Chapter Eight


Disclaimer: I do not own the PJO or HoO series by Rick Riodan. I do own all of the OCs mentioned, except for Walker. He belongs to Star Holder Commander.


Nico's POV

I was dozing when I heard the heavy door creak open. The blinding light pours into the dank room and I look up, squinting. Kyra couldn't turn around and see who it was, but she was awake. She hadn't fallen asleep again since the dream she had had hours ago. She still wouldn't go into detail about what all had happened.

Whoever it is steps in, closing the door behind them. It was hard to see who it was from all the way on the other side of the room, but I could hear their heavy footsteps coming closer.

When they're about ten feet behind Kyra, I see who it is. I had mixed emotions. I wanted to rip through these chains and either tackle him with a hug, or strangle the hell out of him.

"Nico," he says.

"So it really is you?" My voice was scratchy and sore from lack of water.

"Yea,"

He comes closer and steps into my visibility. It was, without a doubt, Beckendorf.

"Where have you and Silena been?"

He lowers his head, as if ashamed. "There's nothing I can say to make it up, you two have been locked in here for three days. And in that time, you had your son taken away from you again, tortured to the worst extent, and gods know what else. There's nothing I can say to make up for that,"

"You didn't answer the question. Where have you two been?"

He sighs and kneels down beside Kyra, cutting the wires tied to the bolts in the floor. "They took her away,"

"What?"

He growls and slams his fist on the ground. "They took her away, Nico! I can't do anything about it. I have to sit around and follow Osiris' damn orders, and I can't save her,"

"Where did they take her?" Kyra asks.

He gives a heavy sigh and shrugs, unlocking the shackles around her wrists. "They wouldn't tell me. Figures, they knew that if they did I'd just go bust her out,"

"Is she somewhere in this hell hole?"

He looks to Kyra while standing back up. "Don't move," He walks over to me and unlocks the shackles around my wrists, then he unlocks the ones around my ankles. I fall to my keens and give a sigh of relief, rubbing my chapped and sore wrists.

"Nico, help me uncoil the wires in her arms,"

I shakily stand up and go over to Kyra. "Watch what I do, and then you do the other arm. Kyra, this is going to hurt,"

"Okay," she nods, squinting her eyes shut.

He carefully begins taking the wire out of her arm. She groans and grinds her teeth. I could tell she was trying her hardest not to yank her arm away from Beckendorf's large hands.

"Okay, the wire's out, but now I have to pull out the spike. Ready?"

She takes a deep breath then nods. "Just do it,"

He grips the spike embedded in her shoulder and yanks it out. Kyra screams, jerking away this time. Her arm had started to bleed again, and it was oozing out of the puncture hole in her shoulder.

Beckendorf grabs a bag I hadn't noticed before and rifles through it. He pulls out clean white gauze and a bottle of a clear liquid with a dropper. "This will sting for a couple of seconds, then your arm will go numb,"

He uncaps the bottle and then squeezes a few drops into the hole and then along the winding gash around her arm. Pink foam bubbles out of the wounds and Kyra whimpers slightly. I hold her close and tight, so to make sure she doesn't make any drastic moves to cause more bleeding.

When the bubbling stops, she gives a heavy sigh and practically deflates in my arms. She almost goes unconscious, but I shake her slightly to keep her awake.

"I'll start bandaging up this one, Nico do the other arm,"

I nod and start the process over again, difficultly maneuvering the wire up and around her arm. It was hard getting it out, considering how deeply embedded it was. Blood had also dried and clotted over it, making it stick to the flesh. As soon as I pull the wire, new blood starts dripping out of the gash.

I finally get it all out, but that had been the easy part. Now I had to pull the fucking spike out. I detested Daemon. I hated him with all of my being for forcing me to do this to Kyra. I didn't want to hurt her, but the agonizing pain accompanied getting this thing out of her arm.

"Ready?" Beckendorf asks. He had finished bandaging the first arm.

I nod. "Yea, hold her tight. Ky, try not to move much." I take a deep breath, grip the end of the spike tightly, and pull.

A/N:

I cringed writing this last part. Just imagining the pain of having a spike ripped out of my shoulder doesn't sit well in the mind.

I apologize for not updating yesterday. We got to the hotel in Mississippi right before the rain started and then right before we were about to go across the street for dinner, the tornado sirens started going off. Soo, we went back inside and found that most of the guests were downstairs watching the weather. Nothing touched down, but it was really windy outside for pretty much the rest of the night.

Then today we got home and picked up the dogs on our way. I was so happy to see them again! I had missed them a lot while I was gone.

M/A:

"'I'm not sick but I'm not well

And I'm so hot 'cause I'm in Hell

I'm not sick but I'm not well

And it's a sin to live so well'"

Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger

XOXO,

Mrs-diAngelo25