This was made for urqueenizhere's challenge. Due to the rush it is not cleaned up so please be aware there ARE spelling and grammar errors.
Warning, the this tale contains spoilers from The Hero's Of Olympus book 4: The House of Hades read knowing that while I diverge fairly drastically from the main plot, it will spoil parts of the story if you have not read.
Also, I own neither Harry Potter or the Percy Jackson and the Olympian's or The Hero's of Olympus works.
Lines pulled directly from the book will be in bold letters.
Please Enjoy
To Survive and To Exist
(This is Directly from the book House of Hades)
A screaming Cyclops, sizzling from poison spray, sailed over their heads. Fifty yards away, the Maeonian drakon trampled through monsters, its feet making sickening squish squish noises as if stomping grapes. On its back, Damasen yelled insults and jabbed at the god of the pit, taunting Tartarus farther away from the Doors.
Tartarus lumbered after him, his iron boots making craters in the ground. You cannot kill me! he bellowed. I am the pit itself. You might as well try to kill the earth. Gaea and I— we are eternal. We own you, flesh and spirit! He brought down his massive fist, but Damasen sidestepped, turned his swirling vacuum face toward the giant, but Damasen got out of the way in time. A dozen monsters were sucked into the vortex and disintegrated.
"Bob, don't!" Percy said, his eyes pleading. "He'll destroy you permanently. No coming back. No regeneration."
Bob shrugged. "Who knows what will be? You must go now. Tartarus is right about one thing. We cannot defeat him. We can only buy you time." The Doors tried to close on Annabeth's foot. "Twelve minutes," said the Titan. "I can give you that."
"Percy…hold the Doors." Annabeth jumped and threw her arms around the Titan's neck. She kissed his cheek, her eyes so full of tears, she couldn't see straight. Bob's stubbly face smelled of cleaning supplies— fresh lemony furniture polish and Murphy Oil wood soap. "Monsters are eternal," she told him, trying to keep herself from sobbing. "We will remember you and Damasen as heroes, as the best Titan and the best giant. We'll tell our children. We'll keep the story alive. Someday, you will regenerate."
Bob ruffled her hair. Smile lines crinkled around his eyes. "That is good. Until then, my friends, tell the sun and the stars hello for me. And be strong. This may not be the last sacrifice you must make to stop Gaea." He pushed her away gently.
"No more time. Go." Annabeth grabbed Percy's arm. She dragged him into the elevator car. She had one last glimpse of the Maeonian drakon shaking an ogre like a sock puppet, Damasen jabbing at Tartarus's legs. The god of the pit pointed at the Doors of Death and yelled: Monsters, stop them! Small Bob the saber- toothed crouched and snarled, ready for action. Bob winked at Annabeth. "Hold the Doors closed on your side," he said. "They will resist your passage. Hold them— "
(End book except… begin fanfiction)
Bob's sentence was cut off as he was flung sideways, Damasen's body slamming into him. Small Bob the saber-toothed roared, charging at the monsters around his fallen master. Fear enveloped Annabeth as the doors began to slide shut, and she quickly stuck her foot in the door way. She had not desire to find out what would happen when the doors closed without a finger on that button.
Percy cried out, "BOB!" and rushed from the elevator, but paused only a couple paces from the doors, looking horrified at Tarturas as the god laughed, his dark form seeming to grow.
You think I will let you escape to the surface, little hero's? Tarturas chuckled coldly, You are in my world. I rule everything here, you have no hope for survival.
Annabeth stared in horror at the god, her eyes flicking to Damasen and Bob. The titan was struggling to his feet, his golden icur dripping steadily from his body. The giant lay motionless on the ground, unmoving. Terror flooded Annabeth as her eyes drifted over the endless sea of monsters and traveling back to the black swirling mass that was Tarturas.
Percy rushed forward, fighting off monsters and Annabeth moved to help stepping a couple steps forward, leaving one foot in the way of the elevator doors, but leaving the compartment to help fight their hopeless battle.
Percy charged towards the god of the pit and the god laughed, Yes, little mortal, come and I will remove your very existence.
A voice, soft and smooth, male but somehow soothing, even in the midst of battle in the deepest part of Tarturas' hell, cut through the battlefield. His words were so clear of obstruction that it seemed like even the sounds of the monsters and the battle around them ceased to be so the words could be heard. "Not, I might say, that you have that power…of existence.. that is."
