The rest of the weekend went by without much going on. Annabeth and Percy told everyone at camp about the pregnancy, and most were excited for the two. Nico even shadow traveled Hazel over so she could see them for a couple of hours. But the whole thing was too happy for him to spend in it for long.

One book seemed promising on the search for the monster, but half of the page was ripped out and missing. It was an old book, one of the oldest, so it wasn't too odd. But something in him had given up on coincidences long ago.

It was between classes one day when Ron and Harry rushed up to him, out of breath and panting.

"Hermione had this." Harry stuffed a piece of paper in his hand, a paper that looked too much like what that book had looked like. "It's a basilisk. The monster, it's a basilisk. It's been using the pipes."

Nico read over the paper quickly, thankful the English now came easy thanks to Hecate. Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it.

"A basilisk..." Nico whispered. "My sword should work."

"Let's go to the staff room," Harry said, "McGonagall will be there in ten minutes. It's nearly break."

Nico didn't see how they would need a teacher's help but went with them, having promised himself he wouldn't let Harry face danger alone. Not again. And if Harry was set on warning the teachers, Nico would join him.

They got to the staff room to find it empty, no teacher in sight. As they waited for the bell, they soon realized that it would never ring.

"All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please."

"That's McGonagall," Nico moved a hand to his wand. "Damn, I should have gotten my sword. Both of you, stay close to me. That means another attack."

Nico pulled them into the shadows, hiding them as the teachers started to file into the room. Most looked more frantic than usual. Nico was too worried about Harry and Ron staying silent to focus enough to feel everyone's life source.

"It has happened," McGonagall told the other teachers. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself."

"How can you be sure?" Snape asked.

"The Heir of Slytherin," Professor McGonagall answered, "left another message. Right underneath the first one. 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.' "

"Who is it?" Madam Hooch asked. "Which student?"

"Ginny Weasley,"

Nico felt his grip tighten on his brother, who sunk to the floor beside him. Murderous rage spread through Nico for the first time since his encounter with Bryce Lawrence.

"We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow," McGonagall continued. "This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said..."

Lockheart stepped into the room, then, seeming unaware of what was happening. "So sorry - dozed off - what have I missed?"

"Just the man," Snape said. "The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last."

"That's right, Gilderoy," chipped in Professor Sprout. "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"

Nico didn't listen much to them as he tried to think of a plan. As soon as they could, they were going in this chamber and saving Ginny, even if it meant killing this heir. That was his baby sister they messed with. Just as if it had been Hazel, Nico was ready to do anything to get her back.

The teachers eventually left. Nico shadow traveled himself and the two boys to the Gryffindor common room, where they collapsed onto the couches in silence.

Nico stared at the ceiling as he thought, tried to come up with some way to save her. His sword might work against the basilisk, but he wasn't immune to being petrified. And then he knew something else was happening, something else was down there. Voldemort was connected to this, he was sure.

"Nico..." Ron spoke for the first time since they had gotten back. By then, the sun had started to go down. "You're going to help us go get her, right? You've got to."

"Of course I'm going to help..." Nico swallowed thickly before getting up. "I've got to get my sword."

"Is she...still alive?" Ron asked. "You can tell, can't you?"

Nico nodded. "She's alive." He didn't say anything else on the subject as he went to retrieve his sword from his dormitory. They didn't need to know how weak she was. They didn't need to know that she might die, after all.

He came back to find Ron up, his brother meeting his eyes almost immediately.

"D'you know what?" Ron asked. "I think we should go and see Lockhart. Tell him what we know. He's going to try and get into the Chamber. We can tell him where we think it is, and tell him it's a basilisk in there."

"And that will help...how?" Nico asked. "Look, bringing people isn't a good idea. I'm lucky Dominic's terrified or he would have hijacked my shadow travel when I went to get my sword. And Lockhart?Really? He's an idiot."

"But he's who the teachers are sending," Harry shrugged. "So we'll run into him, anyway."

Nico sighed. "Fine."

They went to Lockhart's office and knocked, the sudden noises inside coming to a halt. Lockhart inched the door open and looked out at them. "Oh, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasleys...I'm rather busy at the moment -if you would be quick -"

"Professor, we've got some information for you," Harry said. "We think it'll help you."

"Er - well - it's not terribly -I mean - well - all right -" he opened the door so they could make their way in. Nico looked around the office as they walked in, scowled when he saw the professor had been packing.

"You were just going to leave my baby sister to the monster?" Nico hissed. "You were just going to leave?!"

Harry grabbed his arms to hold him back. "You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher! You can't go now!"

"Well - I must say - when I took the job -" Lockhart muttered, packing again. "Nothing in the job description - didn't expect -"

"Fuck off!" Nico pulled himself away from Harry.

"You mean you're running away?" Harry didn't bother holding Nico back again. "After all that stuff you did in your books -"

"Books can be misleading," Lockhart said.

"You wrote them!" Harry shouted.

"My dear boy, do use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done all those things. No one wants to read about some ugly old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on the front cover. No dress sense at all. And the witch who banished the Bandon Banshee had a hairy chin. I mean, come on -"

"So you've just been taking credit for what a load of other people have done?" Harry asked.

"Not surprising," Nico muttered, clenching his fists. Too much time was going by. Ginny's life source was getting weaker.

"It's not nearly as simple as that. There was work involved. I had to track these people down. Ask them exactly how they managed to do what they did. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them so they wouldn't remember doing it. If there's one thing I pride myself on, it's my Memory Charms. No, it's been a lot of work, Harry. It's not all book signings and publicity photos, you know. You want fame, you have to be prepared for a long hard slog." Lockhart tried to explain. He moved on to his last trunk and closed it. "Let's see, I think that's everything. Yes. Only one thing left."

He pulled out his wand and turned to them. "Awfully sorry, boys, but I'll have to put a Memory Charm on you now. Can't have you blabbing my secrets all over the place. I'd never sell another book -"

Nico moved forward with instincts he only got from his demigod training, cutting the man's wand in half with his sword. "Yeah, I really don't think so."

Harry and Ron pulled their wands out, pointing them at what used to be their teacher.

"What d'you want me to do?" Lockhart asked. "I don't know where the Chamber of Secrets is. There's nothing I can do."

"You're in luck," Harry said. "We think we know where it is. And what's inside it. Let's go."

Nico shook his head in exasperation. "I hate bringing people along." He led them, anyways, making sure to keep his eyes on Lockhart as they went. The halls were empty, the other teachers weren't in sight. It was easy enough getting to Myrtle's bathroom.

"Myrtle, we need to know how you died." Nico spit the words out before the ghost could flee. "Please. You told me before, but I need to know where."

"Somewhere there," Myrtle pointed to the sink that Dominic had leaned on many times in the past. Nico felt the realization sink in.

"He's such a fucking psychic." Nico moved toward the sink and looked it over, smiling in victory when he saw the tiny snake carved into the side of the faucet. "Harry, come look at this."

Harry stepped forward, making sure to keep a wand pointed at Lockhart. "The mark of Slytherin?"

"Try to say something in Parseltongue," Ron offered.

Nico looked to Harry, who seemed to be concentrating. After a few English mistakes, the snake language finally slipped from those lips.

At the command, the sink sunk into the floor and out of sight. A pipe remained in sight, large enough to look like a discarded slide.

Nico gripped his sword, got ready to slide down. "Are you ready?"

"Well, you hardly seem to need me," Lockhart broke in. "I'll just —"

Nico kicked him into the pipe, making sure he went down before looking to Harry and Ron. "Who's next?"