To Thwart The Darkness {Book 3}

History Has Its Eyes on You

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The shield was broken. The Death Eaters had entered the castle. Bodies littered the stairways as Nico sprinted down them, ignoring the faces. Ignoring the jet-black, ghostly forms that ran past him, so close to death. Ignoring the ghosts that comforted their friends, grieving over the bodies. Nico only had one goal: the Great Hall. That's where Will was.

The stairs underneath him exploded, sending him tumbling down the remaining flight. He wasn't at the ground floor yet. Death Eaters were fighting in front of a ruined wall, revealing the outside where giants stepped over the bridge and swat at the castle towers.

Two figures stood in front of him, battling the three Death Eaters. Two figures, one completely covered in the black fog, and the other with bright red hair. They sent white and red jinxes at the robed Death Eaters and Nico stumbled up and drew his sword. The red head spun around at the sound, protecting his companion's back, but relaxed when he saw it was Nico.

"Hey!" It was Percy Weasley. He was grinning madly. He turned his back to Nico again and shot another spell. One of the Death Eater's fell back out the hole in the wall. Nico couldn't be here. That figure... covered in the Death Omen... he looked over his shoulder and smiled at Nico. Fred Weasley.

"It's about time you showed up," he said, "could use your help, Nico."

Nico stepped back. Fred was his friend. Any adrenaline or sour glee that came from Crabbe's death evaporated.

Percy Weasley and Fred finished off the three Death Eaters, sending them falling out of the castle. Then they turned to Nico.

"You alright, Neeks?" Fred asked. Nico had given him permission to use that nickname while he and Will worked at the twins' shop over the holidays. It seemed like a century ago the four of them had joked and laughed over dinner in Diagon Alley. But now the nickname made him wince. Because he was going to be forced to see Fred's dead body, maybe even his ghost, knowing that George—the rest of the Weasley family—weren't going to ever see him again.

"Come on you two," Percy Weasley said. He looked happy. Happy to be fighting by his brother's side. Accepted by his brother. The same brother that was about to die. Percy Weasley frowned, watching Nico's expression twist and fall. "What's wrong?" He looked between Nico and Fred. Fred shrugged; he didn't know why Nico was looking at him like that.

Please don't die, Nico wanted to beg. But he shook his head, shook the thought out of his mind. This was the way of life. He was the son of Hades. He needed to accept it. Fred Weasley was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Allies!" Someone called from behind Nico. He spun, sword raised, but found it was only Alex Fierro, the one who had come with Magnus Chase. She held a garrotte in her left hand and a knife in her right, both covered in drying blood, and her face smudged with grime. She smiled like a feral cat and leapt over the broken staircase, landing gracefully next to Nico.

"Need any help?" She asked.

"I think we're good," Fred said. Alex looked back over at Nico, who was staring.

"Have I got something on my face?" She wiped her cheek, only managing to smudge blood over the dirt. Then her eyes widened in realisation. "Oh! You're the son of Hades that Annabeth was talking about. You've probably never seen an einherji before, right?"

"A...what?" Fred asked.

"Son of Hades? Like, the god of the dead—" Percy looked back at his brother. Colour drained from his face.

"Well, Nico—right? Yes, I died. Yes, I am dead. Let's move past this and go kill some more baddies." Alex did a little skip and ran down the hallway to find non-destroyed staircase to go down.

"She's a strange one," Fred said. "I like her."

"We should... we should keep going," Nico muttered, now not even bothering to look either Fred or Percy in the eye.

"You can see the dead?" Percy Weasley asked. Nico nodded. "So why were you looking at Fred the way you looked at that girl?"

"Come on," Fred said. "I'm sure he's just a bit stressed from the battle."

Percy grabbed his arm. The black Death omen seemed to spread up Percy's hand, as if it were made of water. He pulled his brother a little closer to him, as if that could protect Fred. Nico was going to be sick.

A smokey figure rushed past the trio and settled behind Nico, who spun and slashed with his sword. The Death Eater who had appeared stumbled back and clutched his bleeding stomach.

"Minister!" Percy Weasley exclaimed, recognising the new figure, and still holding onto Fred, he fired a blue spell at the new-comer, sending him unconscious. "Did I mention I was resigning?" He called as the Death Eater fell to the floor.

"You're joking, Perce!" Fred exclaimed, surprised, looking up at his brother. "You're actually joking! I don't think I've heard you joke since—"

The wall beside them exploded.

---

Nico's ears rung. He pulled himself up, feeling rocks and gravel tumble off his back. He could feel something had shifted. As if the tectonic plates themselves had moved. Something had changed.

Nico's head hurt. And his back was surely bruised. But other than that, he was still in one piece. He fumbled for his sword in front of him, his vision swirling and swimming. Everything was covered in white dust. Stones and rubble covered the ground around him. But he hadn't been in the epicentre of the explosion. He had only been hit by the dregs as they flew outwards.

He looked over to his left, where Percy Weasley and Fred had been standing. Rocks were piled up. Yells and screams seemed so far away as Nico realised one of them, from under the pile of rocks, was crying. They were begging, "Percy, Percy get off me. Percy get up."

Nico crawled over, his arms heavy and sluggish, his vision even more so. He must have been hit by a flying rock or have hit the floor on his way down. He probably had a conclusion. He wanted to throw up.

He felt his fingers wrap around the rocks. He pulled the stones off. They shifted and rolled, clattering to the ground. Fred was lying underneath his brother, weeping and still begging. He was alive. But Percy Weasley was not.

"Percy, come on," Fred shook the body on top of him. His head was lying on top of his brother's hand. It would have softened the blow backwards. "Percy, please." Dust stuck to his tears. He must have known. Must have. The body on top of him was not breathing.

Nico put his body on top of Percy's, finding Fred's shoulder, and, before he could pass out, shadow travelled them to the Great Hall.