The Girl With the Diamond Blade- Nico di Angelo x Reader (Percy Jackson Fanfic)

Chapter 10

The shadow stepped ever closer.

"G-get back!" you stammered out, gripping your dagger. Whoever this shadow-guy was, you weren't going down without at least a little fight. You backed up, careful not to trip over the rocks. You stood just beside the creek; it made you feel safer, for some reason. The dim green glowing from the person's blade disappeared; was it sheathed? Then, the figure stepped out of the shadow of the trees.

The sun had set a long time ago, leaving the moon in its stead. The light was cool blue, turning the flowing water behind you to liquid silver. And as the person stepped out of the cover of the trees, it highlighted the sharp, angular features of...Nico.

"Why...are you here?" you asked quizzically. Wow, you could practically feel the gods rolling their eyes at you. Of course he was here to take your team's flag; why else would he be here?

"I was, uh, passing through?" He phrased it more like a question. Something about him struck you like he wasn't the type to strike up conversation because he was 'just passing through'. He coughed awkwardly. "Well, I guess I'll be going now..." He started to step back into the shadows.

You felt a spur of courage. "Wait!" you called out, lunging towards him and grabbing his jacket sleeve as it seemed to dissolve into the inky darkness. Nico gasped in surprise as you learned exactly how accurate that description could get.

Instantly, you were submerged in black. No, not just black—darker, vaster, deeper. Almost soul-crushing. The only thing keeping you tethered and real was the cold hand that had grabbed your shoulder, holding you close. You hated it.

As quickly as it started, it left.

But you weren't in the same place. You weren't in the same spot by the creek; now, you were somewhere else. Upstream, a voice in your head said. That was where Percy was stationed. You looked around, and became acutely aware of Nico holding you close.

It seemed that he did at the same time, because he let go of your shoulder and took a few steps back away from you. He didn't look good; actually, he looked exhausted. The dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced, made dramatic in the moonlight. His skin was pale as a ghost.

"A-Are you okay? What even was that?" you quickly questioned. His dark eyes turned to you.

"That was shadow travel. How," he asked, tiredness seeping into his voice, "how did you even manage to hold on to me?"

Before you could open your mouth to answer, you heard a gigantic SPLASH from behind you.

"______! Nico! A little help over here?" you heard Percy's voice call out. You heard a hissing sound and whipped your head around. Don't look at them, the voice in your head said. They'll petrify you. You said a quick and silent 'thank you' to whoever that voice was in your head and clicked the charm on your bracelet, summoning your blade.

Three little snakes with white spikes around their necks like collars surrounded him, hissing threateningly. One choked and spit a bright orange flame, starkly contrasting the darkness of the night and the cool blue of the moon.

"This is weird," you muttered under your breath. But you knew how to handle snakes. "Oi! Snakeface!" You grabbed a chuck of rock and threw it at one.

And it promptly disintegrated when it touched the snake.

You gulped. You hadn't faced anything like this before, and all the rock had done was take the attention off Percy and onto you. Percy dropped shield of water between him and the snakes and ran over to you and Nico. Basilisks, the voice corrected. Right. "Percy! Don't look at 'em! They're basilisks!" you yelled. You couldn't be sure, but you think he nodded. Nico's eyes were wide, and you could see his pale hand reaching for his sword.

You started thinking up a plan.

You started whispering to the boys as Nico used his freaky darkness powers to give you temporary cover. You didn't have much time. Through all the stress, one thing was clear in your head: shouldn't Camp Half-Blood, like, not have these problems?

When you were ready to go, Nico dropped the curtain of darkness. The basilisks saw you; it was incredibly hard to not look at them. Percy raised a shield of water and froze it, making the surface clear and smooth as a mirror. You and Nico swept around the sides and cut the heads off two of the basilisks that were distracted. "Got 'im!" you exclaimed, grinning to yourself.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion, as if time had slowed to a crawl in your mind.

The last remaining basilisk shattered the ice shield, sending shards flying in all directions. It leaped at Percy, nicking his leg with its fangs. Nico shouted and you screamed. You hacked the head off the last basilisk as Nico grabbed Percy by the shoulders.

"Find Will as fast as you can, then go to the Big House," he said quickly. Percy already didn't look good, but you didn't get a good look at him before he and Nico dissolved into shadow.

Then they were gone.

...you had a bad feeling about this.

Sorry for the lack of words in this chapter, but it's really plot important ^^; 

This was actually really hard for me to write. I can't imagine how other authors write their fight scenes...

Anyway, stumbled across this bit of trivia during my research: All beings of the Underworld, including Hades and his children, can use shadow travel--even Mrs. O'Leary!

Hope you guys don't mind these horrible updates, high school is an adventure. ^_^; See you next time!