Chapter 18: Welcome to the Show

Annabeth gasped. In awe or horror, I couldn't tell, "The Nemean Lion!"

"Like the Hercules Nemean Lion?" Percy asked as he unsheathed Anaklusmos. For some strange reason, Zoe flinched.

"No, the Madonna Nemean Lion," Thalia answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She clicked her bracelet and the metal face of Medusa popped out. She pulled out her spear.

"Ha ha, very funny. You try remembering all of the monsters that want to eat us for breakfast!" The Son of Posiedon shouted.

"It's really not that difficult. Especially when your constantly being hunted," I quipped.

"No one asked you, Death Breath!" Percy rebutted.

"Guys! We have a Nemean Lion we need to fight! Get your head in the game!" Annabeth reprimanded. The lion stalked closer and growled menacingly. That got our attention.

"Nico, get behind me," Bianca said quite shakely.

"Sorry, but I think I'll be more help in the front," I replied coldly.

It looked like Bianca wanted to say more, but she was cut off as the Nemean Lion pounced on the nearest target: me.

I quickly side-stepped to avoid the razor-sharp teeth. However, my reflexes aren't as fast as they used to be. The lion managed to graze my forearm. I grunted in pain and clutched my now bleeding arm. Super, I thought. That's going to leave a scar.

"Nico!" I heard Bianca scream somewhere behind me. I didn't have time to glance at her. I rolled underneath the lion and dove for cover behind a nearby display case. I took a deep breath to gather my bearings. Now, how to kill this walking monstrosity. If I remember correctly, the Nemean Lion's skin is impenetrable, meaning we need to find its most vulnerable spot. According to the legend, Hercules—or more accurately, Heracles—strangled the lion to death after he discovered he couldn't gut it with his sword. Apparently this was one of the many tasks he had to complete for Hera in compensation for his transgressions. Ugh, I hate that woman.

I reached into my jacket for ambrosia, but found that I have none. Oh great, I thought. Could my luck be any worse right now? A crate crashed into the display case—courtesy of my feline friend—only millimeters from my head. My eyes widened. I thought too soon. I gripped my dagger tighter and my knuckles whitened. I tried to get up, but something stopped me. A feeling of sorts. An emotion I've been feeling ever since I time traveled.

Fear.

Get up, I reprimanded myself. You've experienced worse than this. Your friends need you.

But the childish side of me—one of my only vulnerabilities—refused to comply. It's times like these that I remember I'm still human. That I still have hopes and fears just like everybody else. I'm not invincible, and I don't pretend to be. Though with the feats I've done, sometimes I think I've lost that part of me. I've always been able to control my emotions, block out the feelings, and prioritize what needs to be done for the greater good. But now, sitting here, clutching my dagger to my chest, and breathing heavily; I'm terrified.

I took a deep breath. So what if I'm terrified? I need to step up to get the dirty work done. I need to make sure the Savior of Olympus saves the world, whoever that may be. I need to make sure the Seven succeed in their quest. I need to make sure both of my sisters are alive. I need to make sure I unite the Greeks and Romans. But most of all, I need to prove to myself that I can overcome this, not just to my family. Not just to my father.

Alright, Nico, I thought to myself. Get the job done.

My eyes surveyed the room for something—anything to use. Percy and Thalia were taking various swings at the lion, though the blades seemed to annoy the feline more than anything. Annabeth had taken to sneaking up on the lion, trying, but to no avail, to get close to its mouth. Bianca and Zoe were perched on the wings of the planes hanging above, firing arrow after arrow fruitlessly at its golden coat.

The mouth. That's it!

Annabeth is truly a genius. The mouth is the closest weak spot available. But if Annabeth can't get to the lion's mouth, what chance do I have? I looked around for something else to use. Then I sensed it. Just down the hall, thousands of bones built into intricate structures were being displayed in the Jurassic exhibit. I smirked.

I can use that.

I closed my eyes and tapped into my senses. Just down the hall, thousands of bones stood high and mighty, each belonging to a different time period. Some bones were 165.7 million years old, others were 197.2 million years, and even 199.6 million years old, to name a few. All from the same era we don't completely understand. It seems even the past can be just as confusing as the future. I felt the density of each bone, each fossil overwhelming my senses. I felt the grains of contrasting soil content still residing on the ivory skeletons. I felt the bones connecting and shifting, like a puzzle to form a whole skeletal being. These creatures were once alive. Some of them were carnivores, some were herbivores, and some were omnivores. However, they all had one thing in common. They hunted to survive, whether for plants or for prey.

Now they will hunt once more.

I rose from the ground with new-found determination. If the Nemean Lion wants a fight, I'll give it one. The building quaked as I raised my hand. The demigods and Hunters ceased fire and looked at each other in confusion.

"What's shaking the—" Percy stopped talking abruptly when he noticed me and the look on my face.

"Move," I said.

And move they did, no questions asked.

"Nico?" Bianca asked hesitantly as Annabeth guided her to the farthest corner of the wall. The others followed suit.

