The Colosseum

chapter 4: elio

I was leaning up against the door frame of my room watching as Narcissa paced around in a panic state. She was muttering in Italian and running her hands through her hair. I watched for a moment longer before pushing up from the frame.

"Cissy, you need to calm down." She pauses and spins her hair fanning out behind her. Her face flushed with rage.

"Did you just tell me to calm down?" She lets out a hysterical laugh. I flinch when I see the dark gleam in her eye. I open my mouth to reply when she cuts me off.

"Calm down? Calm down!" she spits, stalking toward me. I shrank back realizing my mistake. I curled into myself ready for the full brunt of her anger. She breathes heavily for a moment before she resumes her pacing. I could tell she was really upset because there were shadows swirling around her feet and hands. She shakes her hands sending a shadow ball flying. We both duck as it pings around the room. It hurtles toward me. I deflect it to the side where it shatters a porcelain vase to my left. I raise an eyebrow at Narcissa.

"You've never been this nervous about a job before. What has got you so freaked out Cissy?"

"You'd be freaking out too if you heard what I heard Elly" Narcissa quips running a hand through her hair, fixing me with a look of dread.

"What are you talking about Cissy?

"This target. She's not like the others. I overheard Enrique talking to the benefactor in his study when I went to bring him lunch. This target, no, this demigod they're sending you after, she's not like the others." I couldn't help the snort that slipped past my lips. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Yes, I heard Enrique. she's a VERY powerful demigod." I quipped making quotation marks in the air with a scoff. Narcissa snarls angrily and throws one of her knives at me. It wedges itself two inches to the left of my head. I stared at her with wide eyes. Shock written across my face. I could see the vein popping out of her forehead. I swallowed.

"This isn't something to joke about Fratello!" She hisses out pulling another knife from its sleeve and points it at me in warning. I raise my hands up in defense.

"Va bene, I'm sorry" Narcissa narrows her eyes before lowering the knife. I let out a relieved breath as she placed the knife back in its sleeve and made her way to the window. She peers out hugging herself as the shadows reappear around her feet. I could feel my heart breaking a little. Whatever it was she heard it was really getting to her. I walked to her, hands rubbing up her arms in comfort.

"Hey" I called, turning her to face me. I cup her face in my hands and kiss her forehead. She covered my hands with her own and let out a sigh.

"Stop worrying ok. I'll be fine Cissy. I promise." I whisper and pull her into a hug. She buries her face in my chest and takes a deep breath. I could feel her relaxing. I smiled into the top of her head. Narcissa pulls me closer, squeezing me a little tighter. She looked up at me and she was pouting slightly.

"You better be careful. I swear if you die, I am going to walk my happy ass to the underworld and I'm going to drag you back by your coglioni!" I flinch, twisting my hips away from her and covering my crotch with one hand. A pained expression on my face. Narcissa laughs and lets go of me. Her face looked relaxed for the first time since this morning. I glared down at her playfully before rolling my eyes.

"Whatever you say shorty" I snorted out ruffling her hair. She elbows me in my ribs. I laugh and grip my side. She reaches behind me picking up my leather jacket and helps me tug it on.

"You should probably get going. the faster you get this done, the faster you can come home."

"I'll be a day, a week at the most" Narcissa smiles, picking up my scythe holding it out to me. I grabbed it. the hand at the end reaches over to Narcissa patting her head lightly. she laughs, patting the hand as it shrunk back into the handle. I take a step back, holding it out in front of me. The scythe begins to shrink to the size of a pin. I caught it and clipped it to the silver chain around my neck where it clinks against a small obsidian skull hanging from the chain. A gift from our father. Narcissa walks up to me straightening the collar of my jacket. She gives me a small smile before pressing a hand to my chest and pushes me into the shadows. I heard her yell as I fell into the shadows.