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Nico panted, retreating for a moment to recuperate. The dracanae hissed, a small army waiting for him just beyond the corner of the building he’d ducked behind. Nico exhaled deeply, steeling his resolve, before leaping back into the fight.
He summoned hordes of skeletons, commanding them to fight against the dracanae as Nico attacked them himself. He slashed through the mob, always staying one foot ahead of them, shadow-travelling around to prevent them from catching him. His battle instincts took over and Nico went on autopilot, his focus entirely on the battle in front of him.
The adrenaline faded from his system as the numbers of dracanae lowered, and Nico banished the skeletons to conserve his power. A rush of exhaustion hit him, but Nico kept fighting, knowing that if he didn’t he was as good as dead. The last dozen dracanae backed up, looking intimidated without the backup of the rest of their army. Nico approached, slicing through them like bread. The dracanae disappeared in a shower of golden dust, and Nico shuddered. His father’s quests always sucked.
At the end of the fight, Nico was covered in monster dust, dirt, sweat, and blood, panting wildly. He limped to the nearby building he’d hid behind earlier, leaning against it and sliding to the floor to sit. Nico almost passed out, but managed to hold on to consciousness, though barely.
It took Nico a few minutes to regain enough strength to stand up. He staggered against the wall, but his vision cleared after only a moment. Nico took a few steps back to look at the building he’d been using as a hiding spot.
His father had sent him out here to check on the area. He had said there were a few monster roaming around the wider grounds of the estate, but his father had vastly underestimated the sheer numbers of monsters that had almost overwhelmed Nico. The dracanae had come in waves, and it had taken him almost an hour and nearly all of his power to defeat them. The light was fading fast and Nico was drained, physically and mentally, so he decided to take refuge in the house for the night.
It was, in a word, enormous. His father had said it had been a prestigious mansion owned by a rich and influential family at some point, though given how old his father was, it could have been abandoned for centuries. The door was decorated with a large, ornate knocker, and Nico thumped it once, just to be polite. He broke the lock with his sword, then entered the house.
Nico hadn’t been expecting it to be so dirty. Dust lined every surface, coating the house in a grimy layer of filth. The mansion had obviously been locked up pretty tight because Nico couldn’t see any signs of breaking and entering, besides his own forced entry. Nico closed the door behind him, then walked further into the house.
Furniture still filled the rooms, decorative couches and cushy chairs positioned carefully in what Nico assumed was one of the many living rooms. A beautiful ornament of a strange creature was placed on one of the side tables, glinting in the dying light. Oddly, it was clean.
Nico shrugged it off and moved to the next room, though the thought lingered in the back of his mind. He tried to forget it as he set up camp in one of the bedrooms. He’d packed a couple of granola bars, so he ate one for dinner, then gingerly lifted the sheets off the bed. The duvet was covered in dust, but the top sheet was salvageable. Nico figured that since no one was coming back to live here, it wouldn’t matter if he stole a few more, so he took the sheets from the other bedrooms in the near vicinity and made a nest on top of the mattress. Nico put his backpack and sword next to him on the large mattress and let himself relax, convincing himself he was safe. Within minutes, he was asleep.
Someone was screaming at him. “Nico, you’re in danger! Nico, you’re in danger!” Over and over, becoming more distorted and unintelligible as they continued yelling. Nico screamed back, his voice reaching a pitch higher than should be possible, shattering his nightmare like glass. For a second, everything was dark. Then Nico opened his eyes.
Something was leaning over him, a knife raised high over their head. Nico just had time to roll out of the way onto the ground before it plunged into where he’d been only seconds before. The knife stabbed into the mattress, ripping through the thin material. Nico was still tangled in the sheets and half-asleep, but he knew one thing: he had to get out of here.
Nico stumbled out of the layers of fabric, making for the door as the thing removed the knife from the mattress and turned to stare at him. Before Nico ran out of the room, he got a glimpse of the creature.
It was horrifying. Its claws were so long and sharp Nico wondered why it even needed a knife, and its eyes were soulless and empty. Its mouth was packed with long, sharp teeth, and saliva dripped from its wide maw. It let out a roar and leaped for the door, but Nico slammed it shut behind him and took off down the hallway.
