The Blood of Olympus

Chapter Eighty-One:Nico

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Nico

Nico officially hated family reunions.

"Nico," Addressed Hades, in his smooth, oily voice. His black eyes of an evil genius glittered like frozen tar.

"We're so screwed." Jason mumbled.

Nico silently agreed with the son of Zeus. Hades sat on a coal black steed that flickered from skeleton to flesh, like a broken x-ray. A small gathering of security ghouls and soldiers stood impatiently behind him, their hungry eyes fixed on the demigods.

Percy cleared his throat. "Look, we were just-"

Hades snapped his fingers, the sound sharp and sudden. Jason and Percy disappeared.

Nico balled his fists, even though his heart was racing with fear. "What did you do with them?" He demanded. "If you've hurt them, I'll-"

"You'll what?" Hades asked dryly. "Kill me?" He smiled stonily; pale lips stretching grotesquely against albino white skin. "I have only sent your friends back to the queue, where they belong. I need to speak to you, Nico."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Speak to me? Like how you spoke to me a few days ago, on that island? I want to get my friends out of here, not have a nice chat with you." He spat.

The god didn't seem fazed by Nico's anger. "Alas, bringing people back from the dead is not exactly certified, but of course, you are aware of this."

"They're my friends." He said. "And we need them to save the world."

Hades regarded him. "Your loyalty is admirable. But I'm afraid your other friends-the ones that are alive-seem to be saving the world just fine without them."

Nico gritted his teeth. "They don't deserve to be here. Not yet" He thought about Percy. That dude had saved the world too many times, lost so many of his friends, and still bore that same, carefree smile. And Nico had seen for himself how much Percy felt for Annabeth-he could see it in his eyes whenever he looked at her. They deserved a future together. They deserved to be happy.

His thoughts turned to Jason. At Nico's time at Camp Jupiter, he had heard stories of Jason's fight against Krios. The guy was pretty much famous among the legion, and Nico could tell that almost every legionnaire looked up to him. And though he hadn't observed Piper's and Jason's relationship as much as Percy's and Annabeth's, he knew those two deserved to stay together.

Hades gave him a hard look. "No one evades death."

"Just let me save them." Nico hated the begging tone of his voice, but he couldn't help it. "You can just pretend that you never noticed-"

Anger flared like black fire in the god's eyes. "You know I can't do that."

"Can't or won't?"

"Both." Hades glanced at his black watch wrapped around his pale, skeleton-like wrists, and his expression darkened even more. "You must leave. I have things to attend to other than your problems."

The words stung like a slap. "Father-"

Without a second glance, the god clicked his fingers and suddenly Nico's world flipped upside down.

He slammed into the ground with a loud, "Oof!"

He sucked oxygen into his breathless lungs and reluctantly opened his eyes to the starry night at Central Park. His mind struggled to grasp what had just happened.