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It took forever but here's antoher chapter!

MOTHER NATURE

"What do you want?" Nico asked bluntly at the goddess standing in front of him, in the middle of the woods of Camp Half-Blood

He had intended to take a morning walk through the woods, but not even half an hour passed when a dark haired woman, with brown eyes and dressed in green robes appeared before Nico, interrupting his walk. Nico knew the face of that woman so well that he immediately recognize her as the Goddess of the Harvest, Demeter.

The son of Hades was usually respectful with the gods, but there were about three of them with whom he could take some liberties; Demeter was one of them.

"My! What a rude little young man", the goddess grumbled, straightening her robes.

"In my experience, you most definitely didn't show up here just to greet me", Nico replied. "So, what do you want?"

Demeter was forthright in her answer. "My golden sword has been stolen and I need a hero's help to recover it."

A sense of dread crept inside Nico. He suspected where this was going and he didn't like it. He swallowed hard. "You don't know where your sword is?"

"Oh, I know where it is. But I cannot retrieve it myself."

"Why not?"

"Hera has it".

Nico waited for more explanations. "…Okay?"

"The Queen of the gods and I had an argument about whom among us, Greek goddesses, could be considered Mother Nature. You know that Gaea held the title in ancient times, but since she's evil, we thought it appropriate to give that epithet to an Olympic goddess. I, of course, said that I should be called Mother Nature, because I am the goddess of the harvest after all; however, Queen Hera argued that she should named Mother Nature, since she is the patron goddess of mothers. After a long discussion, we submitted the issue to Athena, who rightfully decided that it was only fair to name me the new Mother Nature. Hera became angry and, in retaliation, made one of her servants took my golden sword."

"What does Hera have to do with nature?" Nico asked.

"Precisely"

"Actually, I think a better question is: what does any of that have to do with me?"

"Is it not obvious?" said the goddess. "I want you to retrieve my sword"

Nico sighed loudly. "Why me? You have plenty of children to do your bidding."

"Well, I can't endanger my offspring by sending them to face Hera, can I? She is most vicious."

Nico bit his lips to suppress his need to yell at the crazy goddess. "How could I even get close to Hera? She'll incinerate me on sight. She hates me!"

"Don't be silly, boy. She doesn't hate you. She just hates all demigods."

"That's not reassuring!" Nico protested. "Also, if you can't take back your weapon, what makes you think I can?"

"We cannot enter another god's palace without invitation. I mean, literally. There is a force barrier that prevents us to do so", Demeter explained. "You shouldn't have the same problem."

The son of Hades thought about that for a moment. He still wasn't convinced. "What if I refuse?"

"You must have misunderstood me, child. It is not a request; it is a, how do you mortals call it, yes, an order."

Nico scoffed. "You can't give me orders. You're not my father."

"I am a goddess. I can give orders to anyone" Demeter replied. "Besides, I am the mother of Persephone, who is your stepmother, which, technically, makes me your grandmother."

"And Kronos is my grandfather", Nico added. "Doesn't mean I'm gonna follow orders from him."

Demeter seemed more amused than upset. "Oh child, as the son a god as obstinate as Hades, you ought to know that our will is always done".

The goddess raised her hands and shot lianas from her fingers, strapping Nico with them until he passed out.

Nico woke up in a huge bed that smell intensely of cereal and fresh bread. There were columns around him, with white marble statues decorating the room. He looked up and saw no roof; only stars shinning above him. Strange, Nico thought. The place looked and felt very familiar to him. He wasn't in Camp Half-blood, he was certain of it; he wasn't in the Underworld either, since there was too much light. So, where…Wait I minute! I'm in…Nico sat up in a quick movement and found Demeter staring down at him.

"Finally", said the goddess of the Harvest

"Am I on Olympus?" Nico asked her, alarmed.

"Of course. I personally brought here to make your quest easier."

Nico gazed at the goddess, trying to make sense of those words. "You kidnapped me?"

"Don't look at it that way. Think of this as an opportunity to help your poor little grandmother."

"You're not my…! Never mind" Nico said, rubbing his forehead. "And to think I was going to go to a concert with Will tonight."

"Tonight? Child, you were unconscious for three weeks."

"Three weeks?!" he shouted, looking disbelievingly at Demeter. Then, he thought about the consequences that his disappearance could have caused. Everybody would be worried about him. Surprisingly, one person, who wasn't Will Solace, came first to his mind.

"My father won't allow this", Nico warned her. "You will suffer his anger if you don't let me go."

