The battle was a nightmare. It was too horrible, too awful to be anything else. The air smelled of death in a way that shouldn't be possible and the sounds were so terrible they couldn't be real. And yet, as Nico desperately fought his way forward, it was.

The conclusion to the Giant War was worse than any battle in the Titan War. Both sides, demigod and monster alike, lost more than could be counted. Blood and tears stained the soil of the ancient land, and despair saturated the air.

Nico ignored the destruction around him and steadily progressed toward his goal. In front of him towered a monolith, its stone smooth and black. At the top sat a round meteorite that was glowing slightly, and it was toward this rock that Nico made his way. Many times some mythological creature stuck at him with a blade, but each time the son of Hades waved his hand and a skeleton rose to defend him. He couldn't waste time fighting foot soldiers. His task was urgent.

Nico didn't know how long it was before he reached his destination. Time was immeasurable when every moment could mean the loss of a life. He had fallen into a trance of running and dodging when he suddenly stumbled to a confused halt.

There was no one around him. He had broken through the last line of Gaia's army, but he was still many yards away from the meteorite that held the key to the war. It should have been guarded until the last foot, not left alone in an empty ring. Nico glanced around and stepped forward. Behind him, an empousa hissed a warning.

"Go no further, Nico Di Angelo. Rejoin the battle, do not die a useless death. Fight me and perhaps you will meet your end with honor." Nico whipped around and glared. The goddess Hecate was the mistress of the empousai, yet still many fought for Gaia against her. This was one such traitor. On principle Nico summoned a skeleton to send the monster back to Tartarus before continuing his journey forward.

It was five seconds after that when Nico realized his mistake. The area surrounding the monolith was not as empty as he thought. Around the base, staring at him with an expression akin to a cat watching a mouse, was coiled a giant serpent.

"I am Python, nemesis of Apollo, son of Gaia. Do you dare to challenge me, godling?" The voice was not spoken but rather whispered, vibrating through Nico's body. "I hope you do. I would love to spread my poison in your veins, love to watch you scream and beg as you die."

Nico recalled a lecture from Annabeth about Python. "The giant serpent was appointed to guard the Oracle of Delphi by Gaia. Apollo slew the beast when claiming the shrine. He used arrows, of course. Not just because the bow is his weapon, but because even a god could have been harmed by Python's fangs. He's a drakon, Nico. Far older and more dangerous than the one Clarisse killed."

She had looked at him then, grey eyes serious. "If you ever come across Python, no matter how powerful you think you are, don't fight him. You won't win."

The boy closed his eyes for a second, overwhelmed by the task before him. He knew he could not fail or the consequences would be immense. And yet how could he, only a teenager, be expected to do this?

Nico remembered Percy's sacrifice, falling into Tartarus to close the gates of death. Percy and Annabeth had survived and returned successful. If they could do that, then he could do this. He would do this.

Nico felt power pool in his veins and attacked.

Any armor had long been discarded. The metal was either corroded or damaged beyond repair in some other way. Nico was lucky that his sword was Stygian Iron, otherwise his blade would have also been eaten by Python's poison.

As it was, he had a feeling that he was being played with. The serpent seemed more amused than hurt when Nico landed a blow, and Nico knew that the drakon could have swallowed him easily.

Nico had used skeletal warriors in the beginning, but that tactic soon proved unhelpful. The bones were easily melted by the drakon's poison, and large groups were simply swept aside with a strike of the tail. The only thing that they did manage to do was drain Nico's energy, so he quickly abandoned that idea.

Nico jumped as Python's tail whipped under his feet. A stream of acid shot past him and he swore as his skin burned where a few drops landed. The demigod dropped into a roll, ducking under Python's striking head, and brought his sword up under the reptile's neck. The blade bounced off a group of hard scales and Python laughed in a weird choking hiss.

"Do you give up? Do you see how hopeless your situation is? You can not kill me. No mere mortal has ever bitten me with their blade, and you will not be the first. How many of your people have died by giant hands while you attempt this useless endeavor? All who you care for must surely be dead!"

With a sinking feeling in his gut Nico tried to ignore the snake's words. But try as he might, Nico could not dismiss the small grain of truth in them. It had to have been at least an hour since he had begun to fight Python, and in that time he had made no progress toward the stone. Many could have perished in that time, including his friends. He had to end this now.

When Python once again lashed out at him Nico jumped into the monolith's shade. He shadow traveled behind Python's head and brought his blade down as hard as he could. His sword slipped off hard scales and did no real damage, but the snake did still for a moment in surprise. Another second later and Python had flipped Nico off of his back and pinned him to the ground with a thick coil.

"I am done playing. Here, this hour, this day will be your end. Know that your death was pointless." Python reared back, about to sink his fangs into Nico's flesh, when a voice infused with power rang out.

