Mr Fire hazard (Leo Valdez x reader)

5. Evora

Y/n POV 

'YOU'RE NOT ORION,' Nico blurted.

A stupid comment, but it was true.

The man before us clearly was not a hunter giant. He wasn't tall enough. He didn't have dragon legs. He didn't carry a bow or quiver, and he didn't have the headlamp eyes Reyna had described from her dream.

The grey man laughed. 'Indeed not. Orion has merely employed me to assist him in his hunt. I am –' 'Lycaon,' Reyna interrupted. 'The first werewolf.'

The man gave her a mock bow. 'Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, praetor of Rome. One of Lupa's whelps! I'm pleased you recognize me. No doubt, I am the stuff of your nightmares.'

'The stuff of my indigestion, perhaps.' From her belt pouch, Reyna produced a foldable camping knife. She flicked it open and the wolves snarled, backing away. 'I never travel without a silver weapon.'

Wait, I have my silver dagger. I slowly took it out and I think I hid it well until. Nico and coach saw it.

Lycaon bared his teeth. 'Would you keep a dozen wolves and their king at bay with a pocketknife? I heard you were brave, filia Romana. I did not realize you were foolhardy.'

Reyna's dogs crouched, ready to spring. The coach gripped his baseball bat, though for once he didn't look anxious to swing.

Nico reached for the hilt of his sword.

'Don't bother,' muttered Coach Hedge. 'These guys are only hurt by silver or fire. I remember them from Pikes Peak. They're annoying.'

'And I remember you, Gleeson Hedge.' The werewolf's eyes glowed lava red. 'My pack will be delighted to have goat meat for dinner.'

Hedge snorted. 'Bring it on, mangy boy. The Hunters of Artemis are on their way right now, just like last time! That's a temple of Diana over there, you idiot. You're on their home turf!'

Again the wolves snarled and widened their circle. Some glanced nervously towards the rooftops.

Lycaon only glared at the coach. 'A nice try, but I'm afraid that temple has been misnamed. I passed through here during Roman times. It was actually dedicated to the Emperor Augustus. Typical demigod vanity. Regardless, I've been much more careful since our last encounter. If the Hunters were anywhere close by, I would know.'

Nico stepped forward. 'So you've got us. What are you waiting for?'

Lycaon studied him like a new type of meat in a butcher's display case. 'Nico di Angelo ... son of Hades. I've heard of you. I'm sorry I can't kill you promptly, but I promised my employer Orion that I would detain you until he arrives. No worries. He should be here in a few moments. Once he's done with you, I shall spill your blood and mark this place as my territory for ages to come!'

Nico gritted his teeth. 'Demigod blood. The blood of Olympus.'

'Of course!' Lycaon said. 'Spilled upon the ground, especially sacred ground, demigod blood has many uses. With the proper incantations, it can awaken monsters or even gods. It can cause new life to spring up or make a place barren for generations. Alas, your blood will not wake Gaia herself. That honour is reserved for your friends aboard the Argo II. But fear not. Your death will be almost as painful as theirs.'

The grass started dying around Nico's feet. The marigold beds withered.

'Coach,' he said, 'you can climb?'

Hedge scoffed. 'I'm half goat. Of course I can climb!'

'Get up to the statue and secure the rigging. Make a rope ladder and drop it down for us.' 'Uh, but the pack of wolves –'

'Reyna and y/n ,' Nico said, 'you and your dogs will have to cover our retreat.'

The praetor nodded grimly. 'Understood.'

"Don't worry brother." I was weirdly quiet and chill even I was scaring myself. 

Lycaon howled with laughter. 'Retreat to where, son of Hades? There is no escape. You cannot kill us!'

'Maybe not,' Nico said. 'But I can slow you down.' He spread his hands and the ground erupted.

 He had pulled bone fragments from the earth before. He'd animated rat skeletons and unearthed the odd human skull. Nothing prepared him for the wall of bones that burst skyward – hundreds of femurs, ribs and fibulas entangling the wolves, forming a spiky briar patch of human remains.

Most of the wolves were hopelessly trapped. Some writhed and gnashed their teeth, trying to free themselves from their haphazard cages. Lycaon himself was immobilized in a cocoon of rib bones, but that didn't stop him from screaming curses.

'You worthless child!' he roared. 'I will rip the flesh from your limbs!'

'Coach, go!' Nico said.

The satyr sprinted towards the sprinted towards the temple. He made the top of the podium in a single leap and scrambled up the left pillar.

 I went into battle. And suddenly my sword was about 30 cm. I was ripping out every wolf but controlling their blood was difficult by a lot. So after a while I was just left with a sword. This time my father didn't even give me the blessing of Mars. It was very difficult. But easier since a lot of them were trapped inside bones. They were breaking out of the bones. Then I felt someone grab me. 

Don't worry it was just Reyna. And she just pole vaulted me to the top of the temple. With her javelin. Wow, no wonders she is a praetor. 'What's the plan?' she asked, not even out of breath. 'Show-off,' Nico grumbled. I never wanted to hit him so bad. 

A knotted rope fell from above.

'Climb, ya silly non-goats!' Hedge yelled.

'Go,' Nico told her. 'Once you guys are up there, hang on tight to the rope.'

'Nico –' I said. But apparently my brother loses his manners when we're in a life or death situation.

'Do it!'

Her javelin shrank back into a sword. Reyna sheathed it and began to climb, scaling the column

despite her armour and her supplies. It was impressive. Luckily Coach had grabbed my bag. I was climbing behind her. 

Down in the plaza, Aurum and Argentum were nowhere to be seen. Either they'd retreated or they'd been destroyed. I hope the latter isn't true. 

Lycaon broke free of his bone cage with a triumphant howl. 'You will suffer, son of Hades!'

He palmed the pocketknife. 'Come get me, you mutt! Or do you have to stay like a good dog until your master shows up?'

Lycaon sprang through the air, his claws extended, his fangs bared. Nico wrapped his free hand

around the rope and concentrated. 

As the wolf king fell on him, Nico thrust the silver knife into Lycaon's chest. All around the temple, wolves howled as one.

The wolf king sank his claws into Nico's arms. His fangs stopped less than an inch from Nico's

face. Nico ignored his own pain and jabbed the pocketknife to the hilt between Lycaon's ribs.

'Be useful, dog,' he snarled. 'Back to the shadows.'

Lycaon's eyes rolled up in his head. He dissolved into a pool of inky darkness.

Then several things happened at once. The outraged pack of wolves surged forward. From a nearby rooftop, a booming voice yelled, 'STOP THEM!'

Oh shit was my last thought before we slippen into shadows.