Percy charge faltered and he paused in his attack, spinning as he tried to find the source of the voice. Tarturas' whirlpool of a head also turned as if looking, but it was Annabeth who found the man first as his voice had come from above her. Looking up, she gasped as she saw someone sitting ON TOP of the doors of death.
The man was handsome, impossibly so, even by divine standards. He had messy black hair that shined with health even in the non-light of the pit and porcelain skin, pale, but not at all unhealthy. His body had an almost delicate build, although it was lined with well toned muscle and long legs that seemed to stretch forever. He was leaning forward, his chin resting on his hand, which was propped elbow-on-cross legs, and was wearing a simple green button up shirt, black vest, and black trousers.
Tarturas seemed to spot him next, but his sputtered Who do you think you are? Threw Annabeth off. She obviously didn't know who this divine being was, but shouldn't the lord of the pit know?
The man chuckled, the soft sound floating through the air, sending a feeling of warmth down Annabeth's spine. "Now I feel insulted, dear great nephew, that you could forget that I, of all beings, exist."
The ground shook beneath Annabeth's feet, and Tarturas seemed to shrink into himself. Annabeth's confusion rose with the man's words though, Tarturas was said to be born from Chaos, and she had never heard of anything prior to Chaos, or of Chaos having a sibling, but Tarturas seemed to have an idea of who this being was… and even better… or worse, Tarturas feared him. What was so horrid that even the monsters, all the monsters, now that Annabeth looked around, to see the cyclobes and the telkhens and even the Melonian draken to drop their weapons and submit.
Tarturas answered the question for Annabeth.
F…first there was N…Nothing. The Lord of the Pit studdered, which only scarred Annabeth more, then Nothing gave way to Aether and E…E… Tarturas shuddered hard, and Annabeth lost her footing at the earthquake it caused, falling forward completely out of the doors of death.
She cried out, scrambling on her hands and knees to get back to the door, but they closed beneath the tips of her fingers, hanging for a few seconds before they vanished. She screamed, her eyes burning, hopelessness slamming into her. The man floated down from the air with the doors no longer there for him to sit on. He glanced at Annabeth, impossibly green eyes glowing as he offered her a hand to help her stand, which she hardly registered in her grief of the doors being gone. He then knelt, grasping her arms and hulling her to her feet, patting her clothes as if to dust them, then straightening her clothes as if getting out minor wrinkles. Annabeth huffed at first, not seeing the point of this being nit-picking at her dirty threadbare rags, until she looked down at herself. Her 'threadbare rags' were gone, replaced by a shimmering grey blouse that matched her eyes and a pair of blue jeans.
Seemingly satisfied, the being turned back to Tarturas, "You were saying?"
Tarturas whimpered, actually whimpered, before he continued his story Existence… the word was almost a whisper, but with all fighting being on pause, and all the monsters motionless, Tarturas might as well have shouted the word.
The man, Existence, smiled, "Ah, so you DO know who I am. I had wondered if Chaos ever told his children where he came from."
The swirling void that was Tarturas' head swirled quickly, before slowing to an almost complete stop. Chaos was born from Creation and Destruction…
"Ah, not detailed then was he? Creation and Destruction were split from Aether, the younger of Nothing's children, becoming in a sense, my Niece and Nephew, although, you must understand, that such a think as sexes, did not come about until after Chaos spawned, so I use Niece and Nephew loosely."
Tarturas stumbled, his knees seeming to buckle beneath him, Impossible, you can't be…
Existence, if that is who this being truly was, chuckled again, walking forward, away from Annabeth and towards Percy and Tarturas, "I though denial was a human thing, but I suppose you have just proven me wrong. The irony of that statement however, is that IMPOSSIBLE does not exist as anything more than a word." Existence stopped near Percy, kneeling to pick up the sword the Percy had dropped for a second time, "This demi-god knows well that there is no impossible, he has proven that on multiple occasions." The man spun riptide in his fingers before handing the sword to Percy hilt first. Percy took it as if in a trance, wide blue-green eyes fixed on the being, his mouth slightly open. Annabeth was surprised he wasn't drooling on his shiny blue shirt.
Wait… blue shirt?
Blinking, Annabeth eyed her boyfriend, his clothes were neat a new, a fancy blue shirt and stylish grey jeans, his skin also looked better, not as near death and nearly back to his healthy glow. Existence patted Percy on the shoulder before continuing on towards Tarturas, "You know, nephew, that I am limited in how I can interact in the godly and mortal worlds, however my guidelines are a bit different than what you are familiar with. I was so excited when you, the highest power on this battlefield, invoked my name, even the shorted version of it. That is all I needed to become involved, and now that I am, I can do as I wish. I wonder… what would happen if you, Tarturas, did not exist?"
