White sands and photography....

Nicki winced at his wording of the situation, "Hopefully you don't go after that."
She hoped not. Nicki had just barely managed to slip back into a regular life. If Nic ended up dead... Nicki mentally shuddered.

Nic smiled and hugged Nicki. I'm not going to die anytime soon. I couldn't do that to you. As a second thought to his statement he spoke again. Besides, with my River Styx immortality and the Kevlar vest I should be safe. Most people don't go for the head shot unless they know they will fail. Nicolaus let go of Nicki and held her hand for a few seconds before turning around to look up at the statue of Zeus and wondered how it was he was awestruck by this room so much.

Nicki flashed a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes and a pang of fear hit her in the stomach that she wasn't quite expecting. To hide it she lifted her camera and took a picture, turning her face away from Nic.
She didn't like where this conversation was going so she changed the topic, "How long have you known about this place?"

Nic frowned for a second while trying to remember exactly how long it had been. Giving up, he decided to give the best answer he could come up with. Well when I arrived at Camp I had been confused and tried to find a place where I could go to just be by myself. Yet no matter what I did I couldn't find any place that felt right and so I came back to my cabin and was frustrated. In my anger, I kicked what I thought was a rock but it turned out to be a piece of the bronze that had fallen from the hatch. It hurt, obviously, and so I started searching for the source of the bronze. I came across the hatch and started my exploration of the caverns. It would have to have been a couple months after I arrived so I guess it was close to a year ago. Nic watched Nicki and then felt like the air was suffocating him. It was still hard for him to think about the past since everyone hated him then.

Nicki nodded, "It's a brilliant find. I wonder what demi-god scientists would make of it." She looked around the room again before standing and wandering over to another tunnel that jutted off the throne room.
"What's down there?" She asked, pointing a slim finger and looking back at Nic with her bright blue eyes.

Nic looked across the room and allowed his mind to wander until it came across the information he needed. The layout of the tunnels came into his immediate memory and he circled a couple times to figure out what that particular tunnel was. It was about a quarter of the way around the throne room and hidden behind a pillar with a great painting on it. The tunnel appeared to be just large enough for a large cat to go through and had the vague outline of light coming from within. Nic smiled and walked over to the tunnel. This tunnel leads to the only other exit out of this catacombs. It leads to a clearing in the forest just past the borders of Camp and I have discovered that it comes out in the cellar of an old hunting shack that no one knows about anymore. If we follow it then we will eventually see a set of stone stairs and a large stone door that has the symbol of Olympus carved in it.

Nicki grinned, "Come on then."
She darted down the tunnel, indeed it was a little cramped but herself and Nic would fit. She doubled over and avoided stumbling over a random tree root. She placed her hand on the wall to keep herself from falling flat on her face. Nicki glanced at the boy behind her.
"You okay?"

Nic, being taller and broader shouldered than Nicki, could barely fit through the tunnel at first. He made it in and then the path widened and he was able to move more freely. Yeah, I'm good. He replied and then continued forward. The steps were just ahead and he could tell someone had found the entrance recently. Worry filling his thoughts, Nic drew a dagger and made a small sound much like that of a warning in caution to let Nicki know about the potential danger. Just then the sound of someone or something scrabbling ahead echoed forth and Nic tensed up slightly.

Nicki's hand drifted to her waist and she withdrew a dagger she kept hidden on her person. She slid it out slowly and glanced over her shoulder at Nic, her eyes darkening.
The noise started and then stopped again, the girl's shoulders tensed.

"Don't hurt me please..." The voice quavered and echoed from just ahead while clearly showing that the owner was scared and unsure of their surroundings. Yet, it sounded human instead of Hades-born. Nic lowered his dagger and slowly but cautiously spoke up. My name's Nicolaus Reed, but I'd like to know who you are and why you are in this tunnel. Nic sidestepped through the now wide enough tunnel and walked around Nicki to approach the voice. He made sure to motion for Nicki to sheathe her blade before he continued forward. Just as Nic arrived at the small ledge where he'd thought the voice was from, a small and very thin boy stepped out and watched carefully.

