The Ghost King
A cold, eerie grin plastered itself on Nico di Angelo's face like paper-maché as he sat on the throne of human bones, placed on the balcony of his castle, which overlooked the Fields of Punishment, Asphodel, and Elysium. The man donned a set of black, ancient Greek armor, all except the helmet, which was set on a side table on his right. His eyes, black as endless chasms, glinted as an evil chuckle crawled up his throat and escaped through parted lips at the mental image of his enemies' spilled blood.
"It is finally time," he muttered to himself. "After all those years of isolation, judgment, and pain… I will finally get revenge."
He and Bianca were at a boarding school in New Hampshire when it had happened. The school was holding a winter ball, with all the students in the cafeteria, when Dr. Bain, the Vice Principal, had called them both aside to have a discussion. The man led the two of them deep into the snowy woods adjacent to the premises, far away from any other people. The man then proceeded to ask them many questions about some place called 'Camp Half-Blood,' and when they didn't answer, he morphed into a giant scorpion-like monster that Nico later learned was called a Manticore. Instantly Bianca had grabbed her little brother's hand and began to weave in and out between the trees. But when Nico tripped over a branch hidden under the snow, the beast was able to catch up with him, and snatch him up in one massive claw. Just as he was about to go for the kill, Nico heard a voice call out, and felt a sword whiz by his head, and imbed itself in the monster's eye. Unfortunately, this was not as effective as Nico had hoped. Dr. Bain, instead of dying, let out a deafening roar, threw the weapon to the ground, and dropped Nico right on his butt. Scrambling back, he felt a hand wrap around his right elbow, and yank him back. Now before him stood a boy with hair as black as he and his sister's. The stranger had on a very brightly colored orange T-Shirt, and now at his side, the very same sword that had just saved him not moments ago. With his sword, the boy made jabs and swipes at their opponent, effectively creating a long gash in the beast's chest, causing it to bellow in pain. Nico's eyes widened when the Manticore then shot three spikes from its long barbed tail, into the ground, which morphed into ten foot tall skeleton-like warriors. Suddenly, one of the warriors raced forward, pushing the boy out of its way and into a nearby tree. Nico felt weightless for a second time, as one of the creatures lifted him off his feet, hands clasped around his throat. His vision started to darken around the edges from lack of oxygen.
"Percy!" came a shout a few feet away. Nico sluggishly turned his head as much as he could, and saw two girls, one with blonde hair wearing the same shirt as the boy who pulled him back, obviously Percy. She carried a small knife. The other girl had short, choppy black hair, and wore a leather jacket, black pants and biker boots, with a bow in her hand and a sheath of arrows strapped to her back. Both had a look of fear and concern at their friend, who was now knocked unconscious. Taking notice of the two other girls, the two skeleton warriors spirted forward, snatching them up quickly and making them drop their weapons. The darkness seemed to close further and further in around Nico's eyes, like a predator stalking its prey, when suddenly, the sound of a bowstring being drawn back was heard, and one by one, each figure dropped to the forest floor. Gasping for breath, Nico glanced around him to see that each of the Manticore's minions had an arrow imbedded in their foreheads. Bianca stood not far away from them, bow still resting on her cheek. She then lowered it, then raced over to Nico, checking for injuries. The other two girls stood up as well, about to make their way over to Percy, when the Manticore was suddenly in their path.
"What brave little children," he hissed at them, licking his lips. "Too bad I'll have to kill you now." But before he could even make a move, the snow underneath their feet melted into water, and levitated to form a massive sphere. Slamming into Dr. Bain, he went flying back twenty feet, impaling himself on the branch of an oak tree. There, where the monster once stood, was Percy himself. He seemed to focus on the water so that it held the monster in place. Then, calmly walking to where the beast was still struggling, impaled it through the heart with his sword. Nico couldn't even think of what to say when he saw the sword condense in on itself to form a pen, which the older boy pocketed easily.
When Nico finally found his words, he asked: "Who are you? WHAT are you? I mean, you just controlled water with your mind!"