Annabeth gasped in horror, the consequences that would have on their world! What would happen to monsters when they died, would they also cease to exist or would they re-form on the spot like when the Doors of Death were controlled by Giea's horde? What would happen to those that deserved a worse punishment than the fields of punishment, how would this de-stabilize the rest of existence?
"Or perhaps, I should grant you mercy, and simply erase your consciousness, forever left as a shell." The man that was Existence slinked forward, graceful and deadly like a cat, "Yes, then I will not upset my little sister for eliminating the energy that is you. Your body shall remain, this world, a rebirth-place for monsters shall continue to function, allowing the life on Earth to continue without hinderance. You, dear Tarturas, shall no longer be a conscious." Existence grinned wickedly, straight white, slightly pointed teeth flashing, "Any last words, nephew?"
Tarturas whimpered, it may have been words but Annabeth couldn't tell. Suddenly, power flooded the room, making her suck in her breath. She had never felt anythink like the pressure around her. If felt heavy and dense like it may suffocate her, but also light and airy as if she may just float away. In a way it was like Gravity had both magnified and vanished, like it existed ten fold and didn't exist at the same time.
Then the thud-dum, thud-dum that was Tarturas' heart stopped, and the small version of the creature in front of them vanished. The dark world was quiet, nothing moved or made a sound for an unprecedented amount of time before, with a shudder, the thud-dum returned, steady and strong. Existence smiled a satisfied smile, his florescent green eyes traveling over the army of monsters around him, "Flee, abandon your alliance with Gaea and I will continue to let you exist."
The sound seemed to return to the world around Annabeth and Percy as the monsters scattered, crawling over each other trying to get away. Even the dumbest seemed to understand exactly what had happened and were not eager to see what this being would, and could do to them.
He turned, striding back towards Percy, pausing at the demi-gods side, and for the first time, Annabeth realized how short he was. Percy wasn't the tallest demi-god she new, but this man just barely passed Percy's chin. Even Annabeth was taller, and it seemed crazy to her that such a powerful man was so… small.
"Come," the man said to Percy, before he continued his path towards Annabeth, Percy trailing behind him. He nodded to Annabeth as he passed her, heading to where Bob, Small Bob, and Damesen were. Percy stopped by Annabeth's side, his eyes wide as they stared at where the Doors of Death had been.
Annabeth flinched, unable to meet Percy's eyes, "I'm sorry, I fell out of the doorway when Tarturas shivered and was unable to get back to them in time."
Percy paled, and Annabeth could see his throat bob as he swallowed, "We'll figure out how to get back to the surface. We have too."
The man that was Existence knelt by Damesen, his hands glowing as he ran them through the Giant's hair. Golden icor covered his fingers but it seemed to evaporate off, causing a shiny gold steam to rize through the air. After a few minutes, Damesen moved, sitting up slowly, "How are you here, Lord Existence? From the story's even Grandfather Chaos was unable to take a solid form because of the extent of his power. How is it that you, who's power literally covers everything in existence, can take on a human form?"
Existence smiled, "I grew board, watching everything around me, the whole universe grow, change, live and die, but never being involved myself, so I started hopping from planet to planet, dimension to dimension, finding bodies of life and inserting pieces of myself into their worlds. Whenever a family would pray, to 'all in existence' for a child, I would give a small piece of myself to them, to birth raise and live among them. Sometimes I did amazing things to change their world for the better, sometimes I just existed as one of the populace, eventually that body would die, and that piece would rejoin the rest of me, bringing the memories, feelings, and life that it lived. This body is one such existence. Born to a mortal man and woman in great Britain. This case is a bit different though, because never before have I remembered WHO I was while still encased by a body such as this. After an accident this body suffered, I remembered everything about who and what I was, and gained a larger than normal portion of my own power."
Stretching out his hand, Existence flexed his fingers, examining them with some curiosity. "Along with the greater power, however, came the restrictions that Nothing laid upon those of us with extreme power. I cannot interfere in events unless my name in invoked, by both sides if it is a battle. Percy prayed to all of Existence for a way to escape alive, Tarturas called for them to not exist. It allowed me to come and change the course of the future."
