Blood of Olympus

Nico

Nico opened his mouth to speak, but the boat tilted to starboard violently. 

He fell out of his chair and crashed onto the floor. Percy surged to help him.

"I'm fine, thanks," Nico snapped at Percy. Percy moved away from him. Immidentaly, Nico felt guilty. He had been wanting to make up with Percy for days, but he never had the courage to do such a thing.

Nico got up and realized that Frank's plate had smacked him in the face, and momentum sent his heavy body to the floor. Hazel was trying to get Frank out of the pile of crates.

Percy's cupcake had smashed itself on Annabeth's shirt, and she didn't look so happy about it. 

Jason and Piper peered out of the window.

"Everyone on deck!" Piper yelled, drawing Katrpois and leaving the room. 

Jason drew his Imperial Gold Gladius and charged out too.

Nico and Hazel exchanged glances. Everyone drew weapons and ran up-stairs.

"Di immortals!" Annabeth yelled, "Charybdis!"

Nico peered over the edge and saw a gigantic monster, it's mouth huge and dripping with blood and water. Eyes around it blinked, but it fixed on the boat.

Trembling, he unsheathed his dark black Stygian iron sword.

"Let's get closer in!" Piper yelled over the roaring of the monster.

Leo ran to the engine and yelled outrage. "Festus is down! I can't move the ship!"

"Lower it to the water!" Percy yelled, "That is, can you?"

Leo clicked some buttons and turned some levers, "Got it!"

The Argo II plummeted to the water. 

Percy controlled the water and made it hold it up. Nico stared at him in awe, Percy really was the most powerful demigod he met. 

"Jason," Piper said, "Let's roll."

Jason winked at her, "Okay."

Nico watched them run off the deck while Jason levitated them both. They swopped in towards the monster. 

The monster disappeared underwater, but Piper and Jason tracked it as it swam around the Argo. Percy ran to the rail and jumped off. 

Nico watched in awe as he plunged down to the water, but was caught by a wave. He frowned.

Everyone has powers, and I'm the power of death. What am I going to do? Water is more powerful here. 

Least he could do is make sure no one was on the verge of dying. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He sensed something faint, something that he wouldn't expect.

The ship tilted to starboard, Nico grabbed the rail, but his grip was slipping. Glancing sideways, he saw Hazel, she was furiously trying to control the metals and balance the ship.

Hazel was a Roman demigod, but still a child of Pluto. Nico was a child of Death, Underworld, and Precious stones. Or, he was the son of Hades.

Hazel was a daughter of Pluto, the Roman form of Hades. She wasn't as "deathly" as he was, she was more of the... precious stone power. 

Hazel managed to steady the boat, but Nico could hear Leo Valdez, the fire demigod yelling at the monster. What had Annabeth called it? A Charybdis? Nico never heard of it before.

"Stop it!" Leo roared, "I spent years working on this boat!"

"Months," Frank corrected.

"Doesn't matter!" Leo began to work, his hands moving quickly. He attached wires and screws. Building powers came with all children of Hephaestus, and Nico wondered what was on Leo's mind all day long.

"I'm trying to reprogram Festus," Leo moaned, "for like, the 9,999,999th time!"

Frank helped Annabeth to her feet. 

"I need to get closer," she said.

Frank turned into an eagle.

Nico had totally forgotten Frank had the power to turn into any animal. Though, sadly, it came with a big catch. Frank's life depended on a stick that was burned already. He was so brave, he was ready to sacrifice himself to save Death. 

Annabeth just frowned, "I need something bigger, like a dragon."

Frank turned into a dragon, "ROAR!"

Annabeth climbed on his back and the swooped down to save the day.

That left Nico with his sister, Hazel on deck. 

Nico ran to her side, but the ship tilted dangerously again.

Nico slipped and he went crashing off the deck. 

"NICO!" Hazel screamed, she slid towards him and grabbed his arm, leaving him dangling dangerously above the Charybdis.

Nico closed his eyes, trying to steady his heart beating. 

"Hazel," he instructed, "let go."

Hazel screamed so loudly, he almost wished the Fates would make her drop him, "ARE YOU CRAZY NICO?!"

Nico looked down at the figure below him,"maybe."

He prayed to the Fates that they would pity him and save him. Those Fates were supposed to be on their side, and the always make bad-luck come to them.

He squinted, the figure below him was Percy, his arms crossed, waiting for him to drop.

"See you later, Hazel," Nico twisted his arm and pulled free of Hazel's grasp. 

For on moment of tumbling through the air, all he could hear was Hazel's screaming. Then he heard the roaring of the Charybdis. 

Ploop!

Nico landed on the water like he'd land on the bed, for Percy had cushioned his fall.

"Hey Neeks," he said, grinning, "What took you so long?"

After a long time, Nico actually felt happy, "Let's go kill some Charybdis."

"Deal."