Chapter 12

1.9K 118 41
                                    

When the invaders got tired of beating their heads against the east wall and sent another force against the roof, they also sent a force of magicians against the terrace. This time Amos ordered the more advanced trainees into the fight.

Spells were flying everywhere, and Percy's mobility was greatly reduced, not because he was afraid of getting hit, but because he had to look before each swing of Riptide to make sure he didn't hit any trainees. They had found out some time ago that celestial bronze could hurt Egyptian magicians, and Percy didn't want to accidentally injure someone from his own side.

There were plenty of shabtis in the mix for Percy to hack apart. In fact, none of them got past him, so the trainees were able to focus on picking off the enemy magicians.

He could hear that the fight had begun again on the roof, but couldn't spare much attention to look toward it. He could hear the roar of flames and see the glow from Zia's flames cast over the fight on the deck. Then the sounds changed and he heard a noise like the hiss of steam. Then the roof fell silent.

He waited tensely, praying that he wouldn't hear the alarm from inside that meant the perimeter had been breached. That would mean that the enemy had gotten past the team on the roof, and the only way that would happen was if the entire roof team was dead.

Thankfully no alarm was sounded. But still, Percy couldn't help but worry. He couldn't help but remember the Battle of Manhattan, and how after he split up his troops to guard the separate entrances to the city, how he'd never seen so many of those campers again. And how so much time passed before he even learned who had died. He hated that feeling of dread and felt like it was eating him up inside.

Sadie and Carter had done a good job training their students, and for that Percy was glad. It took them about thirty minutes longer than the roof team had taken to drive off their invaders, but they managed to do it without anyone getting seriously hurt.

As soon as they'd wrapped things up, Percy left the clean-up to the others and hurried up to the roof. The moment he burst through the door at the top of the stairs, his heart nearly stopped when he saw Zia holding a very still, very pale Nico in her arms.

The world seemed to narrow down to include just the three of them, so he missed the relaxed expressions on the faces of the other teens on the roof.

"Is he . . ." Percy swallowed and moved closer. Then he saw that Nico's chest was rising and falling steadily.

"He's sleeping," said Zia. "He's not injured."

Finally, Percy was able to breathe again. "Thank the gods. You're all okay?" Now he glanced around at the others.

"We're all fine," said Walt. "None of us have worse than superficial injuries, like a few burns and scratches."

"Nico's been using his powers?" asked Percy. He moved to kneel beside Zia and Nico, trying to pretend that it wasn't weird finding someone who was essentially a stranger to them both, cradling his unconscious little cousin in her arms.

"Yes," said Zia.

"His powers drain him too much," said Percy. "I keep telling him not overdo it like this."

"If he hadn't, Zia probably would have died," said Walt hesitantly.

"He saved my life," agreed Zia.

"Kwai's dead, by the way," said Julian.

"We had to kill him," added Alyssa. "He would have killed us all if we didn't."

Percy noticed that her voice shook a little. Zia's face was shadowed too, he noticed as well. Walt and Julian didn't have that darkness on their faces, so he deduced that they hadn't had a direct hand in it, but Zia and Alyssa had. Possibly Nico as well. Probably Nico as well, come to think of it. But the difference was, it wasn't something that would bother Nico at all. These girls had just killed someone for the first time and they were feeling it. Percy couldn't help but feel momentarily guilty. If he'd finished off Kwai then they wouldn't have had to get their hands bloody.

Nico's QuestWhere stories live. Discover now