Hey Everyone, Silver here...

Sooooo...I'm just going to say it. My other stories are pretty much dead. I normally wouldn't start another one, but I've have the first few chapters of this one all written out for a while, and I have the storyboard all planned out, so I figured, what the heck, I'll just post it. I hope you enjoy!

Diclaimer, I own nothing

oO0Oo

Chapter One

"My father really needs to learn how to say thank you." thought Nico Di Angelo sullenly as he trudged across the Fields of Asphodel, the flat, markless land unchanging around him. The Titan war had just ended, and all the demigods at Camp Half-Blood all seemed to be congratulating him, thanking him for convincing Hades to fight. And yet, Hades himself had not uttered a single word of thanks to his son.

Nico had left Camp Half-Blood about a week ago, not wanting to stay in the gloomy, dark Hades cabin that had been built for him there. He didn't belong at camp. Not really. No matter how many thanks he got from the campers, no matter how much they pretended to accept him, he could see the hesitance in their eyes, the distaste at having a child of Hades amongst them.

He had gone to the Underworld, and after promptly passing out from exhaustion after travelling so far through shadow travel,he had retreated to his father's palace, with a feeble hope that he would feel welcome there.

'Of course I was wrong.' he thought, kicking the ground irritably as he walked, and watching the fine yellow dust rise around his feet. 'The only person who ever really accepted me was Bianca, and she's...'

He didn't want to finish that thought.

As he trekked through the fields, spirits of the dead drifted away from him, their sunken eyes boring into him as he passed. He could feel the aura of death surrounding them as he passed.

Suddenly, he stopped short, his heart suddenly skipping a beat. He had felt something. Something that didn't belong in the underworld. An aura of life. In the Feilds of Asphodel, in the middle of the Underworld, he had felt something alive. Strong and pulsating like a beacon in the middle of thousands among thousands of dead spirits.

Why would there be a living person in the middle of the Land of the Dead? Demigods didn't just pop into the Underworld. Even if they did, they almost never came out alive.

He looked around, as if expecting the mysterious living person to be right behind him.

"A-Anyone there?" he called out uncertainly, his eyes sweeping across the crowds of lost spirits. His hand inched towards his sword. But only moans from the lost spirits answered him.

He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on where the life aura was coming from. Compared to shadow travel and summoning undead warriors, sensing an aura of life was a piece of cake. Surely being able to track where that aura was coming from wouldn't be too hard either…

Suddenly, like a GPS inside his head just been switched on, he opened his eyes and began to quickly walk to the left, feeling the aura of life becoming stronger and stronger as he walked. He barreled through crows of blank-looking spirits, not really paying attention to where he was was walking. Anticipation mounted in his chest - he was coming closer, he could feel it. Within moments, he could feel it right in front of him. He looked up and found himself standing right in front of….a cliff.

He looked up slowly, staring at the tall, seemingly endless obsidian cliff in front of him. It went upwards in a sheer vertical slope, disappearing out of sight in the sky. He could sense the mysterious person's life aura coming from inside the cliff. Somehow, there was a person in there.

There was nothing unusual about the cliffside itself, just ordinary, very lifeless black rock.

'There's got to be a secret passage or something.' Thought Nico, pressing his hands against the rock in different paces. The stone was cold against his fingers, and unusually jagged. He examined the cliffside, looking for any sign of a doorway or a passage or a - yes! There it was. Carved crudely into the cliffside was a tiny, barely noticeable symbol, but Nico recognized it immediately. It was the helm of darkness, the sign of his father.

Grinning, he took a deep breath, he raised his hand to the symbol, and pressed as hard as he could.

Nothing happened.

Nico sighed. Well that was dramatic he thought. Pulling out his sword, he carefully pressed the stygian iron blade against the carving. Nothing. Maybe there was a password or something...

"Uh...open?" he said, his voice coming out uncertain. "Open!" He tried again. Still nothing. He thought for a second. "Anoichtó" He said, this time saying the phrase in greek.

