The Devil Takes a Soul

Alex was only unconscious for around fifteen minutes before his eyes opened again. He couldn't tell what it was that had woken him, but he had a gut feeling it was bad. The warm weight of Nico's form was gone, and that in itself was enough to send warning bells tinkering through Alex.

He looked up to see a flat rectangle of shadow above him. It was barely a meter away from his face and looked flimsy, but Alex knew it was strong as steal.

The boy spy tensed his stomach and slowly sat up, dipping his head so it didn't touch the shadow. He was the embodiment of aches and pains, with gravel cuts, bruises, sprained muscles and Dr Three inflicted wounds. Psychologically he was better. After all, one evil madman seems to blend into the next along with their drawn-out attempts at killing him.

Alex shuffled around, trying to bring his bound hands in front of him so he could see them. He pressed his fingers into the ground and tried pushing his hips off first to slide his hands under. It worked, until he sat on them. Cursing, Alex tugged again, feeling new cuts on his palms and not caring. The faster he did it, the sooner he could stand up and look for Nico.

Now bent double over his knees as his hands passed around his legs, Alex decided to untie his feet first. He could get rid of the ropes around his hands while he was looking for Nico. The spy made short work of the knots, and then crossed his legs in preparation to crawl out from under the shadow and stand up.

Finally out from under the protective darkness, Alex looked around.

The woods behind the complex were a burning haze of black fire and even blacker smoke. The building itself wasn't any better, and Alex could see red and orange and black flames licking up what was now the skeleton of the headquarters for Scorpia.

He turned his head to the side, looking around with more fever now. He couldn't see Nico anywhere nearby and he was worried. The kid might be a super-powered demigod, but he was still somewhat human and humans got hurt.

Alex scanned the area around him closely, picking out little particles of ash he was so intent on looking for Nico. His eyes landed on a deformed something about ten meters away, previously fogged by falling debris.

It looked like an upright person, with a head that was smoking and an arm stretched out. The arm seemed to be holding something else, like another person by the throat. Alex's eyes glazed over as he tried to make it out. It could just be a bit of building or a flaming doorway. But then he saw that the other thing, the one being held, was moving. Kicking what he originally thought were its feet. No, they were feet.

Alex started running, holding his hands awkwardly in front of him. As he got closer he could see whoever was being held was also being choked, and their hands were scrabbling uselessly at the vice-grip that had their neck.

A tuft of wind-blown black hair flicking over the person's face was all Alex needed to know who it was.

He ran harder and harder, ten meters seeming like a mile. He turned and started to dash behind the person that was holding Nico, keeping his mouth shut. He jutted out his elbow, ready to drive it into what he now knew was a man. Aim for the centre of the back, and he'd crumple like paper.

Alex was in earshot how, even with the roaring of the fire. His ears would have picked up any conversation earlier if they hadn't been damaged from the explosions.

"…die," the man was saying. His voice was scratchy, like his favourite hobby was smoking a million cigarettes a day.

Nico made a choking noise that seemed to be a reply. The man growled, his still-steaming head growing redder from anger.

"It'll be painful," the man promised. "I'll make you suffer."

"N-Not as… much as you… w-will," Nico gasped. Alex could sense the grip around his friends throat tightening and in that second that all air was cut off from the son of Hades, Alex's sharp elbow point slammed into the man's back.

The oof as the air was driven out of him forced the man to stumble, consequently making him loosen his fingers. Alex ran from behind so he could prise Nico away. The son of Hades was obviously weak, or that guy would have been dead long ago.

Dragging his friend a safe distance, Alex threw a glance over his shoulder to check on the guy he'd winded. He was doubled over, clutching his stomach and wheezing like there was no tomorrow. A violent cough wracked his body and Alex saw bloody spittle dribble down the man's face. He turned back to Nico.

"Nico. Nico! Stay with me." Alex started gently tapping Nico's cheek to wake him up. His friends' eyes were slitted, slightly open. A small smile started forming on the demigod's lips.

"Hi-" his sentence was cut off by a guttural cough, making him lurch forward. Alex noticed the flowers of blue and purple bruises blossoming harshly all around Nico's neck.

"Calf- pocket," Nico rasped, looking directly at Alex. "Get me… what's in there."

