What I did not expectwas for someone tostop me.
She hit me over the side, what got me flying and I hit the wall.
I was seeing double. Who would have imagined that this could happen!
I turn over to see my attacker. She was a fourteen maybe fifteen years old when converted, she's obviously a vampire. She had black hair and her eyes were red, could be a newborn or, if not, she just had passed that stage.
She looked at Nico, worried, checking his wound but why hasn't she killed him yet?
"B-bianca?" he stuttered "Is it really you?" He was in shock, as if he was seeing a ghost or…maybe she should be one.
Bianca didn't respond, I don't think she has the air to do it or the willpower. She turned to me, growling, glaring at me. I held up my hands in surrender.
Luke, like Nico, was in shock, Annabeth too and the redheaded girl looked confused. I heard Annabeth say, "Impossible ..." Yep, she should be dead. Someone should have turned her before she died and, because we are not what you say "alive", Nico can't feel whether or not she's in the Underworld.
"What is happening here?" Antaeus shouted "Luke Castellan, if they won't fight I won't give you permission to pass my territory!"
"I…" Luke shook his head and turned to look at Bianca "How comes that you are alive? The metallic giant killed you!"
Meanwhile I was trying to will the water in the air to cure Nico's wound. Luke began to do something, don't know what, and pointing at the guards. Wait, pointing at the guards? That means…!
Too late, half on Luke's monster army had entered through the doors. A dracaena took Nico away, Bianca tried to stop her but the monsters were stopping her from doing it. They attacked us (me and Bianca) and trapped us but not without losing dozens of them. They literally had to drag us to the cells. The dragon woman took Nico to where Annabeth and the redheaded girl were.I reallyhave to learnher name, I thought.
"Nico!" Bianca shouted, desperately. She tried to break the door but they wouldn't move an inch.
"It's no use" I said.
"This is your fault!" she snapped
"No, is yours, if you hadn't stop me-"
"I wouldn't have let you do it!"
"Why not?"
"Because he is my brother!"
"Oh" so that's why she didn't killed him. Nico was left next to Annabeth and… the other girl; the Laistrygonian let Annabeth go and both of them (Annabeth and the other girl) rushed over to help Nico. Annabeth gave him some nectar and his wound close.
"Round two!" Antaeus yelled. "And this time, no interruptions. OR ELSE!"
The dracaena took Nico again and put him in the middle of the arena, again.
The gates in our right opened, and this time a young warrior came out. He was a little older than Nico, about sixteen. He had glossy black hair, and his left eye was covered with an eye patch. He was thin and wiry so his Greek armor hung on him loosely. He stabbed his sword into the dirt, adjusted his shield straps, and pulled on his horsehair helmet.
"Who are you?" Nico asked.
"Ethan Nakamura," he said. "I have to kill you."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Hey!" a monster jeered from the stands. "Stop talking and fight already!"
The others took up the call.
"I have to prove myself," Ethan told him. "Only way to join up."
And with that he charged. Their swords met in midair and the crowd roared. Bianca was nervous for her brother, he was weaker than before and, with the shock of meeting his sister again, he was distracted. Ethan pressed forward. He parried Nico's strike and almost slammed him with his shield, but Nico jumped back. Ethan slashed. Nico rolled to one side. They exchanged thrusts and parries, getting a feel for each other's fighting style. Nico tried to keep on Ethan's blind side, but it didn't help much.
He'd apparently been fighting with only one eye for a long time, because he was good at guarding his left.
"Blood!" the monsters cried.
Ethan glanced up at the stands. That was his weakness, I realized. He needed to impress them. Nico didn't.
Ethan yelled an angry battle cry and charged Nico, but he parried his blade and backed away, letting Ethan come after him.
"Boo!" Antaeus said. "Stand and fight!"
Nico had no trouble defending, even without a shield.
Ethan was dressed for defense—heavy armor and shield—which made it very tiring to play offense. Nico was a softer target, but he also was lighter and faster.
The crowd went nuts, yelling complaints and throwing rocks. They'd been fighting for almost five minutes and there was no blood.
Finally Ethan made his mistake. He tried to jab at Nico's stomach, and Nico locked his sword hilt in his and twisted. Ethan's sword dropped into the dirt. Good move.
