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At the Land without Rain

Leo knocked on Nicos door and tucked his head inside.

A moment Nico said without looking up from the skull he was cleaning, and Leo watched as

he touched his finger to the forehead mending a small crack, then clicked the jawbone back

and made a few notes. Aaaand, Im ready. I can bring him back to the history department at

onday, they will be absolutely delighted. Nico looked up at Leo and he felt the muscles of

his face rela!ing into a smile.

I was wondering if I can take you out to somewhere" he said, but he knew that his smile

became mischie#ous because Nico narrowed his eyes.

$o where, e!actly% his boyfriend asked.

Ari&ona Leo answered with a gulp.

'e are not doing again the whole (lets go and see the )rague*, just because you wanted to

take apart the astronomical clock.

+ou ha#e to admit it was fun

Nico raised his eyebrow. -eing chased across the ld $own of )rague by a golem is not my

idea of fun.

Leo sighed then he started to e!plain and beg rapidly. $he golem was not part of the plan,

but you lo#ed )rague. And yes, right, its not actually a date, I just really need something from

my fathers junkyard. I e#en ha#e a written permission for taking it. -ut Ill compensate,

okay% Ill bake you cherry crostataand massage you and paint the hall"

Nicos laugh interrupted him. /herry crostata" -ut you are still painting the hall, you#ebeen promising this for weeks.

Leo blew a kiss at him. +ou are the best. Let me grab my stuff and we can go.

+ou just lo#e me for my umbrakinetic abilities Nico shouted after him. 0et my jacket,

too

111

$he ctober wind was cold and dry in 0ila /law, and made Leo hug himself shuddering, but,

funnily, it didnt seem to affect Nico. 2e let go of Leo as soon as they arri#ed and took a few

steps towards the deserted town.

$hat taco place is definitely closed shouted Leo after him, but then he reali&ed what made

Nico curious.

$he inhabitants of 0ila /law came out to see their king. 0rey ghosts floated towards Nico

from the buildings that looked like a touch could collapse them. Leo kept himself together

enough to not freak completely out, and took a few steps closer, to watch Nico. 2e always had

the most mi!ed feelings about Nico being the king of ghosts, because on the one hand he

wanted to be as far as possible from any kind of spirits, especially since one really nasty one

possessed him a few years ago, and hey, simply, ghosts, he thought, you are supposed to be

afraid them. -ut then on the other hand, there was Nico, who stood there, and let the ghosts

come to him, and he touched them, and whispered Latin chants, and the ghosts turned intodust that made the sunshine break into colors from his touch, and it was Leos fa#orite sight,

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the serious, but caring light in Nicos eyes and the kind, reassuring smile that didnt actually

reach his lips but still lingered on his face as he ga#e the spirits their long desired peace. As

the last ghost, a young girl, crumbled into spring sunshine, Nico closed his eyes and he

lowered his hand, and Leo stood ne!t to him in a moment, holding him with one hand.

Are you all right% he asked, and Nico nodded.

$here werent too many, I mean, maybe fifteen, its not that much" 3ust a little water,

please. Leo ga#e him the bottle, and watched Nico drinking half of it, then he offered Nico

some chocolate that Nico took.

'e can stay the night, if you want, I brought sleeping bags Leo offered, but Nico shook his

head.

Nah, Im fine. I can get us back, it was just a bit shocking to shadow tra#el then e!orcise

immediately. 2e took Leos hand and laced their fingers. /ome, lets see that junkyard. I

hope you know where to find that thingy, because it looks endless.

Its a special generator that was built on a workingperpetular motion machine, and its really

awesome, but the actual generator part was broken, thats why 4i#ine 4addy threw it out. It

will work just fine once I get it, youll see, its going to be dreamy. Leo assured Nico. $hey

wandered inside the gates, and soon Leo let go of Nicos because he found some other

machine pieces. 2e felt like he was walking around the scrapped ideas section of 2ephaestus

mind, it was all genius and ama&ing, as he picked up different stuff, magic weapons and

enchanted musical instruments. f course there were regular stuff, like wrecked cars, some

refrigerators, and bad statues, but there were also automatons, impossible machines and

Leonardo da 5incis in#entions, that completely ama&ed Leo. 2e wondered if they e#erworked and if they could ha#e been repaired. 2e could ha#e stay there for years studying

them, and it broke his heart that most of the stuff ne#er meant to work, and some of them

were e#en cursed.

