Death's Son (And All Its Perks)

Chapter 5

Nico hated magic and all that it stood for. Why did it have to be so hard? Watching the other magicians, it looked as simple as saying a magic word. But whenever he tried, something either blew up or slammed him in the head and knocked him out (that happened way more than he thought it would).

Sadie turned out to not be as annoying as he originally thought but he found himself avoiding her. She liked him (or Anubis), that much was a given, but he wasn't comfortable telling her he was gay. He didn't know her well enough or how she would react. Even if she acted well, the others would find out from her and he just wasn't ready for that. Not yet.

But he found himself enjoying the nights he stayed there. They accepted him for who he was and the whole Anubis thing. At both of the camps, he felt in hiding. Every move he made was first thought about for minutes in his head, wondering if it would give him away. Even the demigods just seeing him made him nervous. If they caught on by seeing his pendent...

He missed just being able to talk to Hazel. She had left on that quest, so it was up to him to learn magic and find the Doors of Death. Neither was very appealing nor easy.

And where Anubis thought the Doors were...

He would rather learn magic.

When Sadie and Carter went to look for the scrolls, however, he finally found it time to look for the Doors. There wasn't much time left, so he felt almost forced.

But if he didn't do it, who would?

Going down to the Underworld was the hardest part. For some reason, Nico could feel Anubis' anxiety, and the Egyptian god was really freaking out.

What? Nico asked mentally, trudging through the Fields of Punishment.

Anubis didn't respond, but Nico could tell something was wrong.

He kept going, however, starting to shake in nervousness. Hades was the one that made Anubis go in his head. Why was he acting like that? Wouldn't Hades be happy that the deal worked?

He got deeper into the Underworld, his skin growing paler and his hands shaking slightly. All around him, light was barely visible as the darkness grew larger. Nico was used to the dark, but it was still unsettling. Something was...off.

He finally got to the barren wasteland next to the pit, not daring to breathe in fear of being heard. By what? He didn't know. But fear raked his body and kept Anubis silent. For the first time, he wished he could hear the annoying voice of his.

I have to do it, I have to do it. Nico thought to himself, walking even closer. For Hazel. For Hazel...this is for Hazel.

And Sadie. And Carter. He realized. And Felix and Alyssa and all the others. This is for them.

That was what gave him the courage to stare down into the pit. His eyes fixated on the inky blackness, hearing the static of white noise but knowing somewhere, deep below him, monsters howled and growled and feasted on each other. He knew, deep below him, could be the last place he ever stepped foot.

He took a deep breath, tasting the clean air before stepping into emptiness.

Nine days. Nine days of falling. They had always said that. But he had never believed it until he was actually experiencing it.

Day one.

Anubis didn't answer or make himself known. Nico spent the time in fear, screaming for anyone and anything to help him. He changed his mind immediately. He regretted ever looking for the Doors.

Day two.

No one had come. Not even his father. For the first time in his life, he felt truly alone. When he lived on the streets, he at least had other humans around him. Now, he had nothing. Absolutely nothing. Anubis didn't make himself known.

Day three.

The feeling of falling faded away, so he was left with bleeding fists that scraped the walls and nothing to do but prepare for the death that obviously awaited him at the bottom. He hated the Egyptian death god. He abandoned him in his moment of weakness. In his moment of death. How ironic.

Day four.

Nico's throat was dry, no more screams able to escape. He wasn't hungry, but he wanted water more than ever before. He felt like the air was drying his body out, shriveling it up. Anubis didn't even make his presence known.

Day five.

He finally gave up. All hope, even the tiniest bit, vanished from his weary mind. He began to be able to hear noises, chirps and claws and the beat of wings. There were no voices, however. No humans. No Anubis.

Day six.

He started praying to hit bottom. Maybe then he could finally die. Things would be so much better if he could just die. Anubis didn't voice his beliefs.

Day seven.

Was he already dead? Vaguely, his mind told him he would never know. He would never escape the darkness, dead or alive. He missed Anubis.

Day eight.

He gave up. Totally, unconditionally, wholeheartedly. He gave up.

Day nine...