Ch56

Nico observed the frontlines. The rows of monsters charged at the lines of those pathetic campers. His eyes drifted around as he tried to find Bianca. Where are you. This morning a report came in that the hunters had switched their positions with the Demeter Cabin.

They are doing something I know it. What could possibly have happened for them to move their troops at such a moments notice? It was something Lord Kronos had to investigate for him. Bianca what is going on?

He turned around as he saw Prometheus approach him. "Have you figured anything out?" The titan asked.

"No." He shook his head and looked at the lines. "They must be planning something, maybe it's another assault?" His brow furrowed. "I'm going to investigate up closely, I'll report back to Lord Kronos when I'm done."

Prometheus nodded. "Be careful."

"I will." He gripped his sword and jumped into the shadows. The darkness enveloped him as he was transported closer to the frontlines. He emerged from the shadows not far from the frontlines where various campers were having defensive positions.

He carefully observed the campers. Where are those hunters? He scanned the area but saw no sign of them or Bianca.

"AHHH!"

Suddenly a shriek reverberated throughout the area. His blood ran cold as he recognized the sound of his sister screaming. "Bianca!"

He looked around and tried to find the source of the screaming but the two armies were looking around the area equally confused.

"Attention Titan Army." He looked up and saw the image of Percy Jackson in what appeared to be a mirror made of mist in the sky. His sea green eyes bore down on those below as they all watched the Son of Poseidon up above.

"You thought you could be sneaky and send another spy? We'll we found her." Percy stepped aside to reveal his sister Bianca tied up.

He gasped his blood running cold as he saw his siter tied to a chair blood and tears running down her face. "Bianca," he whispered his body shaking in a mixture of sorrow and anger. How dare he touch her. His blood boiled as the image of that daughter of Athena Annabeth came into view. She took out her knife and slowly sliced Bianca's cheek.

"Please stop," Bianca sobbed. "It hurts so much. Please Nico help-" She was cut off by Percy Jackson who hit her with the pommel of his sword.

"Bianca!" They'll pay. His blood boiled as he watched his sister scream in agony.

"We're in Central Park right now," Percy said coldly. "We'll chop her to bits until she reveals each and every secret of the Titan Army. When we're done we'll send you what is left."

It was then that the son of Hecate Alabaster Torrington stepped into view, he muttered something and raised his hand. Bianca let out a blood curdling scream that shook him to his core.

"Bastards!" He gripped his sword. No one hurts his sister on his watch.

"Come and stop us if you dare," Percy said in a half taunting voice before the image in the sky disappeared.

His body shook as tears fell from his face. Bianca. He gripped his father's sword and drew it, "I'll save you. I'm a hero just like Luke now!" With that he disappeared into the shadows and headed towards Central Park.

Percy anxiously looked around Central Park. The entire area was covered in wards to prevent people from leaving. "Lou is everything in place?"

Lou nodded. "My Aunt Medea and Circe are on standby."

"Good." His heart raced in his chest as he looked at Bianca tied to a wooden stake in the distance guarded by to skeletal warriors. She makes a good actress. Thankfully Lou and Alabaster were able to make the wounds look real enough and the screams just as real.

We'll end this here. They would take out Bianca's brother one way or another. Hopefully they could take him alive but he doubted the boy would go down without a fight.

"Look!" Lou said with a whisper.

He turned to where she was pointing, a small figure emerged from the shadows in the distance, it was Nico. His heart raced as he carefully approached Bianca and took out the skeletal guards. The boy then tried to undo Bianca's binds and that was when the torches lit up.

Various green flames lit up the area pushing back all the shadows. Nico looked up as Bianca sprang at him and knocked him to the ground.

"Bianca!" Nico shouted but was cut off by Bianca struggling to pin him down.

Lets go. He drew Riptide and charged while from the other side Ethan came with his hand on his katana.

Nico managed to stand up as Bianca struggled to undo the sword at his side. his eyes widening in anger as he saw them. "YOU'LL PAY!"

"Incantare: Exarmare!" Alabaster stepped out of the woods as he casted his spell.

Nico tried to grab his sword but the hilt from his side and into Bianca's hands. "I got it!" She yelled as she stood up with the sword in hand.

Nico did a double take. "Bianca what's going on?"

He raised his sword at the boy. "Surrender now this is your last chance."

Nico glared at him his body shaking as he turned and saw Ethan, Alabaster, and a few hunters armed with bows and arrows in the distance.

"Nico please," Bianca said softly. "Calm down and surrender. When this all done we'll get amnesty."

