Figures Nico would spend his valuable time in a haunted house.
Well, in retrospect, the house wasn't really all that haunted, maybe more like it was just completely abandoned. One could tell that no one had been living in that home for many years. The wood was starting to rot, the paint was completely falling apart and cobwebs were strayed everywhere. An abandoned 2002 Lincoln Continental with four completely flat tires and broken windows sat outside. It didn't seem like a place anybody should be hanging but when Jason managed to get a glimpse of Nico's movements, he tracked him back down here. It was the only house on Sweetwood Ct, a little street that hung off the edge of the Hollywood Hills. Behind Jason, cars drove past the little street as if everyone knew to steer clear of the street.
Jason decided to approach the house with caution, lightly going up the steps as the rotten wooden porch creaked underneath his feet and he lightly pushed the door, which opened welcomingly for him. He quietly entered the house and looked around the place.
This was where Jason knew he wasn't in a haunted house. The house from inside still looked in decent condition, as if someone had been trying to fix up the place, for all its faults. Pictures of a family hung all over the wall and at a closer glimpse, Jason noticed that Nico was in every picture, except ... he looked so much younger, still just a child. A girl stood next to him, maybe slightly older, but she had that same Italian olive complexion and dark brown eyes that Nico had. And next to her ... it had to be their mother.
Jason recognized her alright. Maria di Angelo had been a very popular actress, back in the late 1990's and early 2000's. Jason still remembered nights when he and Thalia sat down and watched some of the movies that she starred in. She was a very successful woman, but with success, came jealous and envious people.
"I still remember that day like it was yesterday."
Jason flinched, Nico's voice suddenly startling him as he appeared from the shadows that he lurked in.
"Mamma was taking us to see the premier of her latest movie. It was a comedy, a pretty funny one, to be honest. One Mamma took a pay-cut to star in, but she had a lot of fun acting it out on set. We walked on the red carpet, took our pictures, watched the movie, we had a good time. All was going well. Bianca was practically slapping her knee at every funny scene. When the movie ended ..."
Nico sighed tiredly and slowly took off his hood, which just like before, molded into an old-fashioned Greek helm. Jason was able to get a good look at him now, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy. He just seemed tired, like he was sick of the tribulations that life held for him. He shoulders were slack, his eyes were droopy with purple bags underneath, and his hair was unkempt, like Nico never had picked up a hairbrush before.
He looked like he could use a hug.
"Well, that's where everything went wrong. I never thought I would have been watching Mamma's last movie she would ever star in."
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Jason said. "I'm the one intruding in your place."
"No, it's just that I have a notion about why you came for me," Nico said. "There's trouble coming, isn't there?"
Jason raised his eyebrows in surprise. "How'd you know?"
Nico shrugged. "I have some connections that told me. But I figured that if you were coming for me, you would want to know about me and how I got ..." Nico spread his hands. At Nico's boots, a skeletal erected from the ground, breaching through the rotten wooden floor. Jason looked around him in trepidation as he spotted transparent figures floating around him. Nico's arm slacked once more, and the ghosts and the skeletal hand disappeared. "... this."
Jason grimaced his face in agreement. "Yeah ... that'd be nice."
"Well, after my mom and my sister passed away, due to being shot when we were robbed at gunpoint after watching the movie, I was pretty much on my own for a while. Until I got picked up, spent a lot of time being raised and trained in the criminal underworld."
"So, that's why you don't show up on orphanages and nurseries or nothing like that," Jason realized.
"Maybe you should have looked into the private schools," Nico said.
Jason's eyes widened. "You went to private school?"
"Criminal lords, especially like Ethan Nakamura, are rich so yeah, I went to private school," Nico said.
Jason shook his head. "I should've thought of that. And now that I think about it, that was probably where I got your photo."
Nico nodded in confirmation. "As an adult, I was trained to be a mercenary. I was trained to know how to fight and to know how to kill."
"I can see it's paid off."
"Except the very same guy who trained me, betrayed me," Nico countered.
"What happened?" Jason wondered.
Nico sighed angrily before walking over to the window and looking outside at the full moon that casted over the night. "We had a mission in Greece. There was talk of something valuable being in Epirus, in a temple to be more specific. Ethan wanted it so he could sell it off on the black market, make a lot of money off of it. We went into the temple and Ethan figured it would be smart for all of us to split up to cover more ground."
"So it was a whole group?" Jason said.
Nico nodded. "Ethan knew better than to go solo. He figured this valuable item would have guards protecting it."
"And did it?"
"Oh yeah. They were nothing that I'd ever seen before: skeletons in armor holding spears in their hands. I dealt with them, but I couldn't kill them, so I snatched this," Nico held up the helm that he was holding, "and I made a run for it. I was able to get back to Ethan and I showed him what I found. I remember him smiling in this really unusual way and then he asked me to see it for himself. I told him that I was being chased and that we needed to go. I remember us running for so long but we couldn't seem to outrun them and we couldn't fight them because they weren't even alive to begin with."