Nico darted into another bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind him then throwing his back against it. He was near hyperventilating, chest heaving with laboured breaths. Nico leaned his head against the door, taking deep breaths so he could focus.
He was trapped here. Nico couldn’t shadow travel while he was still drained and camp was a long way away, so Nico was really fucked. He didn’t know what was out there in the mansion; for all he knew, it was swarming with monsters.
First, Nico had to get his sword back. Then he’d find somewhere to hole up, and defend himself from monsters as best he could. He just had to survive the night, then he’d be able to shadow-travel back to camp.
Nico took another deep breath, then prepared to dive back into the horrors of the house. He cautiously swung open the door, peeking outside to make sure nothing was going to attack him without him noticing. Nico slipped out, not bothering with shutting the door behind him due to the unnecessary noise it would undoubtedly create. He silently crept down the hallway, risking a glance into the bedroom he’d previously been sleeping in. It was empty.
Nico knew he had a limited amount of time. He darted into the room, hastily scooping up his sword and swinging his backpack onto his shoulders. This time, he’d be ready.
Unfortunately, Nico would have to test that sooner than he’d have liked. A monster jumped out at him suddenly, claws outstretched. Nico couldn’t tell which direction it had come from, but it surprised him. It managed to scrape him with its claws before Nico got his sword in it, killing it instantly.
The cut stung slightly, but Nico didn’t really notice it. It wasn’t bleeding much, so he ignored it and left the room to find a safer hiding spot.
Nico knew it was a gamble to walk through the house when it was dark and monsters were on the lookout for him, but his old sleeping place didn’t feel safe anymore. The hallway was just as deserted as before, but Nico still stuck to the walls and made as little noise as possible when walking through the house. Nico rounded the corner then slammed back to the wall, frozen. His ears strained as he listened for any sounds. The noises of the monster he’d just seen became quieter as it seemed to move away, and Nico leaned around the corner to risk another glance.
The monster was staring right back at him, its dark eyes narrowed. Nico let out a gasp, covering his mouth. The monster snorted, then got down on all fours to run towards him.
Nico’s eyes widened in fear and he threw himself back down the hallway, flat-out sprinting to avoid the monster. It was gaining speed behind him, its steps loud and terrifying. Nico looked behind him. The monster was practically breathing down his neck, getting closer with every stride. Nico grabbed onto his sword, making sure he had a tight grip on it before spinning to face the monster. It skidded to a stop, its mouth gaping with the urge to kill.
Nico dug his feet in, holding his sword out and preparing for impact. As soon as the monster got close enough, Nico pivoted around it, stabbing it in the side with his sword. It let out a dying wail, then exploded in a shower of golden dust. Nico wiped the sweat and monster debris off his forehead for the second time that day, having the strangest sense of déjà vu.
Another monster loped around the corner. Nico paused, limbs locking up for a moment. The monster let out a screech and careened for him. Nico gritted his teeth and held his ground, copying his previous method of killing by waiting til it was close enough for him to strike. Unfortunately, the monsters seemed to have caught on, and when Nico moved to surprise it with a jab to the side, the monster jumped out of the way and pushed him over. Nico lay stunned on the ground, his head ringing. He looked up dazedly to see more monsters heading for him.
This snapped him back into action. The sensation of claws digging into his back suddenly registered, and Nico spun his sword in his grip to stab it in the leg. It disintegrated, but more were coming. A lot more.
Nico dove back into the second battle of the day, killing monster after monster after monster. They were quickly overwhelming him, more beasts coming to join the fight than should seemingly be possible. Nico had to do something, fast.
Nico had to survive the night. He didn’t necessarily have to kill every monster in his path. Though Nico’s powers were still mostly drained, he had enough energy for a small jump. Enough to get him out of the middle of the fight.
Nico slipped into the nearest shadow, aiming for one of the bedrooms of the house. He appeared from the shadow of a chair, scanning the room for monsters first before locking the door leading to the outer hallway.
