Once he got over the initial shame of having been captured, the Son of Hades was beginning to regret his little mission. He had been so confident, so sure that all he needed was himself that he never once pondered the very plausible situation that he'd need help. He was fueled by the desire to prove himself as he was time and time again. Where did that leave him? Even he wasn't sure.
There was no darkness at all. Nothing. The walls were white, the lights were white. Even his garments had been exchanged for white linen. It was brilliant really, what better way to trap the shadow traveler? Gaea was clever for an annoying, sleeping Goddess. He felt foreign even in his own skin. Who was he without the darkness? Just another pathetic soul that didn't even have the luxury of death. Guilt filled his aching chest over the thought. This wasn't just about him anymore. Someone was waiting for him.
"Son of Hades," there was a maliciously chuckle that went with the greeting that did anything but greet the demi-god. The doors that let the rigid figure of Nero into the domain had quickly closed, leaving the part Titan alone with his prey. Nico could admit, the old Emperor of Rome freaked him out. His raw power was inhumane and even un-Godly. Nero was his own being. Dark optics ignored how odd the demi-titan looked in his white attire and instead lingered over to the marking on his arm. SPQR where shown proudly, the mark of Apollo right next to it. Whoever the person that body might have been before Nero, Nico felt sorry for him. "Well, you are a prize aren't you. I hear you've been giving some of my guards a hard time." Nero stroked his chin with his index finger and thumb, finding the mere presence of the younger amusing enough. "They've drawn you're blood many times and yet you still put up a fight and for what? A silly little trinket around your neck? If only your sword would have been shown that kind of passion. Then maybe my forces wouldn't have so easily over powered you."
"Are you hear to taunt me?" Nico spat with vice. He could suddenly feel a warm spot on his chest, a spot that filled him with enough hope and fight to continue on in his prison. The two sun stones latched onto what were suppose to be the eyes of the skull pendant around his neck did little to light the white room but that didn't mean he couldn't still feel them. It was a gift from Anya and his only connection to the girl he needed to get back to. He missed her warmth, her light, and laugh. All he was left with was the memory of how she felt in his arms. Suddenly anger began to fill him. The nerve of Gaea and her followers to keep Nico di Angelo from the life he had worked so hard to acquire. He stood in his place, eyes filled with enough hatred to kill with a glance if they possessed such an ability. For a moment, even Nero faltered at the fear and hatred the demi-god was radiating. Given the right incentive, it was enough to even rival Hades himself.
"You can calm yourself, Nico di Angelo and know your place." It was obvious that it had taken Nero a moment to regain his composure. "That little trick is rather annoying. You don't want to annoy me, do you?" A hungering glint appeared in Nero's eyes, hoping that it would be exactly what Nico wanted. He had been given orders not to kill the demi-god, to keep him alive, but there was more than one way to kill someone without actually causing them death. "You know," he moved forward nonchalantly, as if he and Nico were old friends. The closer he got the more rigid Nico got. " For someone who claims to feel so alone you surround yourself with a lot of... incentive?" The next moment passed in a blink of an eye. Nero lunged but Nico had ducked just in time and in one swift movement he kicked his leg under Nero, knocking him off balance. Just when he was about to distance himself Nero had gotten to his feet, fingers entangling themselves around the locks of Nico's hair which had grown in his time in this confinement, just enough to become a weakness. That didn't stop Nico's senses from going into overdrive. He forced his elbow back and felt it meet with his opponents gut. The fact that Nero didn't think it necessary to show up to Nico's white prison without armor only proved how underestimated the Son of Hades was.
The spot in his chest grew hot, reminding him of the high stakes. He bent forward with enough force to send Nero over his back flying. If only that would have been enough. Nico pounced, dropping as much of his upper body weight into his forearm which was digging into Nero's neck. He struggled to breath, giving Nico enough time to grab the dagger strapped to the old Emperor's hip and-
...too late.
This mustn't have been the first time Nero was caught off guard. When he grabbed the dagger there was little Nico could do at that point. The last thing he heard was, "Python's leave such painful scars!" Before the sharp blade pierced his right shoulder. The pain was unbelievable, almost as bad as the original wound. His heart raced, beating faster and faster once Nero ripped the dagger out and smirked. "Oh, you're fun. I'll give you that. Not many Greeks know how to be entertaining in a fight. Though I can't really blame you. Not your fault you were born a less superior being." He shrugged, using his free hand to lift Nico from the collar of his shirt. "What? No witty come back now?" He sheathed the dagger, his eyes moving from the pale demi-god's face over to the bleeding wound. His face brightened as an eyebrow shot up in amusement. "Does the son of the Underworld fear death I wonder? Hmm... maybe not his own."
Nico threw his head forward, head butting his opponent and pulling away from his grasp. He staggered to the nearest wall, breathing heavily not because of the loss of blood but because of the pain that burned in the wound of his shoulder. If only he could just rip his arm off, surely that would be less painful than this. "Keep fighting," Nero broke the silence by following the suggestion with an amused chuckle. "I may not have orders to kill you but your sisters? You're friends? I can do whatever I want with them. Hell, with Gaea keeping the doors open I could kill them every day for the fun of it." He wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, exchanging a cold stare with Nico. "But I think I'll keep your girlfriend as a prize. That is, if Hyperion doesn't have plans for her already. He does like finding ways to piss Apollo off after all." That fact was obvious by the choice of body the Titan presented to Nero. Despite the minor injuries, this fight had been fun for Nero. His colleagues were so boring sometimes, he didn't even care that Nico's blood had stained his clothes. "Heh. This... the Mighty Ghost King." They were the last words he heard from the maniac before his vision blurred, before everything went black.