solangelo one shots

the chronicals of n&w chapter 16

Nico's POV

I clapped my hands over my ears as the explosion rocked the camp. The screams of younger children filled the air, while the more experienced demigods grabbed weapons. Frank transformed into a dragon and began to approach the smoking crater.

"Stay back! There's something very ancient and powerful in there." I closed my eyes, feeling Will's grip on my arm tighten as I fell into a trance, leaving my body behind. I guided my spirit forward, being sucked back into my body with a snap when I realized who it was.

The campers had backed away from the site of impact at my outburst, and were all staring at me, wanting to know exactly what it was. Will's wide eyes pierced mine, a cold distance expanding within them as he prepared for a fight, muscles tensing.

"Penthos. Spirit of grief, mourning, and lamentation. Son of Gaea. We meet again." I said coldly, extending my hand. My Stygian Iron sword flew out of the earth and landed in it.

The blurred figure of an enormous man flickered into view. "Nico di Angelo. Such a pleasure," He boomed, the sound of his voice sending a shiver of dread down my spine. "I believe you know what I want from you. You used to be of so much use to me. But then that boy ruined everything." His gaze zeroed in on Will.

I stepped in front of Will, concealing him as best I could with my narrow frame. My shoulders tensed, and my knuckles turned white from how tightly I gripped my sword. Everyone was frozen in shock. "Don't you dare touch him, or I'll banish you to the depths of Tartarus."

"Oh, but child, you know how much I adore that place. Not the best tourist destination, but altogether a nice little locale."

"Leave. Now." I could feel myself losing control again, the demon inside of me trying to surface. The thing was, I wasn't sure whether I wanted to fight it.

"I believe I'll stay. Nico, don't you remember your sister, Bianca? She must think that you don't care anymore, that you've moved on without her."

"It's what she wanted. She said it herself." I snapped, feeling a crushing sense of grief overwhelm me. "Stop tampering with my emotions." If he didn't back off, I'd unleash my demon. And he didn't particularly care for emotions other than rage.

"And your mother, the beautiful Maria, she loved you so. But you remember next to nothing of her." Penthos continued mockingly.

"Leave him alone!" Will snarled, our friends flanking him. The rest of the campers followed, a sea of eyes glaring at him.

"How adorable." He send of bolt of energy into my chest, and it felt like my heart was filling with shards of ice. I pressed my lips together and tried to stop my eyes from welling up. Dark memories swirled in my head, drowning me. "If you won't fuel me, your friends will."

Before I could move, he blasted Annabeth. She collapsed, sobbing. Annabeth, always the brave, strong girl that everyone could depend on. Reduced to a teary wreck in seconds.

"You can't fight him." She gasped, trying to wave Percy off. "Luke…" The single name was fraught with the pain of several lifetimes, far more than she could ever live to see. Percy's eyes filled with rage. And that was the last straw. This had to stop.

I felt my wings burst from just below my shoulder blades, and a prickling sensation rolled over my skin. "I'll kill you." I rose into the air, until I was level with his eyes. I conjured all of the shadows of the falling night. A huge, black cloud swirled around me, and with a twitch of my fingers, a sea of skeletons poured out of a fissure in the ground. I heard gasps from the crowd below. They'd never seen me like this, in a mindless fury. The animated bones dragged Penthos into the fissure, slowly but surely. The sheer number of them was actually prevailing.