Nico checked the closet and en suite before deeming the room completely safe. The second-storey bedroom had a window leading to outside, which thankfully wasn’t too far of a jump, so Nico could escape in the event that a lot of monsters got in.
Nico collapsed against the side of the bed, facing the door so he could see if anything tried to force its way in. His small use of his powers had made him even more tired, but the sun was rising quickly. Nico didn’t know why, but he had a strange feeling that the monsters would disappear by sunrise.
Now that the adrenaline was fading, the cuts on his arm were stinging a lot more. With another cautionary glance at the door, Nico pulled off his shirt and dug the bandages out of his backpack. He patched himself up quickly, ensuring that the bandages didn’t limit his movement, then slipped his shirt back on. Only a few more hours.
It’s like hide and seek, Nico thought. Except instead of being out, you’re dead. With that sobering thought in mind, Nico decided to eat another granola bar.
Midway through his snack, there was a thump at the door. Nico froze, then shoved the granola bar back in his bag, leaving it on the floor and taking up a defensive position behind the door. There was another bang, then the door creaked open, a monster sniffing the air. It was dead before it even saw Nico, beheaded by his blade. Nico let out a breath, but he was sure more were coming. He’d have to find another hiding place.
Nico left his bag in the room, knowing it would only slow him down. Similar to last time, he stayed close to the walls and hid in the shadows, sneaking from room to room and staying out of sight. Nico didn’t run into any monsters in the numerous hallways, so he considered himself safe when he rushed into a room and quickly locked the door behind him, leaning his forehead on it for a moment. A sharp tearing sensation on his back jolted him from his false security.
Nico screamed as his skin was ripped through like paper. He half-turned to see a monster silently staring, its unfeeling eyes haunting him. Nico bit his lip as he tried to suppress any more noises of pain, making a half-hearted lunge for the monster with his sword. It backed up, screeching. Nico gritted his teeth and soldiered forward, his back bleeding profusely. The monster lashed out, catching his sword arm. Nico yelled out again and transferred the sword to his other hand, adrenaline giving him the strength to slaughter the monster where it stood.
Nico was left panting with pain, staring out the window at the rising sun. Wait. The rising sun. Nico let out a breath, almost a laugh. If his theory was correct, the monsters should be gone by now.
Though he was bleeding and almost crying from the pain, Nico finally felt like his powers were now strong enough to get him back to Camp Half-Blood. Even if he wasn’t quite ready, Nico didn’t want to waste a second longer in this house.
He summoned his powers and slipped into a shadow, falling out the other side outside the Apollo cabin. Nico thumped against the wall, sliding to the ground with a groan. He was utterly spent.
Someone stormed outside, anger audible in their voice. “It’s only 7am, who the fuck- Nico?”
The voice sounded scared, and they called for more people to come help. Nico let himself drift away, finally safe enough to sleep.
He woke several hours later in the dark of the infirmary, his back and arm healed. Nico rubbed his eyes then sat up. An Apollo camper noticed and hurried away to notify Will of Nico’s consciousness.
“Nico!” Will rushed to his side, wrapping him in a hug as soon as he got close. Nico smiled and leaned into it, still exhausted from the past day’s events.
“Hey, Sunshine. Thanks for healing me.”
“Of course.” Will still looked worried, pulling away to look Nico over. “Did the quest for your dad not go well?”
“No, it did, I just had to spend the night at a haunted mansion or something. That did not go well.” Will looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but Nico stopped him. “I’m still really tired. Can I go back to sleep?”
“Yeah, just make sure to be careful of your injuries. They might still be a little sore. Do you wanna sleep here overnight or go back to your cabin later?”
“I’d rather just stay here, if that’s okay?”
“That’s fine, Kayla’s on the overnight shift. She’s the one who found you, she was pretty worried.”
Nico smiled a little; it was nice to know that it wasn’t just Will who cared about him. “Tell her thank you, and I’m doing fine.”
“Will do.” Nico snorted at the terrible pun. “Goodnight, Death Boy.”
“Goodnight, Sunshine!” Nico called out in response. He turned back over in bed and pulled the blankets up, glad to be back home.