Time and Time Again [Discontinued?]

9: No Peace for You

How wonderful. He just wanted breakfast from McDonald's which is a bonus to buying happy meals for the kids. Why did he have to be ambushed by 2 hellhounds and an empousa? Just great.

Nico ran through the streets of New York, looking back every once in a while just to see the group of monsters slowly gaining on him. "I just wanted a peaceful day. Why did I think the Fates were gonna let me have one?" He grumbled under his breath.

What did he expect? He was a demigod. There's no such thing as a peaceful day.

He was slowly heading towards busier streets so he couldn't go any farther. He didn't want to be on the news and he didn't want to accidentally murder a mortal so a less crowded, almost deserted street would do.

He sighed and unsheathed his Stygian Iron sword that was strapped to his back. "Let's just get this over with."

The team sent him on another grocery journey. He really couldn't protest since one of them had a small mission while the three of them had small projects and one of them was off-world. He was the only one with free time. Free time that wasn't project-based anyways.

Steve was walking the streets of New York, wearing civilian clothing although not very concealing his face. Around 5 people have already come up to him asking for a 'selfie'? He'll have to ask Tony what that means. He had the concept of pictures but slang was a weak point for him.

He went to the less crowded streets of NYC, already having bought the groceries, and was now taking a stroll, hoping to be spotted by fewer paparazzi when he saw a black-haired boy holding a crowbar menacingly towards a pair of Dobermans and an inhumanely pretty teenage girl.

Nico groaned, if a mortal from PETA saw what he was doing, he was probably screwed. The hellhounds snarled at him while the empousa walked up to him slowly, only stopping when he held his sword higher. "Nico Di Angelo." Full name. Not a good sign. "You'll make a good meal." She smiled, revealing inhumanely sharp fangs.

"I am the son of Hades. You do not scare me." He said, assuming a casual fighting stance, ready in case they attack. "You really should be scared, pretty boy." She crooned, making him cringe. Empousa tactics worked terribly on homosexuals.

It still worked of course, but the less attraction the target has to girls, the better results for the demigod in question come out.

She scowled, realizing her charmspeak wasn't working. "If you won't bend to my will, then I'll have to drink the blood from your corpse." She said, immediately launching herself at Nico.

He dodged to the side, avoiding her fangs. He did not want to turn into a dried-up pale raisin, no thank you. The hellhounds slowly circled him. The empousa kept on launching herself at him which he kept avoiding. The hellhounds were snapping at his ankles but for some reason, weren't attacking. Was it because he was the son of Hades? The thought momentarily distracted him.

Bad move.

The empousa, seeing this small chance, launched at him, successfully grabbing his shoulders. Nico, taken aback, crashed into the sidewalk. "Gods!" He exclaimed. "They won't help you son of Hades." She said sweetly. Nico gave a small grin, confusing the empousa. "They won't. But my sword will." He said, tilting his sword ever so slightly that it touched the empousa and cut her with its extremely sharp edge.

Now to those who don't know, Stygian Iron can only be wielded safely by children of Hades. If anyone else touches it, their soul gets absorbed into the blade.

The empousa shrieked, cursing Nico, and turned into a pile of black and gold ashes. Not the normal gold dust it turns into when a monster is defeated. A small effect of Stygian Iron.