Nicki, with some reluctance, sheathed her dagger and her eyes widened at the small boy.
"Oh my," She said softly. "What are you doing in here?"
She was still suspicious but she still didn't let it show. Was the boy even a boy at all? Nicki stood partially hidden behind Nic.

"I...I'm sorry for being here but I thought there was gold down here and my family has been poor for awhile so I came down here to check for some." The little boy shuddered and looked at the walls that were lined with the precious gems. As he did that, Nic remembered he had found some loose gems and gold before. He handed the boy a pile of gold chunks and several small rubies as well as three large emeralds. Here, this should help some. Nic smiled and watched as the boy took the precious items and ran off for the world outside.

Nicki softened slightly and watched as Nic piled the gold and gems into the boy's grubby hands. Nicki reached up and squeezed his shoulder lightly.
"Are you going to set up a blockade here now? So nobody can get into camp through the tunnels?" She asked this quietly just as the young boy rounded the corner. The girl felt pity for the boy but there was also the suspicion of if the boy's story was true.

Nic watched the boy for a second until suddenly he realized something. That boy was able to see their weapons for what they were. Most mortals could only see what they wanted to see but Nic had been able to tell the boy could see the Celestial Bronze blade. I don't think it would do any good against a demigod. Nicolaus smiled warmly and then pointed at the three different sections of the walls where he had set up alarms for any monsters or mortals. If that had been a monster or a mortal then there would have been a really loud noise here right about now. Besides, did you notice the kid had been able to see that both of us had daggers and not some sort of weapon a mortal would see? I think that kid has been here before and that he knows this isn't just some old mine. Nic walked up the steps and walked out through the now open door. He could tell that they were in the cellar but something was wrong. This building had been renovated and there were now several hi-tech objects in the cellar. He frowned and then examined one of the computer screens closely.

"So you think he was a Hero?" Nicki asked and she she saw the concerned look on Nic's face.
"What is it?" She asked and then noticed what Nic had noticed. The building had been renovated and there were noises above.
Nicki bit her lip and looked at the boy beside her, her facial expression showed she was debating on turning back around. Her eyes darkened slightly.

Nic's frowned deepened even more as he saw what he'd feared would be on the screen. The particular screen he was looking at had several different squares and images but one of them was of the throne room below, and it was angled so that it would be coming from where Nic had set up his cameras. This wasn't just a renovated home, but was actually a spot where someone was watching them. It scared Nic, alot, especially since the other parts of the screen showed different important areas of the tunnels. But one of them was even worse. It was a still image that someone had enhanced and editted to show the image better. Yet it was of him and Nicki kissing in the throne room. Frustrated, Nic started typing in several commands and the images were erased as well as several different alerts popped up that said all history was deleted and the hard drive was wiped. As a last second thought, Nic took out his dagger and slammed it bladefirst into the computer screen to show he'd been there. Withdrawing the blade he took a normal dagger and slid the blade into the cut in the screen. We should go and barricade the entrance. If they knew about us and were tracking the system that well then they have disabled the security mainframe. I have to reconfigure that and we have to keep them out. Nic had several ideas as to who was behind it but he had to get back into the tunnels to find out. The son of Styx turned and walked back down the steps until he was next to a small patch of wall. Flipping out a computer screen, he typed in several commands and the mainframe was back up. With that, he set the computer system to lock the door in ten minutes. He closed the screen and turned to look at Nicki.

Nicki nodded and leaned her head against the wall, listening. She could feel the water pipes beneath their feet.
"When your done I can flood this whole place. But you're going to have to carry me out," Nicki whispered.
Nicki began to barricade the door while Nic worked. Nicki was a strong girl and she was able to do most of the work without help.