The cliffside remained stubbornly closed. Maybe he could try to split the rock, the way he could make the ground open.

Closing his eyes tightly, Nico raised his hands, mustering all his power. He felt the cold power flow into his hands, and he silently willed the cliff to tear open for him. Slowly, he lowered his hands and opened his eyes.

Nothing had happened. The cliff was just the same, ordinary, unchanged mass of stone.

"Oh, come on!" Nico shouted out loud, his hand flying on it's own and punching the hard, jagged rock. Pain shot through his knuckles, and he recoiled his hand immediately. His skin had split open where it had hit the jagged rock, and tiny flecks of blood now dotted the carving on the cliff.

"Oh Tartarus…" he muttered, cradling his stinging hand, but his attention was suddenly turned away from his cut knuckles as a loud hissing sound suddenly reached his ears. He looked up, and his eyes widened.

The drops of his blood that had stained the symbol were now frothing and boiling furiously, as if they had been placed on a frying pan. The ground in front of the cliff began to vibrate, and part of rock itself began sinking slowly, soundlessly into the ground, revealing a long, darkened stone passageway into the cliff. As the boulder sank fully into the ground, the vibrating stopped and the hissing sound ceased.

Nico let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding. "So that's how it opens…" he muttered numbly, looking down at the tiny drop of blood that was rolling down the back of his hand.

He stared cautiously into the long, dank passageway. It was pitch back, lit only by a single torch of Greek fire mounted on the wall. In a quick decision, Nico sheathed his sword, walked into the pathway.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, the rock began to move back up again, much faster than it had sunk. Within moments, the entrance to the hallway had been closed again, plunging him into complete darkness except for the eerie green light from the Greek Fire.

For a moment, Nico just stared in shock at where the entrance had been. Then steeling his nerves, he turned around to face the long, shadowy stairway, and grabbed the torch off its holder, using it as a flashlight. There was only one way to go began to walk down the hallway.

The passage twisted and turned, more like the burrow of a giant rabbit than anything else. Nico hurried along it, stumbling now and then on the uneven floor, holding the torch out in front of him.

After what felt like an hour, the passage began to rise. Panting, Nico sped up, his face hot, his feet very cold. He could sense people at the end of the passage, living people, coming closer and closer.

Ten minutes later, he came to the foot of some worn stone steps, which rose out of sight above him. Careful not to make any noise, Nico began to climb. A hundred steps, two hundred steps, he lost count as he climbed, watching his feet...then, without warning, the staircase ended abruptly, coming to a dead end at a wall of stone.

This time, Nico didn't hesitate. Holding out his fist, he let a tiny drop of blood from his now scabbing-over knuckles trickle onto the stone. Immediately, his blood sizzled, the ground vibrated, and the wall sunk out of sight into the ground, forming a doorway out of the passage.

Nico practically ran out of the passage, gratefully gulping a huge lungful of fresh air. The doorway closed behind him, and he leaned against the stone wall, resting his aching legs and panting.

When Nico finally got his breath back, he raised his head to look around. The passage had taken him to what looked like a huge field. He looked up, and saw the sky above him was bright, much lighter than the dreary sky above the Fields of Asphodel. He could sense he was in the still Underworld, but the sky almost looked like the normal, above-world night sky. Had he somehow gotten to Elysium?

In front of him, stretching away from the place where the passage of been, was a dirt path. In the distance, Nico could see buildings, and scattered structures.

Nico set the torch he had been using on the ground, and stamped on it a few times to put the fire out. He wouldn't be needing it anymore. The flames were almost out when suddenly, without warning-

"Hey! What're you doing here!"

Nico looked up with a start. A tall, slim boy had suddenly appeared before him. He had black hair, and a very round face.

