I turned towards Nico and caught him looking at me again. This had to be at least the third time I caught him. Izzy had left to go get Lucas, and Holly and Katy were talking down by a gurgling creek, not listening to anyone but themselves, so took that as opportunity to talk to him.
"OK, seriously. This is the third time I have caught you looking at me. I am sorry about sister ok? There isn't anything I can do about not your sister."
"Aren't you supposed to not talk?" he said to me aggressively.
"No, but aren't you supposed to keep your eye ahead for attackers?"
Silence.
'"True." And I looked in his eyes they were the same ones I saw every time I looked in the mirror.
"Im sorry I ever even thought she was you. It's impossible for to be alive now. She died-"
"Near Las Vegas. I know, Percy Jackson told me. Do you know him?"
This was the wrong thing to say, because suddenly his eyes went as cold as steel and he turned away. Suddenly a figure burst into the clearing.
" I found him!" Izzy called , dragging all long a half asleep Lucas by his wrist." He was-" her voice stopped suddenly she felt the cool tip of a sword pointed into the small of her back.
"It me!" Izzy said.
"Oh yah! Sorry!" Nico said and quickly withdrew.
" why the heck were you not at the beefing?!" I asked him incredulously. He was dressed lazily in a assorted battle armor, a camp half blood t-shirt, and two-size-to-large army cargo pants exposing grape-patterned boxer shorts, a view I did not need to see.
"I waz sleepin'. Too lazy." He said, then yawned and yanked his hand out of Izzy's."Waz the plan?"
"Guard the base."
"but-"
" I don't have a weapon. I know. All I know is a transport spell. But at least I showed up!" I said in defense. "So… where is your weapon ?"
"Right here." He said , and casually pulled out a stinking pistol from his waistband.
"Where did you get that?!"
"My old pops gave it to me. Its modified to shoot celestial bronze. Speaking of, I am going back to sleeping." He said lazily and left to walk over to a patch of soft-looking moss by the riverbank. Nico walked over towards him in a haze of p-ed-offness. This time though, izzy didn't intervene, and I sure as heck didn't either. He looked like was about to throw down some Lucas butt.
"What do you think you are doing?" Nico said threatingly.
"Laying down? Did you not hear me? Are you deaf?" Lucas said.
That kid needs to stop. He is going to get pounded. He has no idea who he just p-ed off. Majorly.
"Pardon. I must not of heard you correctly." he said, giving Lucas a second chance. Take it! "What do you think you are doing?"he repeated, his face a few inches from Lucas's.
"LAYING DOWN YOU J-"he started, but Nico pushed him into a tree, shaking even the highest of branches. i tried to stop him, but Izzy held me back ,but it screamed at her to let me go and stop Nico. She said I was her friend and would never let me get hurt.
"I have gone to tartarus and back. I helped defeat Gaea in the war. I shadow traveled the Athena Parthenos across the world. My sister- he took a deep breath and stared at me fighting Izzy to stop him-died fighting and was born into a new life. I don't like slack-offs. Are you going to defend this flag like a soldier, or monkey-around like a weak willed-"
"Nico! Stop!" I yelled, fighting Izzy's iron grip. "please." I said in a whisper. He realesed Lucas and he slipped down the rough park of the tree.
"Oh. By the way. Pistols are for cowards. Only fitting you would have one.' He said and turned his back on him shaking his head and walked away. As soon as Nico's back was turned, Izzy realized my hand and Lucas shot to his feet. Grape vines shot from the ground like weeds and formed into woven warriors. His eyes were now a royal purple unlike his usual green. He slowly raised his hand and pointed at Nico. One warrior charged forward. I screamed "WATCH OUT!" he turned around, but it was too late. An ivy covered fist crushed into his skull. He fell to the ground and when he stood, three skeletons and a lone zombie stood up with him. Shadows whipped around his feet like vipers thirsting for a new soul to devour.
"So tough now, deathboy?" Lucas taunted. Izzy resumed her firm grip on my wrist.
"There is nothing you can do!" she protested when I wrenched against her grip.
"Let me go!" I screamed. Suddenly her eyes widened and she let go. I dashed towards Nico and Lucas who where slowly circling eachother like cats about to pounce. Before I could intervene, a child's scream pierced the air. Nico turned around to see Holly, eyes wide and a shaking finger pointed at the skeleton (and zombie) army Nico had summoned, then screamed again. When Nico caught Holly's eyes, she screamed and backed away again, falling in the creek. Katy just stared at the two boys with interest and annoyance, like Holly had just hit pause on an interesting spot on her favorite TV show. This was coming from the girl who screams and cries at the evil villain(ess) on her my little pony TV show. When Holly screamed again, I saw something break inside Nico. I had no idea what, but something changed in his eyes. He shot a quick look at me again, and he took off into the woods, skeletons and zombie crawling back into the ground.
"Who is the coward now deathboy?" Lucas taunted at his retreating figure.
*SCENE CHANGE*
