The Boy of Shadows and Sin

Chapter 2

Will's knees were shaking as the manticore laughed again. "A worthy opponent? No. Hardly a worthy snack! But that is neither here nor there. This is a matter of revenge." He had a French accent, so he wouldn't pronounce the 'h' at the beginning of his words.

He had no idea how Nico was standing so tall, staring down this monster in front of them. His own palms were sweating, and he wished (not for the first time, and he knew it wouldn't be the last) that he was a better archer, but he had been granted musical talent and a knack for healing, not skills in confrontation. The shadow travel he had taken left him feeling dizzy and slightly nauseous, but he was keeping it together. At the first sign of weakness, the manticore would pounce, and there would be no hope for him then.

"You'll find I don't taste very good. Too bitter," Nico spat harshly, and Will's heart skipped a beat at the malevolence and loathing in his tone.

'That can be fixed. Maybe I'll season you up with a little bit of salt." Dr. Thorn, as Nico called the manticore, moved so fast Will could hardly see it, but he heard a sickening thwack and Nico went flying into the ocean with a cry of pain.

"Nico!" Will screamed in desperation, but there was no sign of the dark-haired boy in the black waters. The full moon was the only thing Will could see in the waves.

Thorn chuckled again. "Have I struck a nerve, sun-child? What a pleasure to see your pain. wonder---what could I do to make it worse?" Will's breath caught in his throat. "Ah, yes. Your family back in New Jersey--your mother, and a step-father, and your sister. You wouldn't want anything to, say, happen to them, hmmm?"

"Katy..." Will whispered in horror. "You wouldn't," he growled through clenched teeth.

Thorn smiled, at least as much as a manticore can smile. "Wouldn't I?"

"No," Will said, "you won't." He lunged forwards and took a swipe at the monster's face. Thorn stood in surprise and put a hideous paw up to his face, and it came away covered in blood. He looked down at Will's fist and saw the keys protruding from between his knuckles. It wouldn't seriously injure him, Will knew, but it still hurt and would probably irritate the manticore. The fact that Nico was injured, probably dead, added fuel to the fire.

The manticore growled, its spiked tail swishing back and forth menacingly. "Foolish boy. You have just sentenced your family to death! And they, unlike you, will not receive a hero's welcome in the underworld."

Will froze in terror. Had he really doomed them? He didn't doubt that Thorn would be able to kill them with minimal effort on his part. All it would take was a well-placed word that there was a well-to-do family of a demigod and monsters would be swarming all over the house.

"Yes, that would be nice," Thorn mused, "but unfortunately I am forbidden from killing your sister. I do, however, have her in my custody at the moment."

His blood turned to ice, and try as he might, he couldn't make his feet move. Everything seemed to slow down. Will could see the tail flick, see the spikes fly towards him, and he knew they they were poisonous, but he couldn't move. Katie...

Still in slow-motion, he felt another body crash into his and he threw out a hand to break the impact of the fall, heard the scream of pain and rage. Nico! He was alive!

Will scrambled to his feet and saw the other boy standing there soaking wet, his face pulled tight with pain. "Will," he grunted, "get back. Let me deal with him." Will started to protest, but Nico turned to him and glared, and he gaped. Somehow despite the pain he didn't seem to be visibly injured, but he still looked beaten and battered. Will felt sick to his stomach at the thought of Nico fighting in this condition, but he knew that there was no changing his mind. He back peddled away from the scene, struggling to keep his breathing steady.