Demeter laughed lightly. "I am not afraid of your father, boy. I can very well hold my own against him", she assured him.

Watching Demeter's stern expression, Nico remembered that this was the same goddess who caused a worldwide famine because her daughter was abducted by his, um, father. Despite her appearance as an innocuous and benevolent woman, she was a dangerous supernatural being. It would best for everyone if he just accepted her demands.

"Fine. I'll help you" said the son of Hades. "How can I take your sword back?"

"You must figure that out for yourself. I can only help by telling you that the Palace of Hera is…"

Suddenly, a voice boomed over the building. DEMETER! COME HERE IMMEDIATELY. AND BRING THE BOY WITH YOU!

Before Nico could understand what was happening, everything around him disappeared and, in a matter of seconds, he found himself at the Throne Room of Olympus. A buff, tall man, with electric blue eyes and black hair was sitting on the main throne; it was Zeus. Nico instinctively shuffled closer to Demeter.

"Care to explain", Zeus started, staring at Demeter, "why did you bring this demigod to Olympus?"

Zeus's presence was imposing. He radiated power from every pore of his skin and Nico could swear he was hearing the crackling sound of electricity. The King of the gods didn't seem especially angry, as his expression was somewhat neutral; however, Nico deemed that even more threatening than Hades's glare.

"My lord, this hero was given a quest by me. I can bring anyone to my palace if I please", Demeter replied

"Not without my consent!"

"But Hera took my golden sword and I need someone's help to…"

Zeus raised a hand to quiet the goddess. "I do not want to hear it. You need to send the boy back. Hades has threatened to release his Furies to wreak havoc in the upper world unless his son is returned at once."

Demeter rolled her eyes. "He has threatened to do that so many times before. He never does it."

"It is irrelevant. I will not risk the chance. Release the boy!" Zeus told the goddess in an imperative tone.

"You mean, it is alright for him to abduct my daughter, but if I …"

"Now" Zeus insisted.

"Demeter pursed her lips. "I will release him if you command Hera to return my sword."

"For Olympus sake, Demeter! I am tired of you and all your petty squabbles. You are a grown up goddess! You should be able to resolve your problems in a civilized manner. If you so desperately want a sword, Hephaestus can forge you one."

Zeus' rant seemed hypocritical to Nico, given that, according to Percy, the Lord of the sky had been ready to start a war with Poseidon and Hades over his stolen master bolt. Just on cue, Zeus fixed him with a glare, as if he could hear his thoughts. Nico hid behind Demeter's dress

"Let the boy go", Zeus repeated.

Demeter sighed in defeat. "You heard Lord Zeus" she told Nico grudgingly. "You are free to go."

Nico ran towards the first shadow he found and got out of there as fast as he could.

Several days after the "kidnapping by a goddess" incident, Nico was sitting at his table in the Dinning Pavilion of Camp Half-Blood, eating popcorn, and he was reminded again of his ordeal with Demeter. The way Zeus treated the goddess left a big impression on him. Sure, Demeter had tried to impose a most likely suicidal quest upon him, and he didn't feel sorry for her, but sill, the King of the gods was also the god of law and order, yet, he refused to hear Demeter's valid complaints and left her without her weapon, which was a big humiliation for the gods. He supposed he could cut Demeter some slack. That was why he stood up, walked to the central fire of the pavilion and poured some popcorn into the flames, muttering 'thanks for the corn' to the goddess of the harvest.

That night, when he was sleeping, he dreamed he was alone in a corn field. The smell of the crops was sweet and intense; it was intoxicating, but in a good way. He turned around and saw Demeter standing in her chariot, dressed in bright honey-colored robes, adorned with green leaves and flowers. A golden sword gleamed at her side. She looked much younger and beautiful than usually.

"You recovered your sword," Nico noted.

"It was rather easy. I nagged Zeus until he complied with my request and ordered Hera to return my sword", the goddess admitted

Nico nodded. He wondered what the goddess would want now.

"You have honored me, Nico di Angelo" said Demeter. "No child of Hades has ever paid me any kind of respect before."

Nico was surprised. "Um, well, I thought that Zeus was unfair to you, so I wanted to make up for that. My father is a just ruler and I guess I hate when someone is denied their rights."

The goddess smiled slightly. "In any case, I am here to tell you that your tribute to me will not be forgotten. From now on, you can count on me whenever you need help."

"Great. You can start by telling Persephone to treat me better."

"Farewell, Nico di Angelo" the goddess said.

She vanished from the dream and Nico had one of the most peaceful sleeps of his life.

Hope you like it :)