nico: i've only had leo for a day and a half.
nico: but if anything happened to him, i would kill everyone in tartarus and then myself.
trigger warnings for people who hate body horror or mutilation because... this chapter is stock full of blood. be warned. also, this part is actually the thing that inspired the entire fic. probably my favorite chapter of the whole story... despite the hellstorm that goes down.
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after the third monster attack, things had become predictable.
that's what nico thought as he kept his iron sword unsheathed from its ring form and attached to his belt, placing his hand on the hilt in preparation for any skirmish that would come their way. the first attackers were a group of laestrygonians that caught sight of him and leo, yelling a battle cry as they ran towards the half-bloods holding clubs and bludgeons above their one-eyed heads. nico unsheathed his stygian iron sword just in time to cut through them, slashing through their large hunks one by one until they lay in disassembled heaps around his feet. leo assisted him in scattering the remainder of their vessels so they couldn't reassemble in time. their raging howls were reduced to gurgled gasps as they returned to a bile-like state.
the second attempt was actually fended off by leo. he had been trailing behind nico in silence, thumbing the celestial bronze knife he had discovered on the altar and running his finger across the edge of the blade. despite claiming it was a weapon good enough for use, leo stared at it as if it was an omen for the worst — perfect for when a scarlet-red harpy spotted and dove towards them. nico didn't have any time to react when he heard a whiz in the air; in the next second, the harpy was dead on the ground with a knife lodged into her forehead. leo went over and plucked it out, nodding over for nico to decapitate the monster and dispose of the head.
by the third assault, they were already suspecting it. hands itched towards their weapons as they observed the looming mass of a gargantuan hellhound. its fur was the color of black tar, and its eyes glowed like the fiery pits of hell itself. the hound was minding its own business until its attention swiveled to nico and leo, letting out an echoing bark before charging. nico and leo were about to defend themselves when bob lifted his broom above his head and brought it down on the monster, slamming and crushing the hellhound's head against the wasteland soil. he then swept the remains, using the broom as a lever to hoist the hound into the air and out of their path. nico and leo gaped at the titan's sudden attack. all bob did was grin and pet small bob's furless coat.
nico and leo mindlessly followed the colossal titan, hands grasping weapons and separated from each other. they've had a few small assaults since the hellhound. most were lower-class monsters of dracaena and even a giant crab. nico was slowly starting to gain confidence in his swings; his blade, though light from the loss of the souls he had acquired from the titan war, grew powerful with every stab or slash he gave as if it still had its tether to the undead that nico feared it lost. next to him, leo was fiddling with his fingers in an uncharacteristic quiet. his gaze was held forward as if trying to ignore him. nico debated whether or not he should start a conversation.
leo was right — he was good with knives. he could throw it with ease and hit a target for yards. he could quickly stab a monster behind the back and flee without being noticed, targeting the next one in their way. hell, he could throw the dagger in the air, kick it, and be able to hit a siren right between the eyes. it clearly displayed that leo had experience with the use of knives, and it wasn't just from piper's input.
even so, nico still held onto the belief that without leo using his powers, it would only serve to make things more difficult. he had little knowledge as to why leo was so avoidant of his fire. leo had an accident and scorched his arm, but even before that, nico rarely saw him conjure a flame in his palm. he only used it for emergencies, but this was tartarus , and they needed to utilize all of their resources. leo barely had any with his toolbelt out of condition and his only weapon being a dagger that could easily be broken or lost. nico didn't want him to use his powers so that their chances of survival were greater; nico wanted him to use his powers because he remembers the blood dripping from leo's clawed side. his eyes weak and his legs stumbling, about to collapse any second. and he didn't want to remember that.