2ey, Leo he heard Nico shouting for him, but he couldnt see the boy, Nico was most

probably a few junk6hills away.

+eah% he shouted back, trying to concentrate on the goal of their trip, the generator, as he

dropped an automaton and put back his screwdri#er into his tool belt.

4oes it e#er rain here% Nicos #oice echoed to him, and it made Leo reali&e that they are

probably further from each other than he thought. Also, what kind of 7uestion was it%

'here are you% Leo shouted back. 2is face was hot with embarrassment because he

practically left Nico wander alone for" yes, for two hours and he didnt e#en get the

generator yet.

Northwest from the entrance, theres" a big wooden cow ne!t to me. I think it was, you

know, it belonged to )arsipha8.

Leo took a glance on the setting sun and started to run towards the direction where he

suspected Nico. After passing fi#e hills he stopped, because he felt like he lost the sense of

Nicos direction.

I hope you stayed still 'ho was this )arsipha% he shouted.

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9till at )arsipha8s cow. Nico yelled back. 2is #oice was closer now. +ou know, she was the

mother of the inotaur. I think this was her" negligee for the big night with its father.

Leos face was burning, and he had to put out a flaming lock of his hair before he started to

run again. 2e turned right after the third hill, and there was Nico leaning to a wooden cow,

just as he said, waiting for him.

:inky marked Leo after he got his breath back from the running, looking in the eye of the

cow. I think our life would be much easier if we didnt know almost e#ery detail of our godly

parents se!ual life.

2e looked at Nico, e!pecting a half6smile but Nicos face was stern.

4oes it e#er rain here% Nico asked him in a low #oice. Leo shook his head.

;irst, we are at the middle of the desert. 9econd, the whole junkyard is enchanted. It pre#ents

stuff from rusting, god knows why.

Nicos face didnt change much from hearing this, but Leo saw that little change in his eyes,

that made him ask< 'hats wrong%

I know where we are Nico cleared his throat. I can feel her.

'ho% Leo asked, but Nico was already running. Leo murmured a curse and summoned his

hammer e!pecting a fight, and run after his boyfriend.

2e caught up soon, because Nico stopped before a gigantic metal arm.

9he must be here. he murmured then pointed at the arm. 'hats that%

Leo looked it up and down. I guess part of a prototype of $alos. 'hy% but Nico was already

climbing across it and sliding down on its thumb. 'hen Leo landed ne!t to him, he was

kneeling, and he had clearly found something.$here was a head in his lap, with long, brown hair, and its broken body, dressed in sil#ery

clothes was on the ground, and Nico was hugging the corpse with clenched fists. Leo knelt

ne!t to him, just to see how unusually shiny his eyes were. 2e placed a hand on Nicos face

and kissed down the silent tears from his eyes.

Let the body go, Nico Leo asked softly as he was unclenching Nicos fingers. $hey lowered

her to the ground= her lightless dark eyes stared at the empty sky. Now, that Leo saw her face

he knew who she was e#en if he ne#er saw the little girl before. 9he looked just like Nico but

with a somewhat softer, kinder face.

$hey said -ianca was lost in a land without rain Nico whispered. $he junkyard preser#ed

her body.

Nico touched her face, -iancas eyelashes fluttered like she was ali#e, then the eyelids closed

on the lifeless eye. Nico arranged her contorted arms and limbs, and it was only a minute, and

-iancas body was laying there like she was only sleeping.

9he was really nice said Leo.

9he was e#en kinder. Nico looked up at him. Im taking her back to Long Island, to the

camp. I want her to ha#e a proper burial.

I pick up the generator and we can go. Leo stood up, and Nico rolled his eye.+ou#e got fi#e minutes.

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Ill be fast as lightning.

'hen he left Nico there, he was stroking -iancas hair, like he must ha#e done while she was

ali#e, and whispered her all the things he ne#er had a chance to tell her. Leo raised his hand

and knocked a message on $alos hand as he walked away, just to let his mother know that he

lo#ed Nico.