than you and those friends of yours! He sent me to get some things--I don't want to bring him the wrong items, so I thought you would help me out. But, if you're too busy sleeping..."

She started to retreat as her voice trailed off.

"No! No!" Harry jumped up and held out a hand to stop her. "Let me help! Just-- just don't tell him I helped you, all right? I don't think he'd trust me... he doesn't know, um, how I've been... helping... him..."

Even with the overwhelming guilt in his tone, Myrtle turned back and smiled. She reached into a pocket in her ghostly Hogwarts uniform and produced the chipped stone that had once been fastened to Marvolo's ring. Somehow, the pocket had hidden the opaque stone.

"Is this the stone on Marvolo's ring?"

"Yes--why does he need it?"

"Don't ask me; I'm just the messenger..."

"Fine, all right? Myrtle, you said items, so, what else?"

"A powerful cloak. I thought of yours--after all, most cloaks wear off after a few years, but I remember your father using yours just fine, and his before that. Powerful enough to me..."

Under normal circumstances, Harry would never part with is Invisibility Cloak. It was, along with Marauder's Map, the last thing of his father's--beyond his looks--that he could remember him by. But the end of the world was coming. If Nico was the only one who could stop it...

"Why does he need it?" Harry asked. Even with the stakes, he wasn't too willing to give away his father's final gift.

"I don't know--I didn't ask."

"But... but, did he say--"

"He seemed quite set on finding it--would've choked me to death if I hadn't agreed to help."

"But... you're already dead..."

An indignant noise came from Myrtle's throat--she was near crying now. "Thank you for the reminder!"

"Sorry!" Harry cried immediately--the last thing he wanted was Myrtle to start moaning and crying loud enough for anyone else to hear. "Nico was really angry when you didn't want to fetch this for him?"

"Oh, he was furious, but not angry... mad with worry, I would say..."

So it for Olympus... I'm sorry, Dad.

"Here," Harry said, standing from his bed. He jogged to his trunk, the pitter-patter of his bare feet filling the room. Under a thin layer of clothes sat the cloak in all its glory. He picked it up and held it out to Myrtle like he was presenting Excalibur.

"Promise you won't tell di Angelo I had this?"

"Promise."

____________________NICO____________________

It was an hour before Nico finally stopped crying. He hadn't said a word to Alabaster. Only sat there, drawing on his arm, pressing the marker so hard that it bruised his wrist. He wanted to cut too much--would've if Alabaster hadn't immediately apparated his sword and all other sharp objects to the land of I'll-bring-them-back-when-you're-calm.

Aka, a dimension only Hecate and her children could access.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alabaster asked when Nico was finally calm enough to listen.

"I can't," Nico sobbed. "I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't..."

"Okay, Nico. You don't have to tell me--so long as it doesn't affect the mission."

Nico hiccupped. "Not a bit," he lied.

Did Alabaster believe him? No way. Did he pretend he did to spare Nico any more unneeded grief? Of course.

The two boys just sat there, Nico replaying Will's capture in his mind. Will was strong enough to resist for two days, right? Of course, Nico had never felt crucio before, so he didn't know to what extent the spell sapped the stamina of willpower.

Please, please, any god on Olympus or otherwise... let Will survive this sane. Please... Apollo, this is your son! Let him survive this... take my mind instead... I'm begging you...

That was when Myrtle strolled through the wall and into the cavern.

"I got something for you," she announced. "Well, two somethings. Told me not to tell you, but Harry verified them for me. Seemed guilty, but eager. Thought I should say something in case he's tricking you..."

She held out the cracked Orb, and a cloak Nico knew at once were the Robes.

"He told you these were the items?" Alabaster asked, suspicious.

"The stone, yes, but I knew his Invisibility Cloak was the most powerful I've seen."

"He's got to be playing us," Alabaster decided. "There's no way in Tartarus--"

"They're real," Nico interrupted. "I'm a child of the Underworld; I can feel it. They're both real. We have all three Artifacts." Nico wiped the tears from his cheeks, cleared his throat, and stood. "Thank you, Myrtle. Hecate will know of your help. She will be pleased."

Myrtle gave a pleased "hmmph!" and dropped the items into Nico's waiting arms. She shot Alabaster an arrogant, saucy look of validation, then passed through the wall on the way back to her bathroom.

"What now?" Alabaster asked.

"You train me, like in the dreams. Send a message to Hecate that we've got the Artifacts. Have her tell Lou Ellen to destroy the last horcrux--I know there's only one left, and Percy knows where it is and what to do. Make sure Riddle or one of his Death Eaters intercepts the message--I want Riddle on our doorstep by tomorrow night. Let's get rid of the secondary villain now, and focus on the bad boys on the day that matters."

Alabaster nodded. "Suit up. I'll make sure everything's ready for tomorrow."

This week's beta commentary:

STORY: Collapsed into hysterical tears.

SARA: me

LISSY: ^^^

GIULIA: me on a daily basis tbh

STORY: Told me not to tell you, but Harry verified them for me.

GIULIA: moaning myrtle u lil snitch

LISSY: belongs on the Quidditch pitch

LISSY: I'm sorry--couldn't resist. I feel like elementary school wizards chant that, tho.

GIULA: LMAOOOOOO I BET THEY DID

Credits:

Melody Rose - Author ()

Sara - Beta Reader (http://icomparemyselftoyou.tumblr.com)

Giulia - Beta Reader (https://www.fanfiction.net/u/6748882/)

Please comment so I know what you think! See you next time!