Percy then introduced his friends, Annabeth (with the blonde hair), and Thalia (the punk). The three then explained that they were demigods, products of when the Greek Gods came down to earth and had affairs with mortals, and that Bianca and Nico were demigods as well. Percy was the son of Poseidon, Annabeth the daughter of Athena, and Thalia the daughter of Zeus. They were sent to come collect Nico and Bianca, and bring them back to a place called Camp Half-Blood, a place where demigods could be safe away from monsters like the ones they just encountered.
After a few hours of traveling, the five of them finally reached the camp, which was in New York. Once there, a campfire was held, apparently a welcoming ritual for all new campers. Nico sat next to Percy and Bianca, who explained that this was usually when the gods would claim their children as their own. Songs were sung, and overall the event was a fun experience. Nico voiced his thoughts to Bianca of never wanting to leave, and she agreed. But the jovial times were soon interrupted when the flames of the fire grew immensely, turning an angry purple color. The camp Director, Dionysus, then appeared, saying that the goddess Artemis had been captured by enemy monsters.
"Who will volunteer to save her?" he asked. Suddenly, the silver arrow symbol of Artemis appeared over Annabeth, Percy, Thalia, and Bianca's heads.
"It is decided, then. You four shall go on a quest to save Lady Artemis. But be warned, it may be perilous." The gathering ended after that, and on their way back to the bunks, Nico tried his best to convince his sister not to go, for he was concerned for her welfare. When this did not work, Nico went to Percy the next morning.
"I want you to promise you will keep her safe. She's all I have." And he did. Percy said he would do all in his power to protect Bianca. Nico had no doubt that the son of Poseidon could keep his sister safe, what with his amazing powers.
Oh, how he was wrong.
After three months of worrying of his sister's welfare, the group of demigods had finally made it back to camp, successful in their mission. But sadly Bianca was no longer with them. Percy had told him that Bianca was crushed to death, despite his best efforts to prevent that.
"YOU PROMISED ME!" he shouted through his tears. "SHE WAS ALL THAT I HAD!"
A few days later, the camp held a funeral for her, and it was during that that Nico's true parentage had shown. In his grief, the boy was able to summon skeleton. He was the son of Hades, God of Death itself. And now, at seven years old, he was alone.
Once Nico realized that he could not only summon skeletons and zombies, but spirits, he made it his soul mission to see his sister again. When he finally did succeed, Nico remembered her telling him not to be angry, that holding grudges would kill him in the end. So he listened. Forgave the campers. Temporarily. For once the campers knew that Nico was a son of Hades, he was deemed a freak. Feared. Avoided. Ridiculed.
"You're not welcome here!" they would yell at him as he walked by. For six years he was treated similarly. So, at thirteen, he abided their wishes and left. He hid himself away in the recesses of the Underworld, collecting souls for his Father, although to his reluctance, and strengthening his powers. When Nico first arrived at his father's palace, their relationship had been very… rocky, to say the least. The two barely spoke to each other, except for when he was given jobs such as collecting souls, making sure things ran smoothly in the Judgment Hall, and organizing new torture methods in the Fields of Punishment. But although Hades did not share the best of relationships with his only son, he did want him to be as prepared as he could be. So for the next five years, Nico was given the best Greek warriors as mentors, Achilles and Odysseus, who later became the boy's best friends.
By the time the young Greek demigod reached eighteen, he turned powerful enough to be deemed both the Ghost King and Ambassador of Hades. All spirits of his father's domain knew to fear him, for Achilles, a ruthless trainer, had made sure his apprentice was a master in all kinds of weaponry; whereas Odysseus had helped him manipulate his powers so that he could travel through shadows, summon armies with a snap of his fingers, and even draw the souls from mortals bodies with one touch of his favorite blade. Everything was okay. That was until last year.
Nico's knuckles turned white from gripping the arm rest of his throne; his mind down a rabbit hole that drove him to what he was today.
Still at eighteen years of age, Nico was sitting upon the sandy beaches of the River Styx, a river separating the dead from the living, chatting with his two friends, when the Fury Alecto, a faithful servant of Hades, appeared hovering above them.
"My Lord," she rasped as she beat her leathery wings. "There has been a breach on one of the forgotten entrances to this realm; it is not far from here."
