Elli’s eyes gleamed. The Amphitheater was glorious. Nico wasn’t a bad tour guide, or a bad person, all the mysterious buried deep down inside him made him all the more interesting. Sometimes though, she could see the 1930’s kid in Nico’s eyes and she couldn’t help but giggle.
At the moment, there were two Apollo kids spitting poetry at each other and Elli couldn’t help but smile. “What are they doing?” She asked Nico in curiosity.
“They’re trying to see who’s better," Nico said with a smug look on his face. “Dionysus’s kids hang around here more than anyone else.”
Elli smiled. “I’ve never been to a play before. Maybe they’ll hold one here?”
Nico shook his head. “Better to go see the Lion King on Broadway.” He said and Elli couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not.
“You might even like Wicked.” Nico suggested.
“Would you go with me?” Elli wondered seeing that Nico knew more about this subject than she did.
Nico smirked. “I don’t know…” He muttered. “Those shows are pretty expensive.”
Elli laughed, “Are you kidding? You’re talking to the girl who helped solved murdered all her life!” She exclaimed. “Money’s nothing if you want to go.” She smiled.
Nico blushed. “Whoa.” He said as they got up to leave, he finally had enough of the Apollo kid’s bickering. “You really mean that?”
Elli nodded. “Well, Tucker said I had to train first before I could go anywhere.” She sighed. “But I guess after dealing with the minotaur I don’t want to go out there without being ready.”
“We could figure out your most comfortable weapon.” Nico suggested. “That’s probably be an easier task than showing you around.”
Elli smiled. “I think you’re doing a great job but if you think that’s easier than we should, I don’t want to torture you.”
Nico looked away and Elli grinned. “Aw, thank you.”
Nico looked at her in concern. “You should stop doing that.”
Elli shrugged. “It’s not like you insulted me or anything.” She said innocently.
Nico shook his head. “Can you seriously do that to anyone?”
Elli nodded. “Well.” She paused. “Not everyone. When that spirit took over Viana…”
“Viana?” Nico raised an eyebrow.
“Right…” She said. She didn’t want to explain herself again. “Let’s say there’s a way to block my ‘inner lie detector’.”
Nico smirked at that one. “You said spirit, did it have a name?”
“Yea.” Elli sighed, how could she forget. It only happened a few hours ago. “they said they were ‘psudologoi’.”
Nico nodded. “That would makes sense.”
“How?” Elli asked in frustration. She didn’t always like the fact that she could tell if someone was lying or not but she didn’t like knowing that she couldn’t tell either. It was hotwired into her and it felt wrong without the ability.
“Pseudologoi are spirits of lies.” He replied, “You, can sense lies and truths, but if they’re involved there’s only one way and that’s by lying. However…” He paused to think. “Maybe the Viana person didn’t know she was lying so she wasn’t?”
Elli nodded. It sounded complicated but she knew exactly what Nico meant. “Viana herself didn’t murder those people. The pseudologoi that used her did and in that sense she wasn’t lying when she told me that she didn’t murder but when she admitted on tape that she did murder she was also telling the truth.”
Elli felt even worse than before. The more she repeated the situation the worse she felt. Unconsciously, Elli started to twirl a loose string on the bag that one of the Athena girls had given her full of crochet tools and string with a couple of patterns for her to try out.
Nico pointed towards the beach. “That’s Firework Beach. If you follow it there’s a creek and what we’re about to pass is the Mess hall, this is where we go to eat.”
Elli nodded as Nico directed her, she could tell that he wanted to know about the murder but didn’t want to push her. She thanked him for that but also wanted to go back to her cot at the police station and sleep. A part of her wanted to go back, but she knew that she couldn’t.
“Those are the cabins.” Nico gestured towards the personalized sleeping corridors. “There’s not one for Aletheia/Veritas yet but once you’re claimed they’ll make you one.”
Elli looked at Nico in confusion. “A cabin only for me?” She tilted her head, “Isn’t that a waste?”
Nico shook his head. “My dad along with his two brothers, Zeus and Poseidon had to make an oath that they wouldn’t have any more kids. I had a sister, my other sister is Roman so she went to go stay there but she visits for the most part. Percy doesn’t have anyone in his cabin either. There’s Tyson, his cyclops brother but other than that he doesn’t have another person in his cabin and then there’s Jason Grace, he has a sister but she’s a Hunter of Artemis, the Lieutenant actually.”
Elli looked at Nico in amusement, so much information had flooded her system. Apparently, Nico had a lot to say about these guys without meaning to, she wondered if this would happen often with those names. She didn’t read up on any mythology. All she knew was that was the daughter of a goddess who decided after fourteen years to direct her somewhere safe. Elli shook her head. Such great parenting skills.
Nico waved his hand in Elli’s Face. “Elli?” His eyes were full of concern.
“Huh?” She asked quickly returning back to earth.
“I was telling you about them and you kind of froze, are you okay?” He questioned.
Elli let out a slow sigh. “Yea… If you could slow down on the details that’d be great.” She smirked. “I sort of felt all the emotional trust you have for these people.” She smiled. “At least I know you trust them.”
Nico’s eyes widened. “Wait. How much did you see?”
Elli tilted her head. “Well, you have strong feelings, or you did, for this Percy guy.” Elli started.
Nico cleared his throat. “I told him already.”
“I know?” Elli still looked at him in confusion.
“Secret.” Nico said in despair.
“Oh!” Elli said in amusement. “At the station I learned it didn’t matter about that. Why is it embarrassing for you?”
“What?” Nico questioned. “You mean, it doesn’t bother you?”
Elli shook her head. “Why would it…? You’re a nice guy… Who had many secrets… That I keep finding…” She said pausing between each phrase and smiling trying not to giggle.
Nico rolled his head. “Seriously, you have to stop doing that.”
Elli grinned. “I guess I have my trump cards against humanity.”
Shaking his head, Nico let out a small laugh. “However you want to put it, that’s not going to get you anywhere in another Minotaur fight.”
Elli frowned. Nico was right, the only monsters she had ever face were all mortals. Now, the challenge started, she had to face real monsters.
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