Nico
Some days he wondered why he'd ever loved Percy Jackson as much as he used to. This was definitely one of those days. The son of Poseidon was annoying. His heroics weren't cool, they were stressful. Plus, now, there was that whole cousin thing, the greek Big Three kids started doing. But mostly, Percy sucked. And totally not crush worthy. Anymore.
Nico limped down the tunnel, the weight of Bruce Banner dragging him down. He'd used a lot more of his powers in the last twenty minutes than he was supposed too, and Nico knew if he tried to shadow travel again, he would likely start to fade. And as much as he was starting to like Will Solace, he had no intention of getting himself stuck in the infirmary with the cute son of Apollo again. Because doctor mode was a lot less cute when it was directed at him.
"Hurry!" He called down the tunnel where the others were waiting, not putting Banner down. He glanced behind him to see Percy straining to maintain the whirlpool that was containing the massive monster. Percy was powerful, but Nico knew what a power drain looked like. Percy had been right when he'd told Stark that he was primarily a swordsman. Percy wasn't like Nico; he rarely used his powers, and so that left him with a huge disadvantage. Percy had the raw power, with none of the muscle or dexterity to back it up. They needed to get out of there, and fast.
Steve Rogers came racing out of the tunnel, Annabeth held securely in his arms. The Black Widow and Hawkeye weren't far behind. Tony Stark was flying behind them, the soft glow from his repulsors marking his flight path in the dark.
"Right. Powers." The billionaire said weakly, the mask of his suit sliding up as he took in the battle between Percy and Kampe. Every now and then, as the snake tail swept past the demigod, it tried to take a bite out of him. Percy dodged it neatly, sweat beading on his forehead, his eyes dark with rage, and narrowed in concentration. But his arms were shaking.
"We've got to go. Now. Percy can't hold this up forever, and the only way we're going to be able to kill Kampe is if we collapse the entire cave on her. And the only way Percy is going to be able to do that, is if we leave." Nico ordered, passing off the weight of the unconscious Banner to Clint Barton. He shook out his strained shoulders and drew his sword again, the stygian iron a familiar weight in his hand.
"We can't leave him." Steve Rogers said in shock. Nico shook his head.
"We have too. He's going to follow behind us." The captain scoffed, stepping forward as if he was going to dive into battle. Nico grabbed his arm, stopping him.
"Captain, Percy has a habit of spitting death in the eye and walking away unscathed. Trust that we know what we're doing. Remember, this isn't your world." After another long moment Steve Rogers turned towards Iron Man.
"Stark, once we're clear, you pull him out."
"Copy that." Steve nodded once in resignation, then readjusted his grip on Annabeth. He looked back once more at the lone demigod, before he began to run, leading the way out of the cavern. Nico drew his sword, covering their retreat; watchingout for any monsters that might be lurking in the shadows, keeping one eye on Percy. The glow of repulsor blasts flashed through the cavern as Tony blasted the monster trapped in the whirling water. They raced up the path, the ground rumbling as Percy slowly lost his grip on his powers, his control slipping as he poured more and more power into containing the monster. Up ahead Nico spotted a square of sky through the exit to the Valley of Heroes, stars dotting the sky above the enchanted graveyard. Nico turned and shouted back at his cousin.
"Percy, NOW!" Tony Stark swooped down and picked up the son of the sea god and the water exploded one last time. Kampe roared angrily and she lost her footing again. The cavern shook with the force of Percy's power, rocks tumbling down onto the enraged she-monster. Glowing green poison dripped from the swords held in each scaly hand, and withered dragon wings shook themselves out. Nico and the others were nearly at the exit, Tony and Percy right behind them. Nico glanced back to see Kampe gaining steadily on them. He turned, slamming his sword into the ground, summoning the spirits of the heroes who's memories the enchanted graveyard protected.
*"εξυπηρετούν μου." He growled out. Thousands of white specters filled the air, and the roars and battle cries of allies and friends and many more filled the air; falling on the fearsome monster. Kampe screamed, her swords slicing through the air, ineffective against the insubstantial ghosts. The distraction proved enough for them all the burst through the exit of the cave into open air. Percy tumbled to the ground, exhaustion clear on his face. Percy dug one hand into the earth and reached the other one towards the tunnel entrance. With one final, desperate roar, Nico watched as the cave collapsed under the force of Percy's will, the tunnel crumbling in on itself until Annabeth's marble headstone disintegrated into nothing but fine white powder. A soft breeze blew it away, leaving nothing behind but untouched grass.
There was nothing left to mark what had just happened. Nico crumpled to the ground, his vision greying. He'd definitely overdone it. A long low groan came from someplace nearby. It took him a moment to realize that the sound had come from him.
Nico turned his head to look at the heap of tired heroes. He lifted his head up to make eye contact with Percy, who was cradling Annabeth's head in his lap, an infinitely soft expression on his face. No matter that Aphrodite existed, it was those two that had always made Nico believe in love; even back when he had been jealous of Annabeth. Percy glanced up at Nico, green eyes glittering with gratitude. The two greek sons of the Big Three shared a tired smile.
They'd done it. Not only did they find the warrior in the earthen prison, but they also killed a monster even the gods were afraid of. He slumped back onto the grass and let out a slightly hysterical laugh, his eyes trained on the Huntress constellation above him.
Translation: Serve me