Death Bound

Chapter Twenty Six

Apollo was the best archer. He was – and Zanna would never tell his twin this – better even than Artemis. He was also incredibly flirty, fun, and spouted off horrible haiku poems as he sort of teleported around, fire-bright eyes shining and arrows hitting their mark every time. Zanna, her shoulder healed by the hot sun god, fought at Thalia's side.

They made a strange pair, her with her black energy returning and flickering around her heels as she ran, and Thalia with her ability to summon the white-blue lightning. They were doing a lot of damage to the giant, but it had gotten its own hits in. Reyna crumpled as his nearly took her arm off, and Apollo, trying to keep his attention, couldn't get to her. Zanna ran to her side, pulling the half-empty bottle of nectar out of her boot as she went. She slid across the ground towards her, dodging a swinging attack. She saw that Reyna's arm was torn into a bloody stump from the elbow down, and felt nausea rise inside her. She propped up the Roman girl's head and yelled, "MEDIC! MEDIC!"

No one came to her. She looked down at Reyna, fighting the panic as the buzzing in her ears grew in intensity. Not another person she knew... not another dead camper. She poured the nectar all over her arm, gagging but trying not to show it. Reyna looked at her, breaths coming ragged and sweating from pain. "You're... Zanna..."

Zanna nodded and tried to stuff the tiny piece of ambrosia she had into the praetor's mouth. "Eat this, Reyna. Come on. Stay with me. Apollo will be here soon." she told her weakly, grimacing as Reyna shook her head.

"Save... it... for..." she was cut off as Zanna slipped the square into her mouth. She chewed it up and swallowed it and seemed to get a bit of strength. "Thank you." she whispered weakly.

"It's nothing." Zanna said honestly, tearing the bottom of her shirt off from under her armor and wrapping the arm in a tourniquet.

"Not... for helping me... but for..." she drew in a shuddering breath. "But for bringing... help. Tell Jason I'm sorry I gave his position away, and that I love him."

"No, you tell him. You aren't going to die." Zanna said, and a steel-like certainty of the fact stole over her. She knew, somehow, that her words weren't just corny reassurances. They were fact.

"You... can't... know that."

"I do."

And Apollo was beside her. "Thalia and Annabeth need help, beautiful. I'll take over here." he grinned and she nodded, turning and running back to the giant, knowing Reyna was going to be fine. She saw Zeus fighting with his son, hurling lightning bolt after lightning bolt while Jason and Percy hacked at its legs. It went down, sucked into the earth as it crumbled to dust.

"We're almost done! We've almost made it to the gates!" Annabeth was telling Thalia when Zanna reached them. She shot into the air, her wings returning finally, and took one of Apollo's arrows that had been hanging broken off Porphyrion's breastplate and jabbed it into his throat, but he just wailed and knocked her away. She caught herself, outstretching her wings, just before she hit the ground. Poseidon arrived, jabbing his trident into the giant's chest as Thalia hacked off two of its toes and Annabeth drove her knife into its thigh. Finally, finally the giant began to crumble to dust.

A girl with red-and-gold armor ran up. Zanna recognized her as Sapphire, the girl from before. "Percy and Jason just killed their giant as well. Jupiter is calling for regrouping, and Apollo sent me to tell you that your friend is fine, but he can't regrow an arm."

Annabeth took control. "Alright, Sapphire. Lead the way."

The remaining Apollo campers, two guys who had red eyes as though from crying and grim, depressed auras surrounding them, were rushing from camper to camper, healing as much as they could. Their father was with them, helping. He also looked upset. Travis and Connor were with their father as well. Hermes seemed to be congratulating them. They looked exhausted, but happy. Piper was talking to Frank and holding his hand, trying to soothe him. The big guy looked so lost and hurt and grief-stricken. Jason was talking to Reyna, but glanced over at Piper every few seconds as well. Aphrodite was cleaning everyone up, looking ecstatic to have a chance to change mortals' appearance. There armor turned shiny, here boots repaired themselves.

"We have to close the doors, or Gaea can bring them back." A certain son-of-Hades called. He looked so tired, standing there beside his father in what appeared to be their own personal shadow. Zanna was so glad to see him alive, she ran over and gave him a hug. Her leather breastplate caught on his and she laughed, a couple tears running down her cheeks. After her girly-girl moment, though, she wondered if maybe Aphrodite was messing with her.

Nico pulled her back slightly and glanced down, raking his eyes across her. "Are you okay?"

Zanna nodded. "I'm fine."

"Leo said you were hurt."

"Apollo healed me." Then she noticed Hades, staring down at her. His expression was undefinable. She swallowed and detached herself from his son, blushing. "Um... hello... Mr. Hades... Lord Hades..." she stumbled over her words and her blush worsened.

Nico, however, grabbed her hand. "Father, this is Zanna."

"I know who she is." Hades said calmly. Zanna wondered if this was a good sign. "What I don't know, is why you are holding her hand."

Nico's hand, in hers, tightened. She saw the muscles on his arm flex. "Because I like her." he said evenly.

"Oh?"Nico met his father's gaze. "And what do you mean by like, son?" Zanna thought she saw a flicker of amusement in the black holes that were Hade's eyes, but then his face was a mask again.

"Uh..." Nico mumbled something under his breath, and Hades leaned forward.

"Don't mumble, Nico!" he ordered, and Nico flinched.

"I said... I said..." Nico was turning scarlet under his olive skin. "I said I like her... a lot."

Hades nodded. "Very well."

"You don't care?" Nico looked surprised.

"I always knew you weren't as good as your sister. She never had this... feeling. What do the kids call it? A crush?"

Nico stuttered, wordless. Zanna laughed. Then she caught what he had said at first. "Hey wait!" she said, and Nico squeezed her hand, pulling her back as she tried to step forward. Hades turned to her, arching a pitch-black eyebrow.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"You can't treat Nico like that! You can't just tell him Bianca was better! She's dead!" she turned back to Nico as his hand in her relaxed slightly. It had been almost painfully tight. She leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. "You know I'm sorry." she whispered, before turning back to Hades angrily. "In case you can't tell, he's alive! That means he must be worth something. That means he must be great, because there are people dying. You know that there are, because they are going to your kingdom. And those are good people."

Hades watched her calmly, as she finished her little rant and scooted back behind Nico, he stepped forward. He turned his eyes on his son and saw a slight fear flash before blankness covered his face. It seemed his son had a mask as well. "Nico." he said.

Nico stood straight, proud, but looked slightly worried. "Yes father?"

He grinned. Heartless, his butt. "Hold onto this one, alright? She's a bit like Maria." he told him, and Nico looked shell-shocked. He then locked eyes with Zanna. "But you, girl. Don't ever talk to me that way again. I know your father, remember this." he said sternly.

He turned away, laughing to himself as he composed his features back into a mask.

A/N: Yay! Hades approves. Hahaha, alright, so. Thank you once more for the reviews. Review as always, and I shall write mooooreeee. ~~ HikaKiti