At this, Nico glanced up at Odysseus and Achilles, eyebrows quirked up in surprise. Then he put on the façade of a true general.
"Did you happen to see exactly who or what our intruders are?" he asked.
"They seem to be a group of demigods, sir," she answered. "Four of them." At the word demigods, the Ghost King's eye seemed to twitch, but he otherwise kept his face emotionless.
"Very well. Tell my father that the three of us will take care of it," he answered gesturing to the two spirits next to him. With this said, Alecto flew off and Odysseus spoke up.
"Are we to bring weapons, or do you wish to go for a more diplomatic angle?" Having been told of Nico's relations to the other demigods, Achilles grumbled:
"I say we stick 'em where it counts. Show those wannabes what real fighting is."
"Bring swords, but conceal them," was all the two spirits got for an answer before the three began their journey to the secret entrance to 'welcome their guests.'
After thirty minutes of walking along the riverside, the trio finally reached a doorway embedded into the walls on the Underworld, and a stone staircase connecting it to the ground. At the base of said staircase sat for demigods with their backs to their 'welcoming committee.'
Nico side-glanced to his left at Odysseus before he clasped his hands behind his back, squared his shoulders, and cleared his throat.
"It's never smart to turn your back on unknown territory." Instantly the party whipped around, hands on their weapons.
"Relax," he said. "We're not here to harm you, see?" as he held up empty hands like one would to a small child, followed by his two companions. But they were still armed, for all their swords had been concealed very well. Like Percy's pen-sword, Nico and his friends could turn their weapons into everyday objects. One touch of Odysseus' pendant around his neck could turn the charm into its lethal true form. The very same pendants were on both Achilles' bracelet and Nico's ring. The others' weapons were than lowered.
It took a second, but Nico finally recognized them. There were three women, and one man. All seemingly in their early to mid-twenties. One of the girls had choppy light brown hair and the build of a professional wrestler. This was obviously Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares. She was the leader of the group of bullies that had harassed Nico for his small size and odd powers. When they were feeling especially cruel, they would go to the extent of teasing him by saying he had necrophilia. When she saw him, like the others, her eyes widened comically. At this Nico couldn't help let a wry chuckle pass. No longer was he the short, gangly, and awkward thirteen year old they all remembered. He was 6'3 and very well built. His facial features were very well defined and his jaw chiseled just like his father's. Dressed in a Black muscle long-sleeve, black jeans, and biker boots, with his hair no longer shagging in his eyes, he also looked much more confident than he did in the over-sized hoodies he used to wear.
"Nico?" said the man.
Nico turned and saw tanned skin, raven hair, and sea- green eyes, immediately identifying the man as Percy Jackson himself. A girl with blonde hair had pressed herself up against Percy's side, Annabeth Chase. The final girl, Nico deduced, with punk rock clothes and shocking blue eyes, was Thalia Grace. He recognized them both from in the woods all those years ago. Both girls had been involved in Bianca's mission as well. Drawing his attention back to Percy, Nico replied coolly.
"No, I'm the queen! Who else do you know that lives in the Underworld?!" At this he could hear Achilles snicker, and Odysseus roll his eyes. At this Percy seemed unfazed and went on.
"Look, Camp is in really deep trouble. There is a hoard of monsters attacking and we are getting severely overrun. There is a weapon that the children of Hephaestus built that would be able to eradicate them all… but it needs the power of an avenger of Artemis. The only two souls that would qualify is a dead Hunter of Artemis, or a maiden who died while having been tasked to free her; and seeing as all the hunters' spirits go into the sky-"
"We need Bianca's spirit to power the engine." Annabeth suddenly interrupted.
Nico's facial features darkened immensely and the shadows pooled at his feet menacingly. He twisted the ring on his finger.
"Is that all? Will her spirit be okay after?" Nico asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes," the girl lied. "She will be fi-" Nico was about to shout out in rage but was beaten to it.
"YOU LIAR!" Achilles barked, body stiff with anger. "Both Nico and myself know that once a spirit is tied to an object they cannot be returned to peace! You lying brat!"
"Oh yeah?" Annabeth said, suddenly mad herself," And who are you to know something like that?"
