Hope you don't got too angry at me for this. I also don't see why you would. Hmm.
I am NOT Rick Riordan, thus I own none of his properties (or talent).
I Can't Swim
And I Fight Best With A Sword
~Nico's P.O.V.~
Maybe spontaneous shadow-travel isn't the best thing to do when you get angry.
I often walk in the woods, but this part was unfamiliar. The trees were thicker, including the leaves, making it darker. Though it should still be afternoon. It was silent, which was good, but I had no idea which direction would get me back to camp.
I closed my eyes and focused on that one question: Which way is camp?
Goosebumps raised on my arms as the shadows streched toward me. They started murmuring to me, and I furrowed my eyebrows and tried harder. Slowly, a voice behind me, the East shadow, spoke up.
This way. This way to Camp Half-Blood. I smiled and started to tune out. But I as I turned, the Southeast shadow raised it's voice.
Danger. Danger approaches. Turn away quickly. I swallowed hard. I tuned them out entirely, unsure of what to do. Maybe if I go Northeast, then I can-
Snap. I reached for my sword, then cursed under my breath. I had left it in my cabin. I waited as the monster revealed itself: a Hellhound. It's head was bowed, but it's eyes shone, and it's lips were curled. I stared, uneasy.
"I have a message from your father." I heard the words ringing in my head. The Hellhounds mouth stayed unmoving, so I assumed ony I could hear it. "It is urgent. But I refuse to obey him. He is being unreasonable."
I swallowed. "May I know the subject?"
"It is how your Father feels about your sexuality." The Hellhound snarled, snapping his jaw. It's eyes gleamed, and stared me down. I decided to stop staring it in the eye.
"How can I get this message from you?" I asked.
"It is written, and tied around my neck." I glanced up to see that there was indeed a scroll, tied with string around the beast. "If you decline the message, I will be on my way. If you try to take it, you will be my target."
"Why? Why do you not want to give me the scroll?"
It barked. "Because I disagree with him. Hades' choice is foolish. I refuse to carry it out." It gave me a deadly glare. "Make your decision, son of Hades."
I was determined to get that note. But I needed to find out how.
I slowly took a step forward, head bowed. The monster stared at me. I reached forward, slowly, cautiously. The Hellhound snarled. I swallowed, and continued to reach. When I came within snapping distance, I stopped. The large dog was giving me a furious look. I reached forward one more inch.
The beast barked, and snapped at my hand.
"Ah!" I stumbled back. The Hellhound sprang on me, knocking me down. My head skimmed the side of a tree before hitting the ground hard. The shock of pain slowed my reaction, and when I looked up, the hound was bringing it's teeth down. I shut my eyes quickly. Suddenly it yelped and jumped off.
"Get away from him!" Yelped a voice. The Hellhounds footsteps became quieter as the owner of the voice came toward me.
Of course, it was Percy. He had a stick in his head, which he dropped as he neared.
"Are you okay?" He asked, helping me sit up.
"I'm fine. What are you doing here?" I looked him up an down, silently making sure he wasn't hurt. He placed his hand on the back of my head, which caused me to bolt forward.
"Sorry." He moved his hand down to the back of my neck. Well, all three of him did. My head was spinning, and Percy was now triplets. Not that I complained. It just made it harder to focus. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I hit my head, but I'm fine." His eyes widened slightly.
"Nico, do you see more than than one of me?" I didn't answer. "C'mon, Nico. I'll help you up. There's a stream not far from here. We'll patch you up and go back to camp."
I didn't argue as he helped me up. I had a harder time standing by myself than I figured. I leaned on Percy more and more the farther we got, but he didn't complain.
When we got to the water source, Percy sat me on a stone, and laid me back. I felt helpless, though I knew I could move. But I let him help me. My head slowly immersed in the water, and though I didn't like it, I didn't resist. Percy placed his hand in the water next to me, and I felt the water follow his hand as he moved it to my wound. Before it became uncomfortable, he stopped and slowly helped me sit up.
"Thanks." I mumbled. He smiled at me.
"Let's get back to camp now, hm?"
"Yeah."
We walked in awkward silence toward the direction I could only assume was East.
Review. ~TrampledRose