Existence stood, "This body was not meant to withstand such a strong power draw though, it will be weak and sickly for quite a while after channeling the force it took to element Tarturas. I never cared much for him anyway, it was well worth the time I will be trapped in a hospital… again."
Annabeth suddenly felt grateful for the man, an understanding of how much he sacrificed to help them, the demi-gods, potentially win the war against Gaea, "Thank you, thank you so much, Lord Existence."
He smiled, his green eyes softening as he looked at her and Percy, "Hadrian, that is the name this body was given, I am rather fond of it, you may call me by that name." Turning, Hadrian, the Lord of Existence, picked up a rope from the ground, murmuring soft words over it, causing it to glow with a pale, pulsating light, "Come, Damesen, Bob, Small Bob, Percy, and Annabeth. Grab ahold of this rope and I will take you to where you want to be." Hadrian tilted his head up, craning his neck to look up into the Giant's face, "Damesen, I do believe you wanted a peaceful place on the mountains, to raise your sheep and see the stars. I know of a place I think you would like. Will you allow me to take you there?"
Damesen nodded, his eyes shiney with what Annabeth wondered might be tears, "Thank you, Lord Hadrian."
The more-than-a-god grimaced at the 'lord' title, but turned to Bob and Small Bob, "I know of a place where many will be your friends, Bob and Small Bob, they are good people and can help you achieve many good things, but you won't be so far away that your current friends cannot contact you, or you them, would this suit your wishes?"
Bob hesitated, looking at Percy and Annabeth, "I like that, but Bob also wishes to help his now friends."
Hadrian smiled, "I understand Bob, however, Percy and Annabeth have a prophecy to complete, and your role in it for this moment is done. Where I will leave you will be close enough that you could hear and respond to their call if they need you, but they must push forward with their other five."
Bob nodded, "Bob would like more friends, and Bob would like to see his now friends too."
Messy black hair nodded, and emerald eyes turned to Percy and Annabeth, "I will return you to your companions sides. I will help if I have the time before this body becomes ill, after that I do not know how long until I will recover enough to join you again in battle. When comes the fight against Gaea, trick her into calling me, and pray for me yourselves. If I can join, I will, however, I have caused great damage to this body today, I do not know if I will be healed enough in time."
Annabeth frowned, "We have nectar on the ship, you can take some if you need, it will help heal you."
Shaking his head, Hadrian chuckled, "No, I am in a mortal body, and while my divine presence would keep the nectar from burning me up, it would not help my healing. There is nothing to heal those greater than Chaos, because we cannot be harmed, this body will have to heal with mortal treatments only. Do not worry, we will not die." Hardian held up the glowing rope, "Come, everyone grab the rope, even Small Bob."
Everyone reached forward, grasping the rope in their hands, Damesen pinched it between his first finger and thumb, Bob did the same. Small Bob grabbed the rope with his teeth, while Hadrian, Percy, and Annabeth gripped it in their fists. The next second the world twisted around them, their feet lifted into the hair, only to be set down on a harder surface seconds later. The swirling colors that made the world cleared, and Annabeth gasped.
They were on a mountain, a cliff before them with a mighty waterfall, rainbows being cast into the air by the mist it sprayed. Behind them the mountain stretched out on a platou, before the hills began to roll up again and the mountain's peak stretched high into the sky. The world was warm and full of lush foliage and bright flowers, the songs of birds and wildlife flourished around them. A flock of sheep grazed on the plains, their white coats glinting gold and silver in the setting sun.
"Damesen, this land is my gift to you, along with the sheep. Please take care of it well. There is not yet a house, you may build whatever buildings you like. There is a cave in the rising cliffs of the mountain not too far from here, but it may be small for you to live in for very long. The stars are very bright on this mountain, but it is peaceful and thriving with life."
Tears of joy trailed down Damesen's face, and he reached out and picked Hadrian up with one hand, hugging the deity in human form against his side, "Oh thank you, thank you! This is more than Damesen could have dreamed."
Setting Hadrian down, who stumbled as his feet re-connected with the ground, the giant lumbered towards his sheep, sounds of joy and excitement coming from him.
Smiling, Hadrian held out the rope, come, "Bob, Small Bob, Annabeth, and Percy. Time is short."