"His name is Achilles," Nico spoke softly. "And this is Odysseus. They have been my mentors for the last five years, and are my friends as well. Taught me everything I know. You may have heard of them." The dumbstruck looks on all their faces was priceless.
"You listen here," Clarisse then growled after collecting herself. "You either hand us over that damned soul now or I'm gonna have to persuade you," the woman smirked. "Last time I remember it didn't take much-"she suddenly stopped at the sword tip resting lightly on her throat. Nico stepped in really close. Percy and the others made a move to help Clarisse, but when Odysseus and Achilles drew their swords with twin looks of warning, they stepped down.
"Oh, you can try." Nico whispered in her ear, sending a chill down her sine. "But let's just be reminded of exactly where you are right now, daughter of Ares. I am more powerful than you could even imagine."
"You owe us this, Nico!" Percy then snapped. Person in question then turned his head very slowly to fix him with a death glare.
"I. Owe. You. NOTHING!" He screamed, changing position so the point of his weapon rested instead on Percy's Adam's apple, and cut a thin red line. "You judged me, tormented me and ridiculed me, forcing me to isolate myself at THIRTEEN! You killed my sister, and now you want me to hand her soul over to you so it can be completely destroyed, after finally being able to talk to her, after she is finally at peace! And why, because of a tiny hoard of monsters? BECAUSE I 'OWE YOU SOMETHING?'"
Percy's expression was one of shock.
"Nico, I wish things were different, I do. But there's no other way."
"THERE'S ALWAYS ANOTHER WAY, DAMN IT! That's why I'm saying no." He suddenly whipped around to face the river.
"Go," he whispered. "Get out of my father's realm now before I inform him of your presence. Or I'll take care of you myself. Now." When they didn't move at first, he snapped his fingers, and a skeleton army started crawling out of the ground.
"Now!" And they listened.
It was soon after when Nico discovered the demigods had snuck back in and stolen his sister's spirit from the Isles of the Blessed that Nico finally snapped. Trapped in a stupid war machine forever now, he would never get her back. She was gone for good. He had raged and screamed and demanded that he go and take revenge on those who wronged him. But his father had denied his requests, for he feared that this would result in a war between the gods. Nico's mind was so bent and twisted with grief and rage that he decided to overthrow his father, and led a rebellion in which he succeeded in. Now he was God of Death, and as first action he decided to replenish his ranks with the souls of every demigod alive. Every one of them.
Suddenly Odysseus appeared at his left arm rest.
"My Lord," he said. "The warriors are finally ready. All you must do is summon them and they will appear." Nico looked up at his comrade and smiled.
"Thank you. You may go tell Achilles the troops are to march as soon as summoned." Then, with a twist of his ring, Nico's sword appeared. He took the blade in his hand with the point to the ground, and slammed it into the marble flooring, sending spiraling cracks across the surface.
Then, in the valley below, millions upon millions of skeletons, ghosts, ghouls, and monsters clawed their way up from the dirt, their deafening roars sounding off viciously. The King then stood from his seat, picked up his helmet, and walked toward the railing, and leaned over it slightly.
"MY WARRIORS!" He shouted from above. "WE WILL NOW RULE AS THE LAND OF THE DEAD! YOU WILL FIGHT MERCILESSLY IN MY NAME AND BE SURE TO SUCCEED!" This was met with the rhythmic beating of swords on shields as the crowd shouted
"Όλα χαλάζι το Ghost βασιλιά!"*
The crowd then began to march through the Fields of Asphodel, and to the sandy beaches of the River Styx, which they would cross using shadow travel to surprise the camp.
"Oh Percy," Nico Muttered as he pulled on his helmet. "You paid me two visits. How about I return the favor?" Hysterical laughter of an insane man then escaped him as the first skeleton crossed over, followed by Achilles and the rest of his crew.
They had no reason to fear him before, but now they sure as hell did.
I was originally going to make this a one-shot, but I may do a continuation. Leave a review if you'd like to see how the battle goes between the world of the dead and that of the living! Constructive criticism is also welcomed!
*Means 'All Hail The Ghost King!'