Alex nodded quickly and moved away from Nico, letting him lie back down on the sharp gravel. Alex reached for the pocket on the side of Nico's leg, ripping the Velcro open and blindly pulling out what was in there. It looked like a baggie of amber cubes amber along with an alcohol flask, but Alex wordlessly handed them over, knowing they were the food and drink of the gods and that it would heal Nico.

Nico slowly opened the bag, shakily taking a square of ambrosia out and putting it in his mouth. He chewed slowly, then swallowed, making Alex wince at the sound of an almost-crushed windpipe dilating around the food. Then Nico took a swift drink of the nectar, letting it trickle down his throat. He poured a little on his fingers and rubbed it on the bruises. They started fading to a more yellow and green colour than the vibrant blue and purple from before. Then he rubbed some on his ears, where Alex noticed a fair amount of blood was. It took a full minute for Nico's strength to come back enough for him to stand, and when he did, Alex could see the power hitting his friend like an adrenaline shot. Suddenly Nico was wide awake, alert, tense and strong. His sword appeared in his hand in a curl of the shadows and he started walking forward, flicking it towards Alex as he did. Alex felt the pressure of ropes around his wrists disappear.

"You looked funny with them on," Nico said quietly, smirking. Alex shoved him.

"Yeah? Well you look like you're wearing a necklace made by Persephone."

Nico scowled, rolling his eyes.

"Thank your friend Dr Three for that," he replied, his tone harsh. Alex frowned.

"I thought he died," he said. Nico shook his head. They were still walking, their direction taking them towards the man curled on the ground, coughing and steaming. Nico pointed to him.

"My dagger only hit his hand," he explained. "The idiot wouldn't even die when he caught fire. Had to find me and 'get his revenge'."

Alex nodded solemnly.

"I get where you're coming from," he sighed. "They just don't know when to stop."

"Agreed."

The two boys stopped in front of the man on the ground. Even with his horrible, fake-hair burned off and his scalp a raw red, Alex knew it was the same man. He looked up from the ground, his gaze fractured and insane. He saw Nico and Alex standing over him and he screamed in fury.

"I'll kill you all!" he shrieked. "We'll all die and I'll drag you to hell with me!"

Alex noticed Nico raise his sword, and he didn't feel anything. The world would be better off with Dr Three not in it.

"I will be coming to hell with you," Nico said, his voice cold. "But you won't be dragging me. I'll be dragging you."

Three looked up just in time to see the Stygian Iron blade of the Underworld Prince flash in front of his eyes before the sword drove into his chest. He should have died right away, logically, but he didn't. Dr Three screamed in agony as the sword slowly peeled away his life force, forcing the Scorpia head to crumble to black ashes slowly as Nico took his soul into his weapon. Neither boy's expression changed the whole time their enemy died, both looking at him with stony hatred.

Soon, there was nothing left but a man-shaped husk of black ashes. Nico sheathed his sword and it flickered into the walking stick it had always been disguised as. Alex lashed his foot out and kicked the remains of Dr Three, sending what used to be the expert in torture up in a flurry of flakes that caught in the wind and were ripped to shreds. For a moment, the only noise was the crackling and crashing of the building next to them.

Nico and Alex looked over at each other at the same time.

They both burst out laughing.

"Oh gods," Nico snorted, holding his nose. "Your face! It was like, 'That sword'."

Alex giggled.

"Well you looked at me like, 'You just kicked a dead guy and now his essence is all over your boot'."

They both cackled themselves into silence. You didn't get much stranger than two boys who'd done and seen things no man has ever done or seen, killed over one hundred people in a day and then painfully taken the life of their shared enemy only to laugh. That was Alex Rider and Nico di Angelo, people.

Suddenly the bushes on the edge of the clearing rustled and up shot a person neither boy-soldier were expecting to see.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS GOING ON HERE!"

That was the moment Alex and Nico finally noticed that the entire SAS camp had been hiding in the shrubbery the whole time.

"Ah, shit," Alex muttered.

"You don't say," Nico agreed.

YAY, BADASSITY AND MURDER! I expect around two or three more chapters left of this story. Thank you everyone who's followed, favourite and reviewed. Seriously guys, this wouldn't have happened without you all.

See you all next week!

Jasmine Out!