The Wants of a Young Demigod Heart (Nico di Angelo, Leo Valdez x OC)

Hypothermia

Nico POV

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I feel the ground break underneath me. Compared to Tartarus, it is a relatively short fall. Finally, I land in a cool pool of water. Shivering, I pull myself out. My eyes adjust to the darkness around me.

It appears as though I'm in a cave. The walls are dripping wet and the ground is a rough concrete. The temperature is below freezing, and, in dripping wet clothing, even as a child of Hades, I am in danger of frostbite.

Why you might ask? Well, in caves, the temperature is naturally cold, and because the water in the cave has been sitting for Zeus knows how long, it would be very cold. This, on top of the ten-degree air, would kill someone in under an hour. I might have one and a half. Maybe more, if I'm lucky.

I look around at my surroundings. There are stalactites and stalagmites everywhere, and they look sharp enough to penetrate even the strongest armor. Then, I notice a faint red glow in the center of the room. Atop a pedestal, sits the helm of Ares.

This is too easy, I think to myself. Nevertheless, I go forward and attempt to remove the helmet. My hands, which are slowly turning blue, reach towards it slowly, testing the waters. The second my fingers touch the metal, blackness envelops me.

I awake to find a girl's face peering down at me. Then the pain sets in. It's excruciating. My body feels so... It hits me. My nerves are shorting out. Someone has doused me in the water yet again, causing hypothermia to set in much faster.

"What-what happened?" I mumble drowsily.

"He has requested this," the female voice says. The voice is melodic and silky.

"Are you a nymph?" I ask, trying to sit up.

A cool hand pushes me back down. "Don't try," she says. "It's no use. He'll kill me if I don't obey. Just die quickly so that I might be free."

"Just die quickly?" I scoff. "Gee, thanks. Who's he?" My vision clears and I can see the girl clearly. Obviously, she is a water nymph. She is wearing a silky blue dress with smooth pond stones adorning her neck.

The nymph looks around warily. "I can't- I can't tell you," she replies nervously.

"Please, you've got to let me go!" I plead with a weak voice. "I'm on a quest to find some godly items that were lost. My... friends... I think anyway.... Are waiting for me up there. And I need that helm." I weakly raise a shivering hand to point at the glowing red helmet.

"What can you offer me?" the nymph frowns.

"I am The Ghost King, son of Hades," I breathe. I'm desperate. If I don't get warm soon, my body will go into shock. Then, amputation. Possible coma. "Maybe I can convince my father to bring you back; if he kills you."

The nymph chews her bottom lip. "Swear it. Swear it on the River Styx that you will try your absolute best to bring me back."

I gulp. "I swear on the River Styx, that I, Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, the Ghost King, will try my absolute best to bring you back to life when the quest finishes." I hear a faint roll of thunder.

The nymph nods, satisfied. She then sashays over to the helm and hands it to me. "The stairs are that way." The nymph gently helps me to my feet. However, when I try to stand on my own, my knees buckle and I fall to the ground. But the nymph is gone.

"Just great," I mutter to myself. "Trapped underground, dying from the cold, and carrying the freaking helm of Ares. Just what I wanted to be doing." Slowly, yet surely, I dragged myself all the way to the bottom of the stairs, clutching the helm in my arm. Then I pull myself up, step, by step, my body slowly going numb. My nerves are short-circuiting, and it won't be long before my limbs shut down completely.