They grabbed onto the rope, and the world spun again. When their feet touched the ground and the were once again able to focus, Bob cried out in excitement, before them was a house, like a fancy but small cottage, but built to the size of a titan. Woods and trees stretched around them, enough space for a saber-toothed cat to roam and play. To their left, down a hill sat a small village, the houses beautiful and simple, the shops creatively painted in bright colors and welcoming. "The home is yours, Bob and Little Bob. The village will welcome you, even without the mist. You should have many friends."
Bob grinned happily, patting Hadrian heartily on the back, causing the small man to stumble, "Hadrian is Bob's friend too."
Little Bob jumped up, paws hitting Hadrian's shoulders as the cat nuzzled his cheek against Hadrian's, the man scratched the cat's head, looking over at large Bob, "I am just doing what I feel is right. Bob and Small Bob have done good things, they deserve a good life."
Small Bob jumped down, and both Bob's moved to the house. Hadrian held out the rope, "Let us get you to your friends in the House of Hades. They are afraid to cut the chains holding the doors incase you cannot get back, we must inform them of your success and survival."
Percy grabbed the rope, but Annabeth hesitated, "When we tell them what happened, do we tell them about you?"
Hadrian shrugged, his shoulders nearly touching his ears, "If you want. It my be best if the monsters on this side of the gate don't yet know that Tarturas is gone, but you may tell you friends whatever you wish. Come, their battle is still raging."
They arrived in a crumbling underground chamber in the middle of a battle, Nico, Frank, Jason, and Leo were going toe to toe with the giant Clytius. Piper was throwing taunts at him in charm-speak while Hazel, looking almost drunk with exhausted wavered near the Doors of Death, worried about Annabeth and Percy's lack of return, but her sword drawn and not too far from the chains. Hecate stood off to the side, waiting for her chance to finish the titan. Since their entrance was silent, Hecate was the only one to notice them for several long minutes. Percy moved first, drawing Riptide and charging in to help the other demi-gods fight Clytius, Annabeth soon followed, but she rushed towards Hazel's side, her dragon-bone sword ready.
Hazel stared at her shocked, "Annabeth? How? But the doors…?"
Annabeth smiled at her friend, raising her sword and slashing down through the chains, "We will explain later, cut the chains to the doors!"
Hazel nodded, cutting the chain to the other door, letting the exit vanish back into Thanatos's control.
Hecate narrowed her eyes at Hadrian, contemplating the why and how of him being there. Hadrian smirked back at her, drawing the Death Wand from his sleeve holster, twirling the elder wood between his fingers. The goddess got the threat, an raised her arms towards Clytius, she wasn't going to let someone else take her glory for defeating the anti-magic giant. Hecate didn't know how the young man with the three Deathly Hollows would defeat the giant, as far a she knew he wasn't even god descended aside from an ancient legacy from her, as all witches and wizards were, but this was Harry Potter she was looking at, the boy who made the impossible happen on a regular basis.
Clytius crumpled to gold dust at her power, and the demi-gods all sighed in relief. Frank lumbered towards Hazel, who wearily made her way towards Hecate, while Jason rushed to greet Percy and welcome him back to the world of the living. Piper and Leo both sank to the floor in exhaustion, while Nico moved towards the newcomer, curious as to who this person was.
Hadrian's eyes traveled among the group, his wand safely stored and hidden from the view of the demi-gods. He had not intended to take care of Clytius, he had not the strength left to dispel the titian when there was a perfectly capable goddess in the room, but he didn't like the fact that the woman were putting the demi-god's lives at risk every second she waited to strike. It seemed to him that the immortals took very little value in the fragile lives of the mortals they were to guide and care for.
It pissed him off.
The man-who-was-more-than-a-god moved his rich emerald eyes from the goddess to the mortal who was approaching him, vibrant eyes traveling over the boy's figure. Hadrian's eyes narrowed a bit, the teen was handsome, even if a bit on the underfed size. His looks reminded Hadrian of his Professor Snape before he died, pale skin, eyes that showed the depths of darkness and inky black hair, although Nico's was messy where Snape's had been oily. Hadrian knew this child was a son of Hades, but he had to wonder if Professor Snape had also been a child of the death god, or perhaps a legacy, as Professor Snape would have had to been born after the Trio took their broken oath.
The boy stopped several feet from Hadrian, dark eyes surveying him even as Hadrian stared back. The wizard spoke first, his voice smooth and calm. "Hello,"
The pupil's of the boy's dark eyes dilated at the sound of his voice, and Hadrian's ever rampant curiosity was peaked, "Hadrian, nice to meet you." Hadrian did not offer his hand, because of the distance between the two, but the bod did not seem offended.