Before Ethan could recover, Nico slammed the butt of his sword into his helmet and pushed him down. His heavy armor helped Nico more than him. He fell on his back, dazed and tired. Nico put the tip of His sword on his chest.
"Get it over with," Ethan groaned.
"He won't do it" Bianca said
"What?" I asked
"Kill him, Nico wouldn't kill a fly"
"He looks deathly enough to me" I joked
"Just look" Bianca replied.
Nico looked up at Antaeus. His red face was stony with displeasure, but he held up his hand and put it thumbs down.
"Forget it." Nico sheathed his sword.
"Told you so" Bianca said
"Don't be a fool," Ethan groaned. "They'll just kill us both."
Nico offered him his hand. Reluctantly, he took it. Nico helped him up.
The monsters grumbled in the stands. Antaeus looked around, and apparently realized he had no choice. He couldn't say no without looking like a coward.
"I am the greatest wrestler in the world, boy," he warned. "I have been wrestling since the first pankration!"
"Pankration?" Nico asked.
"He means fighting to the death," Ethan said. "No rules. No holds barred. It used to be an Olympic sport."
"Thanks for the tip," Nico said.
"Don't mention it." I chuckled.
The redheaded girl was watching Nico with wide eyes. Annabeth shook her head emphatically, the Laistrygonian's hand clamped again over her mouth. Again, I growled.
Nico pointed his sword at Antaeus. "Winner takes all! I win, we all go free. You win, we die. Swear upon the River Styx."
"He wants to die" I said
"No, he can do it" Bianca told me
"What is he going to do?" I asked sarcastically "Swing from the chains and tie Antaeus with them?"
Antaeus laughed. "This shouldn't take long. I swear to your terms!"
He leaped off the railing, into the arena.
"Good luck," Ethan told Nico. "You'll need it." Then he backed up quickly.
Antaeus cracked his knuckles. He grinned, and I saw that even his teeth were etched in wave patterns, which must've made brushing after meals a real pain.
"Weapons?" he asked.
"I'll stick with my sword. You?"
He held up his huge hands and wiggled his fingers. "I don't need anything else! Master Luke, you will referee this one."
Luke smiled down at Nico. "With pleasure."
Antaeus lunged. Nico rolled under his legs and stabbed him in the back of the thigh.
"Argggh!" he yelled. But where blood should've come out, there was a spout of sand, like Nico had busted the side of an hourglass. It spilled into the dirt floor, and the dirt collected around his leg, almost like a cast. When the dirt fell away, the wound was gone. How will he kill him, if doesn't get hurt when he stab him?, I thought
Antaeus charged again. Nico dodged sideways this time and stabbed him under the arm. The blade of his sword was buried to the hilt in his ribs. That was the good news. The bad news was that it was wrenched out of Nico's hand when the giant turned, and Nico was thrown across the arena, weaponless. Bianca wasn't worried at all.
"Didn't you want him to survive?" I asked
"Yes" she answerd
"So, why aren't you worried?"
"Just watch"
Antaeus bellowed in pain. I waited for him to disintegrate. No monster had ever withstood a direct hit from a sword like that, well except for vampires. The celestial bronze blade had to be destroying his essence. But Antaeus groped for the hilt, pulled out the sword, and tossed it behind him. More sand poured from the wound, but again the earth rose up to cover him. Dirt coated his body all the way to his shoulders. As soon as the dirt spilled away, Antaeus was fine.
Oh, I get it! Since he is son of Gaea, he wouldn't get hurt as long as he was touching the ground.
"I was right…" I whispered
"About what?" Bianca asked
"When I said that he would Swing from the chains and tie Antaeus with them"
"Well, that's a good plan" she smiled
"Now you see why I never lose, demigod!" Antaeus gloated. "Come here and let me crush you. I'll make it quick!"
Antaeus stood between Nico and his sword. Desperately, Nico glanced to either side, and caught Annabeth's eye. It seemed that he realized the thing about Antaeus too.
Nico tried to skirt around him, but Antaeus anticipated his move. He blocked Nico's path, chuckling. He was just toying with him now. He had him cornered.
Nico looked up at the chains hanging from the ceiling, dangling the skulls of his enemies on hooks. I grinned.
Nico went to the other side. Antaeus blocked him. The crowd jeered and screamed at Antaeus to finish him off, but he was having too much fun.
"Puny boy," he said. Nico was trying to get his sword.