"Pausa!" Python froze and Nico desperately wriggled out from where he had been stuck. Hecate, a goddess that Nico had become close to, stood with her hand outstretched. Through gritted teeth she growled "Destroy the meteorite. I will deal with Python."

Nico hesitated. Hecate was powerful, but not as powerful as Apollo. Already Python was starting to twitch, breaking free of her spell. "Go, child! That stone is more important than me!"

Nico launched into motion and started to climb the imposing rock structure. He drew out his knives and stabbed them into the rock above his head. Quickly, he pulled himself up and repeated the action. Nico's muscles were screaming by the time he hoisted himself over the monolith's edge to stand on the stone structure.

In front of him sat the meteorite, its appearance surprisingly ordinary for something so important. Nico spared himself a moment to reflect on the irony of Gaia using an object from outer space as the physical manifestation of her power. He would have expected it to be something more along the lines of a diamond or ruby. The moment passed, and Nico swung his sword at the rock with all his strength.

As it shattered a blast of power was released, knocking Nico off the tall structure. He hit the ground with a sickening thump next to the still bodies of Hecate and Python.

A battlefield away Gaia had taken human form. Mounds of bodies surrounded her, all victims of her blades. Demigods fought her on all sides, shouting insults and threats, but in their eyes she could see that they had accepted defeat. Gaia swung her wicked sword, cutting down many in one stroke, and then paused in alarm.

Something was wrong. Someone was… someone was near her power source. In a panic she disengaged the young heroes she was fighting and gathered herself to teleport. She wasn't fast enough. Agony rushed through Gaia's veins and she screamed.

When Gaia felt the stone destroyed she knew she had lost. The meteorite was like the Olympian's thrones, and now that it was gone she was fading. She flickered once and turned translucent. For a second, the once powerful goddess looked like a ghost. She made one last desperate attempt to kill the demigods she was fighting, but her sword and hand passed through them. Gaia flickered one final time, her expression one of despair, and then disappeared.

The demigods, who a little while ago had thought they were going to die, looked on in astonishment. Those who Gaia had resurrected were dead once more, and the last few enemies were easily killed without their mistress to command them. In a matter of minutes the second Giant War was won.

Nico couldn't breathe. His vision was blurred and his ribs felt broken. A horrible ringing filled his ears and he coughed painfully. Blood dribbled down his chin.

"Shh, Nico. Breathe." A warm feeling crept down from his head, expanding through out his body. The pain faded away and Nico realized that there was a hand on his forehead.

"Hecate?" Nico tried. It came out as a jumbled slur. A soft voice laughed above his head.

"Take it easy. You just won the Second Giant War, after all." Nico tried to ask a question, but the minor goddess hushed him. She got the gist of it anyway and replied.

"You destroyed Gaia's power source. She's gone. Your friends have defeated the rest of her army and are now caring for the wounded." A gentle face swam into focus. Hecate had a small smile and was literally glowing from the healing magic. "You'll be happy to know that the seven you came here with are all fine. A bit banged up, perhaps, but alive." Nico made another questioning noise.

"I got in a lucky blow. Python is dead."

Python was very much not dead. The serpent was paralyzed from Hecate's magic but was slowly regaining the ability to move. Mentally the monster shrieked his grief over the destruction of his mother and his rage over the victory of his nemesis. His thoughts were feral and wild, but one thought did stand out clearly.

"The demigod did this. The one that smelled of death and the Underworld. This is his fault."

Slowly, born from the turmoil of fury and anguish in his mind, a plan was formed by the giant drakon.

One moment Hecate was hovering over him, healing and comforting, and the next she was arched backwards, a silent scream torn from her lips. Nico could only watch in horror as a white fang pierced though her stomach. A black substance, different from the green venom Python had shot at him earlier, crawled across the goddesses and sank into her skin.

The fang was retracted and a voice Nico thought he would never have to hear again hissed, "I swear by the River Styx you will pay for your actions today, demigod. You will be torn from your family and friends, you will be taken from all that you love. And then you will suffer as your world crumbles. Remember, young hero," the tone turned mocking, "that this is my doing. I am the reason you will long for death, and I am the reason for your troubles. But also remember, son of death, that this would never have happened if your own actions didn't demand punishment!"

Nico barely had time to register Hecate's eyes turning black before the ground opened up beneath him. Words infused with power sounded in his head, bitter and full of hate, echoing in Hecate's voice.

But Hecate had always treated Nico gently as if he were her son, and any spell that Nico had ever heard her cast was spoken softly. This spell was shouted violently, and Nico felt the magic sting his skin as if it were attacking him. Fear overtook him, and Nico passed out.

When he woke up, Nico was staring at a strange sky, completely alone.

A women hurried down a blank corridor, a forced expression of calm fixed on her face.

"Director Fury… we have a problem."

A/N: I think I went a little overboard on the line breaks. Oh well. I would also like to apologize for any spelling and grammatical errors, I am convinced they are multiplying behind my back.