I didn't answer. Instead, I narrowed my eyes on the Nemean Lion, like a predator zeroing in on its prey. Out of the corner of my eye, I could feel my friends' and sister's careful gazes on me. I couldn't care less at the moment. I tunnel visioned on the ancient lion, with nothing but a feeling of persistence set deep in my gut. I smirked.

Welcome to the show, my friend.

I snapped my fingers and all hell broke loose.

A mighty roar of awakening sounded from across the hall. A stampede of skeletal dinosaurs emerged into the room, all charging for their prey: The Nemean Lion. They rushed past so quickly, a gust of wind blew through my hair.

Attack the Lion, I commanded soundlessly. And the animated fossils did just that. They clawed, chomped, rammed, and everything in between, though their efforts were more for distraction than anything. Beads of sweat dripped down my forehead due to the exertion.

"What the Hades?!" Thalia exclaimed.

"The Silent One is punishing us for all of those years of cursing his name!" Grover squeaked, "We're all going to die!"

"No, thou fool," Zoe hissed, "The boy is controlling them!" I saw the lieutenant point at me out of the corner of my eye, but I was too focused on herding undead dinosaurs to think much of it.

I shifted my stance to keep a better grip on my powers. Gods, controlling dinosaurs is so much harder than human skeletons. I can't keep this up much longer. If I'm going to kill the Nemean Lion, I need to do it now. I gritted my teeth in concentration as I waited for an opening, the perfect opportunity. I was dimly aware of the frost expanding on the glass of the display cases and festering on the polished floors. The room gradually darkened and my frosty breath floated in front of me in a chilling cloud. I could hear my sister calling my name, though it sounded like nothing more than a distant echo in an empty void. Nothing else mattered more at the moment than sending this deranged fur ball back to Tartarus.

I took another breath and recoiled my hand. Following the movement, a few bones detached from one of the nearby skeletal dinosaurs and floated to my out-stretched hand. With one swift motion, I sharpened the stray bones into daggers and levitated them out in front of me at the ready.

Come on, I coaxed silently. Open up, kitty. A tyrannosaur boldly took a dive for the golden lion's neck and sunk its teeth into the monster's hide. Though the sharp canines couldn't harm the lion, they certainly threatened him. In response, the Nemean Lion opened up its mouth to swallow the fossil whole. I smirked triumphantly. I had a completely open shot for the most vulnerable part of the feline. I thrust my hand in one instant, precise motion and the sharp bone projectiles darted into the Nemean Lion's mouth. This time, the monster couldn't react fast enough and close its face hole.

The lion abruptly ceased fighting. With a jolt, it started to choke. The monster attempted to spit up the knives like it would an ordinary hair ball, but to no avail. I simply shoved the bony daggers further down the digestive tract. As the knives shredded the Nemean Lion from the inside out, the feline quickly realized all hope was lost and tried to claw the pesky things out of him. He whined pitifully and I almost felt sorry for the poor thing. Then again, the Nemean Lion just tried to eat my friends not five minutes ago, so it would not be earning my sympathy today. With a final cry of defeat, the lion stilled and disintegrated into golden dust. All that was left was a single pelt of fur.

I snapped my fingers and the skeletal dinosaurs became inanimate, tumbled into piles of bones, only to be levitated to the Jurassic exhibit to reassemble once again. Extinction and lifelessness took hold of them once more.

The room was eerily silent. No one knew what to say. My knees gave way as exhaustion weighed down on me and adrenaline left me. I collapsed to the ground on all fours. I took a deep breath, fighting to stay awake.

"Nico!" Annabeth and Percy retreated from the safety of the wall and over to me, "Are you alright?"

I was too dizzy to say anything, so I instead nodded quite lazily.

"How did you do that? Since when can you raise dinosaurs?" Percy asked unbelievably. He back-tracked a little, "I mean, not that that wasn't absolutely incredible, but still. How?"

"Seaweed Brain, quit bombarding him with questions and get him some ambrosia. He's bleeding and exhausted."

Ah, yes. Ambrosia, my brain slowly registered. I could really use some of that right about now.

I noticed Bianca, Zoe, Thalia, and Grover cautiously walking towards us. Bianca looked absolutely shell-shocked, Zoe didn't look much better, Thalia had a What the Hades just happened? look on her face, and Grover looked absolutely terrified. Oh, lovely. As if enough people weren't already scared of me. What's the harm of adding a few more to the mix?

"Nico? What… What was that?" Bianca's voice shook as she spoke, "What did you just do?"

Oh boy.

"I think it's pretty obvious by now who my godly parent is," I said as Percy and Annabeth helped me up, "But in case you need some clarification, I'd be more than happy to accompany you on your quest to explain exactly what just happened."

"Oh, I think it's pretty obvious, alright. What I don't understand is how are you even alive?" Thalia questioned. She glanced at Bianca with a reproachful look on her face.

I frowned. Why is Thalia looking at her that way? It's not Bianca's fault our father is the Devil himself. I didn't even try to suppress a sigh. This is what I get for using my powers in front of them. I knew the consequences, now I will have to face them.

"Pleased to meet you," I introduced myself, "I'm Nico di Angelo, Son of Hades."