Nico charged straight ahead, crouching low so he could roll between his legs again. While Antaeus was stooping, ready to catch Nico like a grounder, he jumped for all he was worth—kicking off his forearm, scrambling up Antaeus' shoulder like it was a ladder, placing his shoe on his head. Antaeus did the natural thing. He straightened up indignantly and yelled "HEY!" Nico pushed off, using Antaeus' force to catapult him toward the ceiling. Nico caught the top of a chain, and the skulls and hooks jangled beneath him. He wrapped his legs around the chain. I laughed. Then, he drew his sword and sawed off the chain next to him. The sword is magic, I thought.
"Come down here, coward!" Antaeus bellowed. He tried to grab Nico, but Nico was just out of reach.
Hanging on for dear life, He yelled, "Come up and get me! Or are you too slow and fat?" That was lame. He need to work in his insults.
Antaeus howled and made another grab for Nico. He caught a chain and tried to pull himself up. While he was struggling, Nico lowered his sawed-off chain, hook first. It took him two tries, but finally he snagged Antaeus's loincloth.
"WAAA!" Antaeus yelled. Quickly Nico slipped the free chain through the fastening link on his own chain, pulled it taut, and secured it the best he could.
Antaeus tried to slip back to the ground, but his but stayed suspended by his loincloth. He had to hold on to the other chains with both hands to avoid getting flipped upside down. I prayed the loincloth and the chain would hold up for a few more seconds. While Antaeus cursed and flailed, Nico scrambled around the chains, swinging and cutting like he was some sort of crazed monkey. Awesome.
Nico made loops with hooks and metal links. In a couple of minutes the giant was suspended above the ground, hopelessly snarled in chains and hooks. Nico dropped to the floor, panting and sweaty. His hands were raw from climbing.
"Get me down!" Antaeus demanded.
"Free him!" Luke ordered. "He is our host!"
Nico grab his sword. "I'll free him."
"NO!" Bianca and I yelled at him.
But it was too late, He stabbed the giant in the stomach. Antaeus bellowed, and sand poured out, but he was too far up to touch the earth, and the dirt did not rise to help him.
Antaeus just dissolved, pouring out bit by bit, until there was nothing left but empty swinging chains, a really big loincloth on a hook, and a bunch of grinning skulls dancing above me like they had finally had something to smile about.
"Di Angelo!" Luke yelled. "I should have killed you long ago!"
"You tired," Nico reminded him. "Let us go, Luke. We had a sworn agreement with Antaeus. I'm the winner."
He did just what I expected. He said, "Antaeus is dead. His oath dies with him. But since I'm feeling merciful today, I'll have you killed quickly."
He pointed at Annabeth. "Spare the girl." His voice quavered just a little. "I would speak to her before—before our great triumph." Don't try to do anything to her you little…
Every monster in the audience drew a weapon or extended its claws. They were trapped. Hopelessly outnumbered.
Nico took out a whistle of his poket and blew. It shattered into shards of ice, melting in his hand.
Luke laughed. "What was that supposed to do?"
From behind him came a surprised yelp. The Laistrygonian giant who'd been guarding Annabeth flew past Nico and smashed into the wall.
"AROOOOF"
The empousa screamed as a five-hundred-pound black mastiff picked her up like a chew toy and tossed her through the air, straight into Luke's lap.
A Hellhound snarled, and the two dracaenae guards backed away. For a moment the monsters in the audience were caught completely by surprise.
"Let's go!" Annabeth yelled at Nico and the other girl. "Heel, Mrs. O'Leary!"
"The far exit!" The redheaded girl cried. "That's the right way!"
"Wait!" Nico stopped
"Nico, C'mon we have to go" Annabeth said
"We have to free Bianca"
"But-" But Nico was already coming to our cell.
"Nico" Bianca said "Go!"
"I won't leave you this time"
"I-"
"I won't change my mind, you know that" He broke the lock of the door with his sword. "Come"
"No"
"Why not?"
She couldn't answer, but I said "Because if she goes I'll have to go too"
For a moment, he looked scared, but then he said "Fine"
Bianca looked at me with pleading eyes "It will be fine" I said
She sighed and put Nico on her back, he looked surprised "How did you-"
"Don't ask" Then she ran through the doors.
I took Annabeth and the other girl and ran too.
..Chapter. I've ever done! Review,please!