Sorcery & Shadows (Based on the Heroes of Olympus series)

VII

"An."

I blinked my eyes open, slightly disoriented.

"Nico?"

"Thank the gods," he muttered under his breath, but I still caught his words and smiled faintly.

"You aren't getting rid of me that easy, Shadow Boy."

I looked around. We were in a dark and stale cave, dimly lit with makeshift torches.

"You're welcome," a voice answered from behind Nico. 

He scowled as the person who spoke sidestepped him to my side.

"Hercules!" I exclaimed. 

Hercules was a tall, totally muscular guy. Erm, I meant god. He was given godhood after his death, for all of his many accomplishments and achievements. It turned out to be not a good thing, because Zeus made him only a minor god and became gatekeeper of the ancient lands, at the Pillars of Heracles. Which meant that he had to stay there and guard the gates. For all eternity.

"Angela." 

He spoke in a low, rich baritone.

"Wait," I said slowly. "Aren't you supposed to be guarding the ancient lands?"

"You mean, I'm supposed to be stuck there," he returned sadly. "The gods are incapacitated, and because of that, the grip on me has loosened, at least enough for me to reach you."

"You two know each other. How?"

We both turned to Nico, who still had that scowl on his face. The cave darkened, and the torches flickered, as if they were nervous.

"I met him while I was crossing the Mediterranean Sea," I replied hesitantly. "I dwelled in his island for months. It was... the longest I'd ever stayed somewhere."

"But then, you left again, as you do with every single place you go," Hercules cut in, his blue eyes downcast as usual.

"Yeah."

The torches flickered again, casting strange shadows on the stone walls.

"I shall tend to the mares, lead them to someplace safer. They are outside in the cold. I will return with haste." 

Hercules stood up, bowed his head at me, and walked out of the cave, leaving Nico and I alone with the unreliable torches for company.

"Why are you scowling?"

"It's what I do."

"Liar."

At that, his scowl turned into a small smile. 

"Gods, you're annoying."

"So are you," I shot back. "And you still haven't answered my question."

"There wasn't a need to answer it."

I rolled my eyes, then a thought struck me like a bolt of lightning. "You're jealous, aren't you?"

His back stiffened. "Jealous."

"Yeah, jealous of Hercules, and how perfect he is," I teased lightly.

The flames that lit the cave with light dimmed for a moment, as if the life was being sucked out of the warm fire.

"I don't care how perfect he is," Nico growled.

There was a moment of silence before he spoke again.

"He likes you, you know."

I sat up on the cold stone floor, wincing when my sore shoulder came into contact with the wall.