Nico scowled fiercely. "So, he shot me, the fucking bastard. He figured it would keep the skeletons distracted while he and his posse got away."
"And then you died," Jason said.
"Something like that," Nico said. "I just remember passing out and waking up in Hell, but Hades called it the Underworld."
"You met Hades? In person?"
"I more than met him," Nico said. "We brokered a deal. I wanted revenge on Ethan and he wanted his helm out of enemy hands. So he brought back me to life and that's when you probably started to hear about me on the news, I was going after Ethan's lackeys, gang members and such, looking for this." He held up the helm again. "It had been sold off, and it took me a while to find the buyer, but eventually I found it. When I got back to Hades, he told me to keep it, and asked me to be his champion. He wanted Ethan's soul brought to him, using this sword." Nico drew the black sword from his sword. "It's a special sword, made out of stigamite: a very rare, dark and dangerous type of metal not found on Earth soil. He also warned me that there was trouble brewing, some ... ancient enemies were waking and readying to attack." Nico pursed his lips. "I'm assuming that's why you're here."
Jason nodded. "Yeah."
"Afterwards ... well, you were there to witness it all," Nico said. "And now ... here we are."
Jason whistled. "That's a lot to take in."
"Well now you know, that's me," Nico said. "I'm the Ghost King."
"And I'm Jason, or Bolt. Whichever one works for you."
Nico smirked. "Yeah, I kind of figured that with the way you ..." Nico mimicked zapping bolts from his hands, "... those guys."
"There's a threat coming," Jason said. "They call themselves the Titans. They're not from ... around here. They are ancient powerful beings that seek to eradicate human life on a unprecedented scale and start anew."
"Well, we can't have happening now, can we?" Nico said.
"No," Jason agreed. "That's why I'm gathering warriors. People with special abilities that can stand up to the Titans, pretty much the only ones that can."
"The Elder Gods would have come in handy," Nico muttered. "But Hades told me that they've isolated themselves from mortals, completely secluded themselves. He wouldn't tell me why though. Whatever it was, though ... it seemed like it was embarrassing to reveal."
"So we can't count on them," Jason said. "We'll only have ourselves."
"Say, how many people have you gathered so far?" Nico asked.
"Well, a comrade of mine is working on getting two of them. I'm also working on two, including you," Jason admitted.
"So the odds aren't looking very promising."
"We've got to try, at least," Jason argued.
Nico hummed and rubbed his chin as Jason anticipated his answer when a loud shaking and the sound of an explosion rocked the night, followed by the sound of people screaming. Nico and Jason exchanged looks before they came to a silent agreement. Nico put on the helm, which molded back into a hood and mask and disappeared into the shadows. Jason flew out of the house, leaving a giant hole on the roof behind. From way above, Jason could see the commotion that was causing the all the noise.
Seemed like another Titan decided to join the party.
He was big, even bigger than Coeus and much more bulkier at the appearance. His long hair and beard was so silver, it almost looked white, looking like a scarier, buffer version of Jack Frost. His eyes glowed silver as well and his armor was black from chest to toe, added with some bronze touchings.
"Where is it?!" he demanded at everyone and no one in particular.
He displayed his strength vigorously as he picked up a U-haul truck and tossed it the direction of fleeing residents. Jason was there in a nanosecond, catching the U-haul truck and yelled at the citizens to run. They obeyed without any objection, running away as Jason set the U-Haul truck down next to him.
"Hey! Leave them alone!" Jason yelled at the intruder.
The Titan grinned. "Well, what do we have here? A challenger? Normally, I would be glad to accept your challenge, but alas, I'm here for a simple mission: where's the helm?"
"You mean this helm?" Nico's voice suddenly pitched in as he came out of the shadows, wearing the helm over his head.
"Yes, that's the one. Hand it over and we will have no trouble here," he promised.
"Ha! You can come and take it," Nico challenged.
"Do you know who I am, boy? I am Iapetus! I am the most ruthless of all Titans. I will crush you into the earth before you even lay a hand on me!" he declared.
Nico's expression didn't even change. " Okay ... so what?"
"So what?!" Iapetus repeated incredulously. "So you shall die for this! Argggghh!"
Iapetus charged like a bull but Nico was gone in an instant and reappeared underneath a tree next to Jason.
"So ... this mean you're in?" Jason said, readying his fists.
"Yeah," Nico replied, drawing his sword. "I guess I am."
Iapetus yelled and charged again at Nico, jumping and raising his fist to send it flying towards Nico's face, but Jason was there in between them to stop and hold Iapetus's fist in his hand. The Titan growled and grabbed Jason, attempting to throw him away but he managed to control his aerial descent before turning his attention back at Iapetus. Nico summoned two skeletal hands to hold Iapetus in place and the ancient Titan roared as he tried to wriggle himself free. Nico slashed his sword at Iapetus who intelligently swerved out of the way, forcing Nico to accidentally cut one of the hands holding him in place. Jason flew in for a electrical punch but Iapetus was able to move out the blonde man's way before he tore the other hand right out of the ground with the force of his strength.
