WAIT FOR ME [ nico di angelo ]

Nico's positivity is unsetteling

LOUIS'S ONLY EXPERIENCE with vampires he'd had was watching the mortal movie Twilight with Reyna. But now that he was almost face to face with one, he relised that the Twilight movies weren't very realistic.

The creatures shuffled off, their voices getting fainter. Louis crept to the edge of the boulder and risked a glimpse. Sure enough, five women staggered along on mismatched legs—mechanical bronze on the left, shaggy and cloven-hooved on the right. Their hair was made of fire, their skin as white as bone. Most of them wore tattered Ancient Greek dresses, except for the one in the lead, who wore a burned and torn blouse with a short pleated skirt…her cheerleader’s outfit.

In addition to their nasty claws and fangs, they had a powerful ability to manipulate the Mist. They could change shape and charmspeak, tricking mortals into letting down their guard. Men were especially susceptible. The empousa’s favorite tactic was to make a guy fall in love with her, then drink his blood and devour his flesh. Not a great first date.

Louis thought he'd be ok though. He didn't want to go on a date with her, he wasn't even remotely attracted to her, more repulsed if anything.

Nico rose. “They’re heading for the Doors of Death,” he murmured. “You know what that means?”

Louis didn’t want to think about it, but sadly, this squad of flesh-eating horror-show women might be the closest thing to good luck they were going to get in Tartarus.

“Yeah,” he said. “We need to follow them.”

-

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WALKING WAS ALWAYS something Louis loved. He enjoyed how calming it felt, feeling the fresh air dance around his skin, taking in the sights all around, not having an exact destination and just letting your legs do the work. He loved it.

Nico and Louis had gone on walks together before, taking the time to understand each other more when they'd first met. Louis also had used it as an excuse to spend time with Nico.

This walk through Taturus however, was not so enjoyable, nor calming.

They followed the River Phlegethon, stumbling over the glassy black terrain, jumping crevices, and hiding behind rocks whenever the vampire girls slowed in front of them.

It was tricky to stay far enough back to avoid getting spotted but close enough to keep Kelli and her comrades in view through the dark hazy air. The heat from the river baked Louis' skin. Every breath was like inhaling sulfur-scented fiberglass. When they needed a drink, the best they could do was sip some refreshing liquid fire.

Louis was just glad he was with Nico. He was so glad that they were together. Jumping into Taturus was lunacy, but Louis knew he'd do anything for Nico.

Physically, Louis felt better too, though his clothes looked like he’d been through a hurricane of broken glass. He was thirsty, hungry, and scared out of his mind, but he’d shaken off the hopeless cold of the River Cocytus. And as nasty as the firewater tasted, it seemed to keep him going.

Time was impossible to judge. They trudged along, following the river as it cut through the harsh landscape. Fortunately the empousai weren’t exactly speed walkers. They shuffled on their mismatched bronze and donkey legs, hissing and fighting with each other, apparently in no hurry to reach the Doors of Death.

Once, the demons sped up in excitement and swarmed something that looked like a beached carcass on the riverbank.

When the demons moved on, Nico and Louis reached the spot and found nothing left except a few splintered bones and glistening stains drying in the heat of the river. Louis had no doubt the empousai would devour demigods with the same gusto.