The Angel of Death

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

The tables were significantly emptier when I returned, carrying my bag. Everyone was still sitting at the Poseidon table, waiting for me to return. I sat down again, sandwiching myself in between Will and Jason.

I plopped the bag down on the table triumphantly. "I have gifts," I said, to immediate excitement. Percy looked like he had just been told it was Christmas.

"What?" Frank said. "Nico, you didn't have to get us anything–"

"Shut up Frank, for the love of Hades accept the stupid gift!" Percy snapped. Annabeth put her head in her hands. I smiled.

I went around the table, starting with Jason. I bought him a little stapler keychain I was lucky to find in a gift shop somewhere in Germany.

Piper I got a t-shirt with the words 'I'm actually famous' printed on the front. (I know a guy).

Leo got an apron with 'too hot to handle' stitched on it, which made him laugh so hard he almost fell out of his chair.

I didn't really know Calypso all that well, I had only met her a few times, so her gift was a little simpler, just a gold chain with a white flower on it. She smiled and thanked me, getting Leo's help to clasp it.

Annabeth's gift had taken a while to accumulate. It was a mini photo album I had made of pictures taken of every historical or even modern building I had seen that made me think of Annabeth's love of architecture.

I deliberately skipped Percy, just to see his my-puppy-just-died face.

Next was Frank, who was handed another key chain I had picked up in Quebec. It was made of wood, and shaped like a maple leaf. The back had 'Je suis Canadian, bitch' engraved on it. Frank looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or scold me. I smiled sweetly at him. "They didn't have any with 'hecker' so you'll have to make do." He shook his head, laughing.

Hazel got a ring; one I had found in an excavation sight in Egypt. "It's made of solid gold," I said. Then I wiggled my eyebrows. "And it's cursed." Frank yelped but Hazel just laughed and slid it on her index finger. Egyptian curses were badass and all, but I had gotten Hades to get rid of whatever it was so Hazel could wear it without incurring the wrath of Anubis or something.

Will's gift had taken me a while to find. I wanted to get it just right, and eventually, I found the perfect thing, in a little shop somewhere in the Caribbean. It was a leather cuff bracelet, clasped in tarnished gold, with a sun embossed on the front.

It had been a bit expensive, but it was worth it to see him smile, fastening it around his wrist. I caught Hazel's Look out of the corner of my eye and glared at her.

Percy looked like his house had just burned down and all his friends had been murdered. Smiling, I pulled out his gift last, handing it to him. He stared at it for a moment, before bursting out laughing, pulling the shirt over his head. It was printed to look like Ariel, skin-coloured with the purple shell-bra thingy.

"Oh my Gods," Percy wheezed. "I love it!" He struck a cute pose, with his hands under his chin. "I've always known I was a mermaid!"

                                                                                        ...↞⇹↠...

After the campfire was done, I headed back to cabin 13. I was exhausted, a lot had happened today, and I was looking forward to getting sleep. Thankfully someone (Hazel) had updated the beds, so they were no longer shaped like coffins, instead they were just regular beds, low to the ground, fitted with silver sheets and dark marble-patterned comforters.

Hazel wasn't in there, probably saying goodnight to Frank somewhere private. I stripped my long-sleeve off and crawled into my bed, the one furthest from the door, burrowing under the warm bedding. As a child of the literal Underworld, I was usually always cold, and the warmth was nice.

I was nearly asleep when I heard Hazel come in, listening in a detached way as she ruffled around, to the bathroom to change, and then to her own bed. She blew her lamp out, and for a few seconds there was silence.

"Nico, are you still awake?" I hummed in response. "Can I... ask you something?" I rolled over to face her, waking myself up a little.

"Of course. You can ask me anything, you know that." She bit her lip, looking up at the ceiling. "I just..." she huffed, frustrated. "I don't even know what to ask. I guess, have you seen anything... weird lately?'

"What do you mean, weird? What's been going on?"

"Nothing! Everything's been so calm lately, and I don't know. It kinda feels like the calm before the storm, right? I guess I'm antsy. I have a bad feeling, you know? Maybe that's just me. It's probably nothing."

"Hazel, it's okay to feel like that. I think that's one of the reasons I left camp in the first place."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was raised in the forties, right? That was during World War II, and then when I came here, I was thrown right into another war. I guess I didn't really know what to do with myself if things were quiet. If I'm being really honest, I still don't think I do."

Hazel was quiet for a few moments. "I guess we should just enjoy it while we can, right? I mean, we're demigods. This probably won't last forever."

I laughed, yawning at the end. "No, it probably won't." 

Get ready for a lot of updates cuz ive been in a writing mood. 

Fun fact: if you get beheaded your head won't die right away, so you have a few seconds where you're aware that you've been beheaded and are dying.