Nico's body shook his eyes watering as he looked at Bianca. "I came to save you," he said through a half sob. "I was going to be the hero. A hero just like Luke." A dark aura enveloped him as his gaze turned cold as he turned and pointed a finger at him. "I'm going to be the child of the prophecy not you!"

He didn't know if he was supposed to be intimidated but he did feel a chill down his spine. "This isn't a game stop now."

"Please Nico do what he says," Bianca said. She took a careful step forward and extended a hand. "Come on come with me."

Nico's body shook. He laughed loudly like a maniac. "I'm not going to those loser gods. Do you know what they did to our family? Kronos will bring in a new age and I'll be his champion!"

"Look out!" Ethan yelled as Nico lunged at Bianca.

Bianca let out a surprised scream as Nico fell onto of her and the two fell to the ground as they fought for the sword in Bianca's hand.

"Take him down and don't let him draw it!" He quickly kicked Nico off Bianca, unfortunately the son of Hades had his grip on the swords' hilt and glared at him with a deadly gaze.

"You all tried to trick me!" Nico's eyes gleamed with a wild, dangerous light, and a dark aura surrounded him, twisting like smoke as he raised the cursed sword.

He barely had time to call out a warning before Nico let out a furious scream, his voice raw with anger and pain, and plunged forward.

Undead soldiers began clawing their way from the ground around him, the earth cracking open as skeletal hands reached up, pulling themselves free from the dirt. Nico moved with terrifying speed, his sword swinging in deadly arcs as he charged at them, fury blazing in every step.

"Take them down!" he shouted to his allies, glancing back to see Ethan and Annabeth already diving into the fray, blades flashing as they cut down the first wave of undead. The hunters moved like shadows behind them, arrows loosed with deadly precision, their silver tips slicing through the skeletal warriors with ease.

Alabaster joined him, staff alight with green flames, his face set with determination. "We need to push him back!" Alabaster called over the chaos.

He nodded, moving in sync with his friend as they closed in on Nico, who was too absorbed in his own rage to see the coordinated strike coming. But the boy was still fast, too fast, and his strikes came in quick, brutal slashes, leaving little room to counter.

Nico's blade swung toward his head, and he barely ducked in time, feeling the rush of air as the cursed sword sliced past him. Alabaster raised his staff, muttering a spell that sent tendrils of green light coiling around Nico's legs, rooting him to the spot for a split second.

With a snarl Nico shattered the magical restraints, and the ground erupted around him. More undead soldiers clawed their way out, filling the clearing as if they'd been summoned from the depths of the underworld. Ethan fought them off, katana flashing as he deflected their blows, while Annabeth moved fluidly beside him, her dagger darting in quick, lethal strikes.

"Nico, stop this!" he shouted, dodging another blow from Nico's sword. But Nico's expression was lost, his eyes wild with a combination of anger and delirium, dark circles under his eyes betraying the toll the sword was taking on him. The cursed weapon seemed to drain his life force with each swing, but he fought on, undeterred.

With a sharp pivot, he lunged at Nico, hoping to disarm him, but Nico countered with a burst of shadow energy that nearly sent him sprawling. He gritted his teeth, recovering his stance as Alabaster sent another spell toward Nico, trying to slow him down.

Nico's breath was ragged now, his movements faltering as exhaustion and rage clouded his focus. But he fought on, and for a moment, he broke through their defenses, his sword dangerously close to Alabaster.

He saw his opening.

With a swift motion, he kicked Nico sharply in the groin, causing the boy to gasp in pain and stumble backward. In that brief moment of weakness, Alabaster took the opportunity, stepping forward and delivering a hard kick to Nico's chest, knocking him off balance. Nico crashed to the ground, the cursed sword slipping from his grasp as he clutched his midsection, gasping for air.

"Don't let him near that sword!" he shouted, moving quickly to stand between Nico and the weapon, which seemed to pulse with a dark, sinister energy even as it lay on the ground.

Nico glared up at him, fury and pain mingling in his expression as he quickly dived and picked up the sword.. "You think… you can stop me?" His voice was strained, his breathing shallow, but the fire in his eyes hadn't dimmed. Yet there was a flicker of something else—weariness, a shadow of fear lurking behind the anger. "I am the Ghost King! Proud general of Lord Kronos and student Luke the greatest hero of this generation."

Really? A part of him did want to laugh, this kid seemed crazy too crazy.