Jason flew from behind Iapetus and grabbed him, wrapping his arms around his neck and holding them in place as the Titan grunted angrily. Nico slashed at Iapetus's chest, attempting to cut through his armor but hardly making a dent on the heavy armor. Nico switched direction and tried to slash at his legs but Iapetus kicked his leg out, hitting Nico right on the chest and sending him flying. He then proceeded to grab Jason forcibly and slam him onto the ground, leaving a Jason-sized hole in the pavement. Jason grunted as the Titan slammed him onto the ground with all of his might.
Nico and Jason were both slow to get up as Iapetus summoned a magical spell and an impossibly massive sword materialized in his hands, leaving Jason and Nico stunned.
"That is one big-ass sword," Jason commented.
"That thing is the size of me," Nico added. "No way he should be able to hold that properly."
Jason's brow furrowed. "He's doing it right now."
Iapetus roared once more and cleaved his massive sword downwards towards Jason, who managed to catch the blade between his hands using all of his strength. Nico at last managed to strike the Titan, slashing his sword towards his exposed calf around the back, making him cry out in pain. Iapetus turned his attention to Nico and cleaved at him as well, but Nico managed to backflip out of danger. Having missed Nico, Jason took his chance and grabbed Iapetus by the throat before pulling his arm back and literally threw the Titan upwards into the side of the hill.
Iapetus was absolutely livid as he stood to his feet and he roared before striking the sword into the hillside that he stood on. He then leapt back onto the road with a crunch, his boots leaving a mark on the pavement as he started to furiously march towards the two of them. Jason hovered and was ready to blast the Titan with every zap of electricity when Nico got his attention.
"Jason! Landslide!"
Sure enough, right where Iapetus had just been, a landslide was quickly making its way down the hill, threatening to bury the fleeing civilians that were running further down the hill. Jason gritted his teeth in frustration and flew in front of the landslide before taking a deep breath and blew at the landslide, using his freeze breathe to freeze the accumulation of dirt and mud solid.
"Thank you!" the father of the family fleeing exclaimed.
"Get out of here!" Jason said before turning his attention back to Iapetus. "Shit!"
Nico was struggling against the Elder Titan on his own, as the Ghost King was grabbed by the throat and he lifted him into the air, legs wriggling as he struggled to breathe. Iapetus was quick to rip Nico's mask off, leaving his face exposed as the hood-and-mask combination molded back into its original helmet-like shape.
Jason roared, charging his body with electricity and flew in with his fist ready to leave on the dent on Iapetus but the Titan pulled an extremely dirty move and he slammed Jason with Nico, sending them flying into what was surely somebody's home. The both of them tore right through the walls, crashing through the kitchen and the living room, tearing through an expensive beige couch before crashing into a bedroom downstairs. Nico landed on the Hello-Kitty-themed bed while Jason crashed into a closet full of beauty pageant dresses.
Way above them, Iapetus stood above the hole they created in vanquishment, having conquered the heroes and proudly holding Hades's helm in his hand. "Nice try. But neither of you were good enough. Really nice helm, too. Lord Cronus will be pleased."
Without another word, Iapetus disappeared through a blazing white portal that materialized before him.
Jason grunted as he pushed the rack of white dresses off his face. He practically wobbled out of the closet before going over to Nico. "You alright?"
Nico wheezed. "I got hit with one of your bolts ... what do you think?"
"That wasn't exactly my fault," Jason defended.
"Don't matter, you still hit me," Nico rasped. "And now ... Iapetus has the helm. I ... am gonna be in so much trouble."
"Come on, I'll help you up," Jason said, pulling Nico to his feet.
"In all retrospect, it's not a bad way to crash," Nico joked. "Although, the pink in this room is kind of ... prominent."
"I think we crashed into some poor girl's room," Jason said.
"This room is far from poor," Nico corrected. "Also, we crashed through the living room. Oh, and the kitchen. Don't forget the kitchen."
"Alright, smartass," Jason said.
Nico sighed. "What exactly do we do now?"
"We go get it back," Jason said. "They have Zeus's bolt as well."
"What a mess," Nico replied. "And Iapetus kicked our asses. How exactly do we go about getting that helm back?"
"We're gonna have a team to do that," Jason promised. "It's time we go meet up with Leo Valdez."
And that wraps up Jason's two chapters. Chapter 9 and 10 are back in Leo's POV and pretty self-explanatory, he's gonna meet up with both Frank and Hazel. Hazel will come with trouble, though.So, a second Titan showed up and gave them trouble and I knew Iapetus was going to be difficult. He's quite literally the most ruthless of the brothers, he doesn't hold back. And Nico really showing off his powers there. He's got necromantic (powers over the dead) and shadow-traveling and there's another one I plan on him discovering later on.
Not much else to say but to continue leaving your feedback as it's much appreciated. Stay tuned for the next one.