Monsters

Told you I would have it done soon My spell check is annoying me, it doesn't like Tartarus or undead which sucks when your trying to write PJO fanfics, wait till I have to spell giant names. Ok I have a past bit for you, I'm trying to tie Nico's past in with the present, so tell me how you think that goes. As always thanks for the reviews.

Nico DiAngelo

The length of corridor in which Nico sat was freezing and he hugged his knees to his chest shivering, tears dripping down his face. He was so afraid of what he had done that he almost, almost, wished Bianca were here, she would know what to do. Known he corrected himself, even the skeleton warriors couldn't distract Nico from the crushing pain of knowing he would never again see her, not see her smile, which she did even when she was angry at him. Dropping his head into his knees he tried not to think of how alone he was now, she had been the only family he had. Even though he had been angry and hurt at her joining the hunters at first, since seeing the camp, how everyone had welcomed another newcomer and themselves seeming so happy there, he had begun to let himself hope he could have a solid home for once. Perhaps Bianca wouldn't have been there, but he still could've stayed, if he had been there long enough to make friends for once, he could have been happy, not relied on his sister so much. But now? Percy was probably already telling everyone that he was a disturbing freak, that his sister's death had made him kill those, things, without even lifting a hand.

Nico didn't even feel bad about killing them, was that wrong? They were going to kill him and Percy after all, and they weren't skeletons so weren't they already dead? Nico tried to laugh at himself for attempting to justify him murdering four, whatever they were, but couldn't, a sob escaped instead. Killing them wasn't even the worse part. The worst part was that Percy had been terrified of them, he had run from them, tried to get help. But He hadn't, he was so angry at Bianca's death, that he had not been afraid. Nico was trying to imagine the feeling, it had been strange, almost as though he had stretched out his hand and soul, felt their empty minds, their focused scent; tracking their prey, he had curled imaginary fingers around their… not lives, more their deaths, and had dragged them down. He had known without knowing how, that the crevice he had created in the ground led into Hell, was it Hell? The campers had mentioned it in his short few days at camp half-blood, the underworld they'd called it, Nico supposed it didn't matter what they called it, it was the same thing, the afterlife. Percy had run from the warriors, they were to be feared, they were monsters, killing machines without conscience. They had followed Nico's orders without hesitation, he had felt, once he had hold of them, their own fear. Fear of him. If they were monsters, creatures that bowed to his will, what did that make him?

Nico looked up, he guessed he must have slept for a while because his neck was stiff and his tears had dried although his head still ached from shedding them. It was strange, everything looked different, which direction had he come from? He was sure he hadn't moved but he also would have sworn it was a different corridor. Nico frowned; he'd run from Percy and the camp, gone into the forest and for some reason squeezed through a small gap between boulders, he couldn't remember why, he hadn't been trying to hide, he had somehow known that they had gone somewhere, why couldn't he remember? Then he had ended up in a corridor underground, he hadn't gone far when he had collapsed, crying to the ground, now though, he couldn't see the boulders he had come from, couldn't actually see the end of either side of the corridor. But Nico knew he couldn't stay here forever, he pulled himself up, wiped his face of tear stains, chose a direction and walked. It wasn't long till the ghosts came. He saw the skeletons first, they made him jump as he came across them, but they were laying unmoving on the ground, the couple had clearly been there a while, both where wearing strange multi-coloured t-shirts that he had seen on a few people in the last few weeks, or was it years Percy had said? at the lotus hotel, years would explain the clothing changes, he was pretty sure women didn't used to wear trousers, jeans were new too, Nico was just considering that it was kind of funny that he hadn't noticed before when the chattering started.

It was like talking only without words. Two ghosts, he assumed of the couple on the ground, materialised from the walls, they came towards him, chattering still, waiting for him to answer then coming closer and trying again when he didn't. Nico backed up.

"I don't- I don't understand" There was something behind him, he sensed rather than felt it, he turned, the corridor had suddenly filled with almost a dozen ghosts, most chattering that nonsense, some with their hands stretched towards him, all of them coming towards him. Nico turned back round, they parted as he ran past, but didn't stop coming.

Nico was more afraid now then ever before, afraid of them, afraid of himself. He glanced back; the ghosts had either given up or disappeared back into the walls. He didn't want them coming back again so decided to keep moving. He looked forward again and blinked, what was a straight corridor now split off two ways, he looked back again but the corridor was now a tunnel, no longer walls but mud and the occasional crumbling brick and entirely sealed off. Terrified he would find himself sealed underground to rot like the ghosts Nico ran, and kept running as the walls and floor changed, changing texture, new tunnels appearing ahead, others disappearing as he neared them. He twisted and turned through the corridors for what must have been for hours, till terror and exhaustion overwhelmed him and he tripped over the uneven ground, sprawling onto the bricks before him, he cried out, he sat up, his ankle hurting too much to stand. Nico knew what was coming, even before the chattering started up.

"No" he moaned, scrambling backwards away from them, pain shot through his leg.

They reached out towards Nico, he felt the cold of them.

"You can stop them you know. Make them leave if you so choose my Lord" The voice came from another ghost, this one seemed clearer than the others, human looking rather than a formless shape. And he was looking at Nico with a measure of disdain. "You are the Son of Hades, you can command ghosts, they will obey you."

"I don't want to be obeyed!" Nico knew he sounded hysterical, noticed the way the ghost seemed frustrated with Nico. So he calmed his voice; "Who are you?"

"A ghost unfortunately; King Minos. At your service My Lord, although, if you're not willing to take my advice, then there's not much I can do."

"But I don't want to- wait where are you going? Please don't leave." But the ghost had already left.

Now the ghost king had left the other ghost were circling again, he could feel their cold, their hunger. "Leave me alone!" Nico cried, they dipped their heads almost bowing and shrank back into the earth. They had just been hungry, Nico thought, but they had done his bidding, as he'd asked. Monster. If they were monsters, what did that make him?

Will Solace

Nico was sat crossed legged on his bunk, Will had come to see him, hoping he would talk to him. After the head counsellors meeting Nico had walked out, but everyone else had been in shock, even Chiron had uttered an oath, no one had known what to say to him. Then again, Will didn't either, not that he'd said much at all, after trying to get him to leave with snapping remarks and glares Nico had thrown off the pretence and had gone quiet. Will couldn't help but think how broken down he looked now, but knowing Nico would hate to be pitied he hadn't voiced the opinion.

"Are you going to say anything? You have to talk to someone, especially if your staying." Nico turned to look at him frowning,

"Firstly you're the one who insisted on coming to see me, secondly you're also the one who insisted on me staying, which is temporary by the way, and thirdly no one wants to talk to me, people avoid me."

Temporary? Will wasn't sure why that bothered him so much, he shook it off, "people don't avoid you"

"Yes they do, they're afraid of the things I do, the undead I bring from the underworld, I don't blame them, why wouldn't they be?"

"Because you control them Nico. They are not afraid because they are under your command and you wouldn't let them hurt anyone. I think the only one afraid of you Nico, is you."