More Power More Hope- Book Three In The United Series

Chapter 21

Max's POV:

"Nico! Come on, Nico!" I yell, shaking Nico's shoulders, but I know he's not coming back.

I shut my eyes tightly, my hands on Nico's chest, and think about him coming back.

When I open my eyes, Nico is still lying on the ground, unmoving. Dead.

My legacy isn't working. Setrákus Ra is near and he's taken my legacies. I turn around and see that the skeleton army Nico summoned are already halfway done with killing the Mogs. I flip my whip and when it turns back into a necklace I shove it in my pocket. 

"Max." Ivan places his hand on my shoulder. I turn around and continue to glare at him. He's the reason Nico is dead.

"Max, bring him to the van, we'll get him away from here," Ivan orders me and I'm not sure if I should trust him or not. He's the reason why all of this is happening.

But I can't just give up on Nico. I'll do whatever it takes to bring him back.

I nod my head at Ivan, who helps me carry Nico to the black van. Ivan opens the door and I carefully place Nico into the back of the van.

"Uh, I sort of don't know how to drive..." Ivan trails off. He's looking at the battle with the Mogadorians and the skeleton army Nico summoned with wide eyes. I look that way and see ten Mogadorians running towards us.

"Get in. I'll drive," I growl at him, slamming the back door shut. I jump into the driver's seat and Ivan hops into the passenger. I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive him for what he did. He's just so frustrating. One day he's helping us, the next day he isn't. He's going to have to choose one side and one side only.

With the van turned on, I grab hold of the steering wheel and press on the gas pedal. The van lurches forward, but I keep driving.

"Which way to the others?" I ask Ivan.

"The other way!" Ivan yells back. I step on the brake and turn the van the other way. It swerves for a second before facing the ten Mogadorians, who stop running towards us and look shocked as I start driving right towards them.

They all jump out of the way and I keep going. When we reach an intersection, I slow down and look around. I see Ivan open his mouth to tell me where to go but I don't need him to. I see the John Hancock a few miles to my left. I turn the steering wheel left and press on the gas pedal again. Thankfully, almost everyone has cleared out of Chicago because of the battle by the John Hancock. The problem is that they hopped out of their cars and started running. I dodge cars and trucks on the road as swiftly as I can without crashing into anything.

BANG!

That sound is too familiar- the bang of a gun going off from behind me.

The van lurches forward again. I step on the brake as hard as I can but the van still swerves. They shot the back tire.

The van stops after a few more seconds of swerving. All I can hear is the alarm of the cars that I've bumped into and me and Ivan's heavy breaths.

"Get out," I order Ivan without taking a glance at him or asking if he's okay. Ivan nods his head and jumps out of the van. I hop out after him and yank open the back door. Nico is still on the seat in an uncomfortable position. Before I can do anything, Ivan grabs Nico and throws him over his shoulder. I check to see if my legacies are working and easily pick up the black van with my telekinesis. Out of the corner of my eye, I see about twenty Mogadorians running towards us. With one swift movement of my arm, I hurl the van in their direction. Some are quick enough to jump out of the way, but most are crushed under the weight of the van. Before the van even stops rolling down the street, I grab Ivan's wrist and run towards the lake.

Ivan runs beside me, Nico still thrown over his shoulder, and we race towards the lake. Soon enough, I can make out the silhouettes of the others.

I grin as I see exactly what I want to see. John, Five, Adam, Nine, Eight, Marina, Ella, Malcolm, Sam, Six, and Bernie Kosar are all huddled in a small group, seemingly discussing something important.

"Ivan, stop," I order Ivan. He does as I say and automatically stops in his tracks.

"Put him down," I tell Ivan, nodding my head at Nico. Ivan gently places Nico on the stone hard ground and I kneel beside him. I close my eyes tightly and think about Nico alive- I think about Nico saying goodbye to me after my second departure from Camp Half-Blood, Nico and I training and sword fighting.I place my hands on Nico's chest and focus.

I hear a gasp from under me and when I open my eyes, Nico's night black eyes have opened. His eyes dart around and land on Ivan. He scowls at Ivan then meets my eyes.

"Fancy seeing you here," he tells me. I chuckle and softly grab his arm. I help him stumble back to his feet and once he's regained his balance, I point towards the others.

"Alright, let's go," I bark at Ivan, who's gazing at where the last remaining Mogadorians I didn't crush under the van were standing just mere minutes ago. They're gone now, probably went back for more reinforcements, which means we've got to move fast.

"Let's go," I repeat. Ivan snaps out of whatever daze he was in and turns to the others on the other side of the street.

Ivan, Nico, and I race towards the others. No one notices us or hears us approaching when Ivan, Nico, and I finally get to them, too transfixed in their conversation.

"What'd I miss?" I ask them casually, as if I've gone to use the bathroom during a football game.

Everyone turns towards me and their expressions are hilarious- a mix of shocked, surprised, bewildered, and relieved.

"Jeez Max..." John whispers to me, then pulls me into a tight hug. I hug him back and we stay that way until John notices Nico behind me. "I see you've brought the son of Hades."

I smile and nod my head. "So, Nico....Do you think you can summon eleven people today?" I ask him, praying he'll say yes. Nico smiles at me.

"With no problem."

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Fun Fact: The reason why Max's eyes turned from green to blue and black will be revealed in the sixth book. Stay tuned. ;)