Before Nico could react, the boy had drawn the dagger strapped to his leg, and pressed it hard against Nico's chest. The ground on either side of Nico began to churn and Nico's eyes widened as two skeletal guards began to claw their way out of the ground. How had they gotten here - Nico hadn't summoned them!

As the two skeletons emerged fully from the ground, one grabbed Nico's arms and pinned them behind his back while the other kicked his legs out from under him, forcing him to his knees.

"I said," growled the boy, "What are you doing here? And who are you?"

"I am the Ghost King, let go of me!" Shouted Nico to the skeletons. Obediently, the two undead obliged, letting go of him and clattering into two piles of bones.

The boy's eyes widened. "You're a child of Hades?" He asked with surprise.

"Figured it out, did you?" Nico growled, standing up and drawing his sword, ready to fight. Then, the boy did something completely unexpected. He sheathed his dagger, and his face broke out into a wide grin.

"Well why didn't you say so, dummy! I was about stab you!" He said, grinning goofily, all hostility gone from his voice.

Nico blinked with confusion at the 180 turn around in the boy's attitude. "I-" he began threateningly, but the boy cut him off.

"What're you doing here anyway? It's way past curfew! You would've got Kitchen Duty if someone else caught you! Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I'm not the tattle-tail type." The boy winked at Nico, like they were best friends.

"I would've what?"

"I'm only out here 'cause I've got perimeter duty tonight. Most boring job ever, am I right or am I right? Like, nothing ever happens! Well, except for the occasional new arrival, but I never get those."

"I don't-" Stuttered a very confused Nico, but the boy kept babbling.

"Why are you here anyway? This is the exit. Are you leaving? I mean, that's allowed, but why in the middle of the night? And without telling anyone? You're face looked so suspicious, that's why I almost attacked. Is this part of another prank, 'cause I am so done with those. Are you trying to-"

"For Hades sake, do you ever shut up?!" Nico shouted over the boy. The stranger blinked in surprise.

"Wow, rude much?" said the boy, looking offended. "No one tells me to shut up! Unless they're new and they don't know that talking endlessly is my thing." The boy paused to take a closer look at Nico. "Actually, I don't recognize you. Are you new here? When did you arrive? How long have you been? What cabin are you in? Do you-"

"Just. Stop. Talking." Said Nico, his temper flaring, shooting an ice-cold glare at the boy. This time, he fell silent for good. "Who are you," demanded Nico, hardening his voice. "What is this place?"

The fear in the boy's face vanished in a flash, and his black eyes lit up again. "So you are new here! That's so cool! I've never gotten to greet a new arrival before!"

"Just answer the question." sighed Nico. The boys endless chatter was giving him a headache.

"Well, first, who am I? I'm Miles Brown, and I'm the most amazing demigod you'll ever meet."

Nico snorted, and Miles continued, "As for what is this place, welcome to my humble home, the Camp of the Underworld!"

Nico stared at him.

"I know, weird name, isn't it?" Said Miles, "It's a bit of a mouthful if you ask me, but nobody could really think of a better name. Or maybe we were all just too lazy. Most of us just call it COU for short."

"Us?" repeated Nico, forgetting to keep his voice emotionless, "There are more people here?"

"Well, duh!" Said Miles. "You can't have a camp with only one camper, can you? Anyway, I didn't finish my introduction. Welcome to COU, the only safe haven for people like you and me."

Nico paused for a moment. "You mean...for demigods?"

Miles laughed. "Not for demigods. For people like and me. People like you. This is a safe haven for the Children of Hades."

Nico blinked, "Children of Hades?"

"Didn't I say?" said Miles, "I'm a son of Hades."

o0O0o

Yay! First chapter done. I hope you liked it.

On an unrelated note, I actually have some character art drawn out for the OCs in the story. So I guess this is a poll: should I post a link to them, or are you guys fine without it. Let me know in your reviews!

Welp, that's all for now, so until the next chapter, read, review, and stay awesome everyone!

~Silver