This is NOT going to plan (a TMI/PJO fanfic)

11 (Alec)

"Care to spar, Isabelle?" I snort quietly. Izzy is one of the best sword fighters of our generation. She just prefers other weapons, like her whip.

"Certainly." She replies, a devilish smirk on her face. Simon picks up his sword and retreats to a corner to watch this match. They circle each other, ready to pounce.

Izzy makes the first move.

She lunges, aiming straight for the throat. Nico gives a small twisted smile and flicks his wrist, up.

The blow catches her sword, deflects it, and knocks her chin up with her own sword, snapping her teeth together. Izzy gives a choked gasp, cut off abruptly as she nearly falls.

Growling, she rights herself and charges again. Before she can even move her sword Nico sidesteps, letting her stumble past him. He spins around and catches her in the stomach with the flat of his blade. She stumbles slightly and is about to regain her balance when Nico disarms her and knocks her to the ground. He breathes regularly, as if he just walked a few metres. Stooping, he grabs her sword from the ground and lifts it, pointing it at her throat.

Izzy gasps, a small choked sound that cuts off abruptly. She glares at Nico, who holds the sword at her throat for a minute longer with an expressionless face, before lowering it and offering her a hand. She reluctantly takes it and stands up. Nico spins the sword in his hand and offers it to her, hilt first. She snatches it and straightens her jacket. Nico strides away from her, towards Simon, who's been standing there with a awestruck expression the whole time.

"Was that good enough for you, mortal?" Nico hisses. Simon's mouth opens and closes, like a fish. Nothing comes out. He spins away and heads for the door, leaving a dumbstruck Simon behind him, when Izzy's voice stops him in the doorway.

"T-That was amazing. I've never seen anything like it. Ever. How did you do it? Who taught you?" Nico offers her a small smile. Then it twists into a grimace.

"I was taught by a dead man." Then with a whirl, he's gone. I spare Simon a look of disgust and follow Nico.

***

I find him in the library, looking at books about excreting demons. I stand in the doorway looking at him, like a creep, no doubt, for a few minutes. Then I cross the room and sit next to him. He acknowledges my presence with a nod and continues reading. Something pops into my mind.

"Nico, when you said that you were taught by a dead man, was that, um, a metaphor? Like did your ex teach you or something?" Nico chuckles quietly and meets my gaze.

"No. I was taught, quite literally, by a dead man."

A/N Sorry for the short chapter, and not updating for a while! It took _Lord_Hades_ bringing the factions into it to make me update. Actually, it didn't. It took me finally having time to write to make me update. School's being a bitch. Apart from choir. And seeing Dylan. But blah blah. Hope you like this chapter. I quite liked how Nico acted in this one. But I have some really awesome news to share with y'all!
I got invited to perform at Disneyland, next year, with some people from my performing arts school! I will hopefully be able to go, as I had to miss the information meet for family reasons (I'm looking at you, Ella!) but it should be good. But DISNEYLAND! PERFORMING IN DISNEYLAND! I'm really excited!!!
But the other thing I wanted to say is that this book has like ten more chapters, max, before it's finished. I planned it all out, so no changes will be made (hopefully!)
-Apollo