IF TIME STOPS 『nico di angelo x reader』

Chapter 6: It's You! It's Really You!

You were running. Away from the poisonous holds of their talons. Far behind you, you could see your seven year old brother and mother unconscious in the shore. You wanted to stop and check if they were still alive, but you couldn't. All you could do was pray that they weren't. If you were a passerby you would think that they were just a normal mother and son sleeping under the comfort of the sun. But you knew better. You knew that a monster had caused them to go to sleep and that very monster was chasing you.

You were only 6 years old, but your instincts told you where to go. In the distance you saw a clearing of trees and in front of them stood a young girl about 16. Her glare hard. She pulled a golden arrow from her back and knocked it on a bow, pointing it straight at you.

Wait! You wanted to say, but her arrow had sailed right over your head and into the chest of the dracaena that ran to catch you. The girl faced you and you caught your breath. She was beautiful. She gestured for you to hurry.

"Come, girl!" She said, hastily packing her bow and arrow. "You must make haste!" Behind you, the monster screamed in agony. It's dark eyes bore into you filled with malice and aeons of saved hatred.

"Remember this Princess," It snarled. "You may have gotten me today, but your curse will never end and it will be the end of you."

You gasped, turning away before the monster evaporated into a light of golden shower. The surge of energy pushed you forcibly, resulting to you flying hard towards the forest.

The girl caught you in time. Her green eyes held a hint of familiarity as it studied you. "You look...young, sister." She pursed her lips. Then she tensed, as if sensing another dangerous monster on the way. She pulled you close, "Listen child, if you value your life you must come with me. You must learn how to survive."

You tried to let go, struggling. You were scared. "But my family. I can't leave my famil—"

"Your family is safe. They are under your father's protection. Now come, the forest is about to disappear unless you choose to die in her hands."

The ground rumbled and the trees behind her swayed as if in a panic. We must go, Daphne. We must go.

"Who dares take my trophy?" A sound from the ground grumbled, it's voice muttered silently with utter abhority.

The girl, Daphne, turned back. Her calm demeanour gone replaced by one that is in a hurry. She pulled along, and this time you gave no fight. You ran with her to the trees. "Quick! Go!" She yelled as she pushed you along into the darkness of the trees.

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You woke up in a cold sweat, panting. For a short second, you had a moment of panic thinking you were still surrounded by darkness until your eyes adjusted to the light of Cabin 12. It was the break of dawn, the sun was rising from its bed down the sea. You lay in your bunk thinking of your dream as you tried to control your heartbeat.

"Fuck." You cursed silently, rolling in your bed. "Should I just sleep again?"

Nah. You thought to yourself as you struggled to sit up, careful not to wake the others. You rubbed your eyes with your fingers, making a split second decision before taking your blanket and slipping outside the cabin.

The air was cold and snow had fallen overnight. You wrapped your feathered blanket around you tighter, willing yourself to keep warm. You were dressed lightly, only covered in an oversized Yale sweater that fell down to your thighs and black shorts. Not exactly a winter outfit, but you made do with what you had and what you salvaged in the lost and found around the streets when you were on the run. You slipped on your slides and walked down the yard. Your feet would have been frozen if it weren't for the knee socks that you wore.

Hearing the camp so empty kind of made you lonely, everyone was still asleep in their cabins and probably won't wake up till hours later. Near the field, you spotted Chiron trotting around, a mug of hot tea in his hands. He was out of his wheelchair, you had learned that his wheelchair adjusted so that his lower half could fit inside in order for him to pass as human in the city.

You looked at the field, the strawberries and grapes were still being riped healthily. It was the only place in camp that had avoided the fate of being snow covered, Mr.D insists that campers kept it that way. Chiron spotted you from the corner of his eye and waved a small hello. You waved back and continued on your way.

As you walked around the camp, you passed by the different cabins for each parentage. You wondered what it'd feel like to be claimed and whether it'd be a good thing for you if you had been claimed. You wondered, since Percy was your older brother, if you had the same dad. Probably. Most likely. So why hasn't Poseidon claimed you yet?

All this ran through your mind as you walked. In the near distance, you heard swords clashing. No. A single sword clashing on its own. Was someone already awake this early in the morning? You peered through the gates of the arena, you had never thought of going there before even after all these weeks. You usually practiced sword fight near the amphitheatre, so you had never seen the arena up close.

It was big and filled with practice dummies; in the middle of it all stood a young man dressed in sweatpants and a black tee. His presence felt familiar, but you couldn't quite place it. He held a sword as dark and sharp as a nightmare it gave you shivers up your spine. His back was turned and so you could only see what he was facing. His rival. A man holding a bronze spear with such ghostly complexion the sight made your limbs go numbs.

"One," You heard the teenage boy groan as the man hit the hilt of his sword and sent it flying across the arena. You watched as he ran to grab his weapon and somersaulted towards the man, who dashed after him. The spear in his hands ready to take a blow but the teen quickly dodged the strike and sent his blade up the ribs of the man. Your gaped, not knowing what to do. He had just killed a man.

Before you could confront him, the boy took his blade out. "Return to the Underworld." He ordered and stabbed the ground before him. The ground opened to a wide chasm in which the man melted into. You watched as he took out his blade and the chasm in the ground disappeared.

Your hands were shaking at the sight. "J-Just now...Was that a ghoul?" You whispered as you dared yourself to sneak closer. The boy in front of you was panting heavily, sweat that had formed on his forearms were dripping. You watched as he sheathed his sword and grabbed a small towel from the nearest bench. Slowly it dawned on you that you had found him familiar because you had met him. 

Three weeks ago. In the woods.

It's you! It's really you!

You thought, your eyes widening in both surprise and excitement. The boy in front of you tensed and it took you a second to realize that what you meant to have thought silently, you had said out loud.