"Nico," the boy rasped, his voice a little rough, and Hadrian could not tell if it was from the battle or disuse. "Well met."
Hearing a sound, both boys turned to see that Hecate and Hazel had finished trading words, and Hazel was looking a bit upset. The goddess ignored her though, and strode briskly towards the pair of boys. She stopped closer to Hadrian than Nico was, but there was still a couple feet between them. "Harry Potter, care to explain the how and why you are here?"
Frowning, the emerald eyed man tilted his head, "I would rather not, and I have decided to be called by my full given name, Hadrian."
The goddess growled, not liking the offense to her, "I would say your presence, and your involvement are an impossibility, but the impossible does not seem to exist around you, so in a way I am not surprised."
Hadrian smiled, like he got a joke the goddess did not, "Existence… As you know, Lady Hecate, impossible is just a word, a symbol for what can and will be possible. Besides, I've never exactly followed the rules."
Hecate frowned, "Go back to Britain, Mr. Potter, otherwise I will see to it that you have a private audience with Hades, it is about time you died… again."
Chuckling, Hadrian smirked at the goddess, "I am sure it would be an entertaining experience, I shall inform Thanatos of my desire for an audience with his OTHER boss next time we meet for tea. Also, in the official books I've never died, because I have never remained 'dead' for more than three minutes. I've been 'killed' yes, but it seems that your pretty green curse is fickle with the fates, besides, it just keeps bouncing off of me."
A sound similar to when Hadrian stepped on Crookshanks tail came out of the goddess' mouth and she vanished in a poof of mist.
Nico stared wide eyed at the man before him, one who had taunted a goddess and lived to tell the tale. The man reminded him a bit of Percy, a bit older, a bit more world worn- Nico could see the shadows in the depths of those deep green eyes- but the messy black hair, the green eyes (which Nico found even prettier than Percy's sea green), and the rash bravery when facing the gods reminded Nico of Percy. Speaking up, Nico stepped closer to Hadrian, "Other boss?"
Hadrian smiled at Nico, and Nico's heart thumped a bit at having that handsome face look at him, Hadrian twisted his hand, a slip of parchment with a strange symbol appearing out of thin air. On it was a triangle, a circle within it and a line bisecting it down the middle. Hadrian passed it to Nico, "How's this, figure out what this means, then come find me?"
Nico was going to say more, but Annabeth rushed towards them, moving streight up to Hadrian, "We need to get to the surface! This place is still falling apart and the boys said the tunnels they used to get down here have collapsed!"
Hadrian spread his arms, motioning to all of the demigods. "Come, grab hold of me, can anyone give me a really good description of where you need to go? Even better, call up an image of it in your mind and I'll take a peek."
Annabeth pointed to Leo, "He built the Argo II, he is probably the one who knows it the best.
The Latino looked uncomfortable with the thought, and he said so, "You can read thoughts? You're not going to like… poke around and mess anything up are you?"
"Na," Replied Hadrian, "Just think really hard…" Locking eyes with Leo, Hadrian saw the very detailed deck of the Argo II, "Got it, great. Everyone grab hold of me or my clothes and DO NOT LET GO."
A soft pop echoed through the collapsing halls of the House of Hades and they were gone.
Hadrian and Nico were the only ones to land and stay on their feet when the arrived on the Argo II. Nico swayed, looking green, but Hazel was actually sick on the deck, half of the other demi-gods looked like they would be sick, and Jason heaved a couple times, but no one else lost their meal.
Percy frowned at Nico, "How come you are the only one still on your feet?"
Nico didn't say anything about Hadrian also being on his feet, he almost didn't reply at all, trying to hold down his queasiness, "Kinda like shadow-travel… just much worse."
It was Annabeth who startled them all, crying out "Hadrian" as she saw the more-than-a-god sway. The man looked like he'd lost a massive amount of weight in just a few minutes, and his skin was becoming a closer shade to Nico's, "Are you alright?"
Waving a hand, Hadrian smiled at her, "I did tell you this body could not handle the amount of power I used in Tarturas, I'll be fine, but I cannot stay. My healer will be onto me as it is, if I let my body breakdown any more she may just try to kill me instead."
Nico wanted to protest, he didn't want this curious new person in his life to vanish, but he could see that this man really did need a healer, and quickly.
Hadrian gave them all a smile… and vanished.