Nic smiled slightly and nodded slightly. He honestly didn't want to lose everything down here but really all that mattered was the safety of Camp and the safety of his friends. So he grabbed the laptop on the shelf and slipped it into a bag. Putting all of the security cameras he could into the bag, Nic smashed his fist into the code panel so that no one could bypass the mainframe on this side of the door. Nic slung the bag over his shoulders and walked over to Nicki. "We shouldn't need to flood the tunnels but better safe then sorry.[/color] Nic picked Nicki up and nodded. He walked down the tunnel and heard the system begin to work as every lock in the door slowly closed and then he heard the sound of the bolts being slammed into place. It was sad destroying such a great place but it had to be done.

Nicki tucked her camera into Nic's bag to avoid it getting wet. Then she closed her eyes, somewhere the sound of rushing water sounded and the room began to fill with water. Nicki's face paled at the amount of energy it had cost her.
"Hurry," She said softly, leaning against him. The area began to fill quickly with water. "Stop when we get back to the throne room so I can flood it completely."

Nic moved with a soft footed and quick pace, easily picking his way through the tunnel until he came to the part of the tunnel where it got smaller. The son of Styx sighed and slipped through the tunnel carefully and then came out where the throne room should have been. Instead there was a large crater in the center where the fountain had been. In the crater stood the one person he had not wanted to see, his old training partner, and daughter of Styx. Nic set Nicki down on the highest part of a throne he could reach and tossed the back pack up as well. Nicolaus Reed drew his sword and pointed it at the girl who had been his sister and had refused to tell him until she had nearly killed him. It wasn't like he had no idea he could be immortal to a degree but this girl was able to strip that power from him if she touched his skin. So Nic raised his arm and with his other hand he drew a dagger so she couldn't see him. This daughter of Styx had a major weakness, she couldn't use the power of the river. Why did you destroy this room and spy on us? On second thought, I don't care. You have three seconds to leave before I kill you here and now. Understand, Maria? The girl giggled and then disappeared silently. Nic shook his head and sheathed both blades before helping Nicki down and grabbing the backpack again. Let's go...

Nicki looked at the girl and glowered. Nic set her down on the highest part of the throne of Poseidon. Nicki focused on the water and it erupted into the air filling the room. The water soon rose to Nic's knees and Nicki got onto his back, placing his backpack on her own shoulders.
"This area and the tunnels are now going to fill to the brim," She said tiredly. "Hurry."

Nic nodded in understanding and then took off at a brisk jog. Even the fact that he'd not had to fight Maria didn't help that Nic was tiring quicker than he should have been. Yet Nicolaus was able to get to the first turn of the tunnel and see the light when he felt the water reach his waist. I'm going to have to throw you to the surface. After that, I'll have to swim there. Nic hefted Nicki into his arms again and when he made it to throwing distance, Nic tossed the light girl up into the air and toward the outside air. Then he dove in and swam for his life, since the water was now up to midchest level.

Nicki caught the edge barely missing the water's surface and hauled herself over the edge. She watched anxiously for Nick. True she was exhausted from using her power but if he got stuck in there, she would go back in and change him so he would survive.
"Nic?" She called.

As Nic dove in, his foot caught on a small rock and it caused his ankle to twist and break. Cursing as he broke the surface, the son of Styx dove back under to continue forward yet this time he got stuck in an area where there was no room to maneuver and he had to swim back to the surface but this time there was no air above. In a slight haze from lack of oxygen, Nic turned slowly and swam for a room off to the side. It had a slightly larger roof and enough room for him to get a small breath but then he had to try and get back. Right before he made it to the turn of the tunnel, Nic hit his head and the darkness that had started in from his lack of oxygen fully covered him and Nic was stuck under water.

Nicki looked for him, a minute... two minutes... Nicki dove and the the water had become deep enough that she would be safe. The exhausted girl found him, floating unconscious in the water. Nicki kissed him, taking Nic up in her arms and she tried to turn him into half a fish. She silently pleaded with Triton and Styx.