He kept his stance firm, sword raised, every muscle taut as he held Nico's gaze. "This isn't the way, Nico," he said firmly. "Stop this now, before it's too late. If you resist there won't be a surrender."

"I'll never surrender to Olympus!" Nico made a desperate lunge toward the sword. He reacted instantly, driving Nico back with a swift downward slash of Riptide that stopped him in his tracks.

In the distance, the last of the undead soldiers crumbled under the combined attacks of Ethan, Annabeth, and the hunters. Silence settled over the clearing as the allies caught their breath, the tension hanging thick in the air as they waited, each eye on Nico, uncertain of what he would do next.

Nico looked up, breathing heavily, his face twisted with frustration and despair. For a moment, it seemed he would try to fight again, but then, slowly, his shoulders sagged, the dark energy around him dissipating as exhaustion took over. "You bastards!" The boy spat out blood. "You dogs of Olympus have done nothing but harm my family." His gaze bore into them with nothing short of pure hatred.

He held Riptide steady, watching Nico carefully. "Alabaster Take him down!"

"Incantare Exarmare! Veni!"

The sword flew out of Nico's hand and towards Alabaster who grabbed it in his hands. "It's over."

Nico glared at them but Ethan quickly knocked him to the ground and held his katana at his throat. "I'll make sure he doesn't get away."

Bianca sighed as she got up and dusted the dirt off her. "Nico when this is done I'll speak to father on your behalf."

Teas fell down Nico's face as he glared daggers at them all. "We are just his pawns, he never cared for us. He is just like those other-"

It was then a circular ball flew through the air and hit Nico. The son of Hades didn't have time to react as he was quickly turned into a guinea pig.

"I got him!" Lou said calmly a she went and picked up the small rodent who squealed in protest as it was placed in a cage. "There all done!"

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Well that went better than I thought."

Alabaster nodded as he held Hades' sword in the air, the blade gave off an eerie vibe as Alabaster chanted in Latin. The blade turned to smoke that flew into one of his cards. "I'll keep it safe."

Bianca nodded as she looked at the rodent. "I do hope we can get him to come to his senses."

He went over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "When this over we'll see what we can do. Kronos and Luke have gotten ahold of him but maybe we can do something to undo their influence."

Taking a deep breath he looked at everyone who cautiously breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright lets move out!"

With that they headed towards their command tent by the Empire State Building. "Hey Bianca come on lets have a talk." The daughter of Hades avoided his gaze but nodded as she followed him inside the tent and sat at the table.

She sat with her gaze fixed on the table, her shoulders tense, hands twisting together as if she were trying to hold herself steady. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, her voice barely audible. "I never wanted him to… become this." Her eyes lifted to meet his, and he could see the pain there, raw and unshielded. "Nico… he wasn't always like this."

He nodded, watching her carefully. "I know. It's not your fault, Bianca." He kept his voice calm, steady, trying to give her a reassurance he wasn't sure he fully felt. "None of this is on you."

A flicker of guilt crossed her face. She shook her head, looking away. "But maybe if I'd done something sooner, or stayed with him, this wouldn't have happened. Maybe he wouldn't have turned to Kronos, to… to all this darkness."

He leaned forward, his tone soft but firm. "There's nothing you could've done. Nico made his choices, and sometimes… sometimes people choose a path that leads them away from what we'd hoped." He could feel the weight of his own words pressing down on him, and he hoped she understood. "But that doesn't mean you did anything wrong."

A bitter smile touched her lips as she nodded, letting out a shaky breath. "Thank you." She paused, her fingers stilling, her gaze returning to him, filled with a hesitant resolve. "I want to help him. If there's a way… if there's any way to bring him back from this, I want to try. But if… if we can't—" Her voice broke slightly, but she swallowed hard, steeling herself. "If we can't, I understand. I just… I just need to know we tried."

He could see how much this cost her, the pain it took to even think about her brother's possible death. She wanted to save him, to believe that there was still a way to pull him back from the edge, and he could understand that better than most.

"We'll do what we can," he promised, his voice low and certain. "But Bianca… if he tries to escape, if he endangers anyone again…" He held her gaze, knowing she needed to hear this as much as he needed to say it. "We may not have a choice. If he tries to harm any cany campers or go back to Kronos, we'll have to take him out."

She nodded slowly, her expression somber, but there was a spark of understanding in her eyes. "I know," she said softly. "I just… I needed to hear it."

He reached out, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "We'll do everything we can. But whatever happens… you're not alone in this."

She met his gaze, her eyes bright with unspoken gratitude and determination.